News

Great Lakes report declining veggie production

Wet planting and harvesting conditions throughout the Great Lakes resulted in a smaller vegetable crop for most growers last year.

Total vegetable and melon production in the U.S. declined one percent in 2018 while harvested acres were down three percent.  Vegetable crops were valued at nearly $13 billion, down 12 percent.

The top yielding crops were tomatoes, sweet corn and onions and sweet corn, tomatoes and snap beans were the top crops in terms of acreage. 

The Badger State remained the nation’s top producer of snap beans and the third-largest producer of sweet corn in 2018.  The USDA’s Agricultural Statistics Service says there were 66-thousand acres of snap beans in the state yielding 6.6 million hundredweight.  About half of the beans were sold on the fresh market and the rest were processed.  The crop was valued at more than 49 million dollars.

Total asparagus production was down seven percent while planted and harvested area were both down 17 percent.  The value of the crop declined 13 percent.

Sweet corn production was down three percent while planted and harvested area was up two percent.  The value of the crop declined four percent.

Cucumber production declined 18 percent and harvested area was down five percent.  The crop’s value was down 15 percent from 2017.

Production of green beans was down 16 percent and harvested area was down 2 percent.  Growers lost 24 percent in value compared to the year before.  The top producing state, Minnesota, had below normal yields because of flooding and extreme heat. 

Pumpkin production was down five percent and harvested area was down nine percent.  The value declined three percent.  Planting in the nation’s top producing state, Illinois, was impossible for some farmers because of heavy rains.  Heavy rains during harvest also caused losses in the Midwest.

Squash production was down 8 percent while harvested area was down two percent.  The value of the crop declined by 18 percent. 

Tomato production increased by 13 percent and harvest area was up four percent.  The value increased by 11 percent.  Growers in Indiana and Ohio reported favorable weather and record high yields.