=========================================================== New England Agricultural Statistics - - - a field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service United States Department of Agriculture Aubrey R. Davis, Director Phone: (603) 224-9639 22 Bridge St, 3rd Floor Fax: (603) 225-1434 PO Box 1444 Internet: http://www.usda.gov/nass/ Concord, NH 03302-1444 E-Mail: nass.nh@nass.usda.gov =========================================================== SEPTEMBER AG REVIEW SEPTEMBER 30, 2005 The following is an abbreviated version of the report. The entire document is available as a PDF file on the Internet through: http://www.nass.usda.gov/nh/ =========================================================== A special “Thank you” goes to New England producers and agri-businesses who have helped us by completing surveys via mail, telephone or personal interviews. POTATOES: Maine was the seventh largest producer of fall potatoes in the nation in 2004. The state’s 2004 potato crop was finalized at 19.1 million cwt (hundredweight), 12 percent above 2003 production and the largest crop harvested In the state since 1997. Record high yields offset a 4,000 acre decline in harvested acreage. Growers harvested 61,500 acres in 2004,and yields averaged 310 cwt per acre. Crop growth was excellent through mid-August with timely rains and sun promoting superior growth. Then, heavy rains hit, which caused severe flooding in the St. John Valley and forced growers to abandon fields. An estimated 2,000 acres were left unharvested in 2004 in the state. Prolonged rains interrupted needed spray schedules, increased the incidence of disease, and resulted in numerous tuber quality problems. Losses were high for the 2004 potato crop due to breakdown problems in storage. Potatoes lost from shrinkage and dumping totaled 4.9 million cwt in 2004, 26 percent of production, and the largest shrink and loss recorded in the state since 1992. With sales at $90.8 million, Maine ranked eighth in the nation based on the value of 2004 fall potato sales. The price received for Maine grown potatoes averaged $6.50 per cwt, up $0.45 per cwt from a year earlier, and above the national fall potato average of $5.08 per cwt. Potato farmers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island enjoyed excellent growing and harvesting conditions during the 2004 season. Massachusetts growers harvested 2,500 acres with yields surpassing all records, averaging 320 cwt per acre. Rhode Island potato farmers harvested 500 acres and yields averaged 290 cwt per acre, which matched the record yield set in 1992. Total United States 2004 potato production is estimated at 456 million cwt, down fractionally from the estimate made in the January Annual Crop Summary and less than 1 percent below the 2003 crop. Harvested area, at 1.17 million acres, decreased 7 percent from a year ago. The average yield of 391 cwt per acre is up 24 cwt from 2003 and 29 cwt above the average yield from the 2002 crop. This is a record high yield, 10 cwt above the previous record set in 2000. Fall potatoes are finalized at 410 million cwt for 2004, virtually unchanged from the 2003 crop. Area harvested in 2004 is estimated at 1.02 million acres, down 6 percent from a year earlier. The average yield, at 401 cwt per acre, is up 25 cwt from a year earlier and a record high, 9 cwt above the previous record high set in 2000. The value of all potatoes sold in 2004 is estimated at $2.34 billion, down 5 percent from the previous year. The average price, at $5.67 per cwt, is down $0.22 from a year earlier. Sales from the 2004 potato crop totaled 414 million cwt, down 1 percent from 2003. Sales account for 91 percent of 2004 production. Non-sales account for 42.2 million cwt, 3 percent above the previous year. Over the past five years, 91 percent of the potatoes grown have been sold. The other 9 percent were either lost (shrinkage and loss) or used on farms where grown (seed, home use, and livestock feed). Processors used 259 million cwt of raw potatoes from the 2004 crop, up 1 percent from a year earlier. Table stock sales totaled 130 million cwt, 2 percent below the previous year. Seed sales of 22.9 million cwt are down 7 percent from 2003. Sales for livestock feed, at 1.94 million cwt, are down 3 percent from a year earlier. Potatoes used for chips and shoestrings totaled 50.1 million cwt in 2004, down 5 percent from the previous year. Frozen french fries and other frozen products utilized 155 million cwt of raw potatoes, up 3 percent. Potatoes used for dehydrating totaled 48.5 million cwt, virtually unchanged from 2003. Canning use, at 3.84 million cwt, fell 10 percent. Starch, flour, and other products were made from 1.53 million cwt of potatoes, 11 percent above the previous year. Shrinkage and loss is estimated at 37.4 million cwt for 2004, up 6 percent from 2003. Potatoes used for livestock feed on farms where grown and home use totaled 1.18 million cwt, 23 percent below the previous season. Growers kept 3.61 million cwt for seed on their own farms, down 10 percent from a year earlier. MILK PRODUCTION: Milk production in Vermont during August 2005 totaled 222 million pounds, an increase of two percent from August 2004. There were an estimated 143,000 milk cows on Vermont farms during August, unchanged from the previous month, and a decrease of 2,000 head from the same month the previous year. Milk production per cow during August averaged 1,550 pounds, an increase of 55 pounds per cow from August 2004. LAYER AND EGG PRODUCTION: Connecticut and Maine layer inventories in August 2005 averaged 7.1 million birds. Maine is the leading producer of eggs in New England, with an output of 91 million eggs during August 2005. Connecticut layers produced 72 million eggs from all layers during the same month. The total number of layers in the United States during August 2005 averaged 341 million, down 0.6 percent from a year earlier. United States egg production totaled 7.56 billion eggs during August 2005, an increase of 0.3 percent from a year earlier. This is a monthly summary of New England agricultural statistics taken from nationwide reports issued by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. All National reports and State newsletters are available on the Internet at: http://www.usda.gov/nass/ National reports can be ordered by calling 1-800-999-6779. How can you get these reports electronically? * For free National e-mail reports, send a message to: usda-reports@usda.mannlib.cornell.edu and in the body of the message, type: lists * For free State newsletters, such as this, send a message to: listserv@newsbox.usda.gov and in the body, type: subscribe usda-new-eng-all-reports OR for a list of all available reports, type: lists for other states. **************************End of Report****************************