HDR1012000140060118961500VEGETABLES                                             
HDR2012000140060118961500VEGE HIGHLIGHTS                                        
Released January 18, 1996, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service      
(NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture.  For     
information on "Vegetables" call Dave Mueller at (202) 720-2157, office hours   
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.  For assistance with general agricultural statistics,
information about NASS, its products or services, contact the NASS Information  
Hotline at 1-800-727-9540 or E-mail: NASS@AG.GOV.                               
                                                                                
                                                                                
                   Fresh Vegetables Up 6 Percent                                
                 Spring Onion Acreage Up 8 Percent                              
     Winter Strawberry Acreage Unchanged from Last Year                         
                                                                                
                                                                                
The prospective area for harvest of 13 selected fresh market vegetables during  
the winter quarter is forecast at 184,900 acres.  This is 6 percent above last  
year and down 6 percent from 1994.  Acreage for harvest increased for all       
selected crops except broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant and bell peppers.         
Escarole\endive acreage increased by 300 acres and carrot acreage showed a      
25 percent increase.  Cabbage  and spinach acreage increased 17 and 12 percent  
respectively.  Eggplant acreage declined by 200 acres. Bell pepper and          
cauliflower acreage declined by 7 and 6 percent respectively.                   
                                                                                
                                                                                
Acres planted for spring onions in the 4 selected states is estimated at        
40,300 acres, up 8 percent from 1995 and 4 percent above 1994.  Acreage was up  
in all states except Texas, which was down 1 percent.                           
                                                                                
                                                                                
Winter strawberry acreage is estimated at 6,000 acres, unchanged from last year 
and up 200 acres from 1994.                                                     
                                                                                
                                                                                
Vg 2-1 (1-986)                                                                  
                                                                                
HDR2012000140060118961500SUMMARY TABLES DMSTC & MTRC UNTS                       
         Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons:  Area for Harvest         
                       by Season, Major States, 1994-1996                       
                                (Domestic Units)                                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       :                          Area                          
          Crop         :--------------------------------------------------------
          and          :              Harvested              :       For        
         Season        :-------------------------------------:     Harvest      
                       :       1994       :       1995       :       1996       
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       :                         Acres                          
                       :                                                        
Snap Beans             :      10,200             12,200             12,200      
Broccoli 1/            :      25,500             24,000             23,500      
Cabbage                :      14,000             12,000             14,000      
Carrots                :      24,500             23,900             29,800      
Cauliflower 1/         :      10,000              9,000              8,500      
Celery 1/              :       6,900              6,200              6,400      
Sweet Corn             :       6,500              4,900              5,100      
Eggplant               :         500                800                600      
Escarole/Endive        :       1,100                600                900      
Head Lettuce           :      71,700             59,200             61,000      
Bell Pepper 1/         :       6,200              6,000              5,600      
Spinach                :       2,300              2,500              2,800      
Tomatoes               :      16,700             13,700             14,500      
                       :                                                        
Total Winter Crop      :     196,100            175,000            184,900      
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/  Includes fresh market and processing.                                       
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
         Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons:  Area for Harvest         
                       by Season, Major States, 1994-1996                       
                                 (Metric Units)                                 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       :                          Area                          
          Crop         :--------------------------------------------------------
          and          :              Harvested              :       For        
         Season        :-------------------------------------:     Harvest      
                       :       1994       :       1995       :       1996       
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       :                        Hectares                        
                       :                                                        
Snap Beans             :       4,130              4,940              4,940      
Broccoli 1/            :      10,320              9,710              9,510      
Cabbage                :       5,670              4,860              5,670      
Carrots                :       9,910              9,670             12,060      
Cauliflower 1/         :       4,050              3,640              3,440      
Celery 1/              :       2,790              2,510              2,590      
Sweet Corn             :       2,630              1,980              2,060      
Eggplant               :         200                320                240      
Escarole/Endive        :         450                240                360      
Head Lettuce           :      29,020             23,960             24,690      
Bell Pepper 1/         :       2,510              2,430              2,270      
Spinach                :         930              1,010              1,130      
Tomatoes               :       6,760              5,540              5,870      
                       :                                                        
Total Winter Crop      :      79,370             70,810             74,830      
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/  Includes fresh market and processing.                                       
                                                                                
                                                                                
HDR2012000140060118961500SEL FRSH MRKT VEGES&MELNS:AREA HRV, CRP,ST&TL          
         Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons:  Area for Harvest         
                by Crop, State, and Total, Winter Season, 1994-96               
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     :         :               Area                :            
         Crop        :  Usual  :-----------------------------------:    1996    
         and         : Harvest :       Harvested       :    For    : as Percent 
        State        : Period  :-----------------------:  Harvest  :  of 1995   
                     :         :   1994    :   1995    :   1996    :            
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     :         :  ------------ Acres -----------      Percent   
                     :         :                                                
Snap Beans           :         :                                                
  FL                 : Jan-Mar :   10,200      12,200      12,200        100    
                     :         :                                                
Broccoli 1/          :         :                                                
  CA                 : Jan-Mar :   25,500      24,000      23,500         98    
                     :         :                                                
Cabbage              :         :                                                
  FL                 : Jan-Mar :    5,800       5,000       5,500        110    
  TX                 : Jan-Mar :    8,200       7,000       8,500        121    
  Total              :         :   14,000      12,000      14,000        117    
                     :         :                                                
Carrots              :         :                                                
  CA                 : Jan-Mar :   16,000      17,500      22,000        126    
  FL                 : Nov-Mar :    5,100       3,300       4,400        133    
  TX                 : Dec-Mar :    3,400       3,100       3,400        110    
  Total              :         :   24,500      23,900      29,800        125    
                     :         :                                                
Cauliflower 1/       :         :                                                
  CA                 : Jan-Mar :   10,000       9,000       8,500         94    
                     :         :                                                
Celery 1/            :         :                                                
  CA                 : Jan-Mar :    6,900       6,200       6,400        103    
                     :         :                                                
Sweet Corn           :         :                                                
  FL                 : Jan-Mar :    6,500       4,900       5,100        104    
                     :         :                                                
Eggplant             :         :                                                
  FL                 : Jan-Mar :      500         800         600         75    
                     :         :                                                
Escarole/Endive      :         :                                                
  FL                 : Jan-Mar :    1,100         600         900        150    
                     :         :                                                
Head Lettuce         :         :                                                
  AZ - Western       : Nov-Apr :   50,000      41,700      45,000        108    
  CA                 : Dec-Apr :   16,500      17,500      16,000         91    
  FL 2/              : Jan-Mar :    5,200                                       
  Total              :         :   71,700      59,200      61,000        103    
                     :         :                                                
Bell Pepper 1/       :         :                                                
  FL                 : Jan-Mar :    6,200       6,000       5,600         93    
                     :         :                                                
Spinach              :         :                                                
  TX                 : Jan-Mar :    2,300       2,500       2,800        112    
                     :         :                                                
Tomatoes             :         :                                                
  FL                 : Jan-Mar :   16,700      13,700      14,500        106    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/  Includes fresh market and processing.                                       
2/  Estimate discontinued.                                                      
                                                                                
                                                                                
HDR2012000140060118961500SUMMARY TABLES DMSTC & MTRC UNT                        
             Onions and Strawberries for Fresh Market:  Area Planted            
                and Harvested by Crop, Season, and Total, 1994-96               
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Crop,     :        Planted Area         :         Harvested Area          
     Season,    :---------------------------------------------------------------
       and      :         :         :         :         :         : For Harvest 
      State     :  1994   :  1995   :  1996   :  1994   :  1995   :    1996     
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :                             Acres                             
                :                                                               
Onions 1/       :                                                               
  Spring        :                                                               
    AZ 2/       :  1,700     1,400     1,800     1,600     1,400                
    CA 2/       :  7,200     8,000     8,500     6,700     7,500                
    GA          : 11,000    12,800    15,000    10,300    12,500      14,700    
    TX          : 18,700    15,100    15,000    16,800    14,200      14,100    
    Total       : 38,600    37,300    40,300    35,400    35,600                
                :                                                               
Strawberries 3/ :                                                               
  Winter        :                                                               
    FL          :  5,800     6,000     6,000     5,800     6,000       6,000    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/  Primarily fresh market.                                                     
2/  1996 - planting intentions - harvested acreage published Apr 8, 1996.       
3/  Includes fresh market and processing.                                       
                                                                                
                                                                                
HDR2012000140060118961500FRSH MRKT VEGES NARRATIVE                              
Snap Beans:  Florida acreage for harvest is forecast at 12,200 acres, unchanged 
             from last year and 20 percent greater than 1994. Recent cool       
weather is slowing plant growth. Some leaf burn from recent frosts occurred in a
few areas. Planting and harvesting continues. Quality and yield are good.       
                                                                                
                                                                                
Broccoli:  California acreage is estimated at 23,500, 2 percent less than last  
           year and 8 percent less than 1994. Planting was proceeding well with 
sufficient moisture available.                                                  
                                                                                
                                                                                
Cabbage:  Winter acreage for harvest is estimated at 14,000 acres 17 percent    
          more than last year and unchanged from 1994.  In Florida, the crop was
in good condition with plant growth being normal.                               
                                                                                
                                                                                
Carrots:  Acreage for harvest is forecast at 29,800 acres, up 25 percent from   
          last year and 22 percent greater than in 1994. Planting of the Florida
crop started by early September, but much of it was delayed until the heavy fall
rainfall passed. Zellwood growers started harvesting in late November. Culling  
was heavy for the early diggings due to wet weather during early crop           
development. The late December freeze only singed the tops of some roots and    
caused no significant damage to the crop. Heavy rainfall over the New Year's    
holiday brought harvest to a standstill for five to seven days due to muddy     
fields.  Mild weather and adequate moisture encouraged growers in California to 
increase their carrot acreage.                                                  
                                                                                
                                                                                
Cauliflower:  California acreage is forecast at 8,500 acres down 6 percent from 
              1995 and 15 percent below 1994. Favorable growing conditions have 
left the crop progressing well.                                                 
                                                                                
                                                                                
Celery:  The winter celery crop acreage for harvest in California is forecast to
         be 3 percent above 1995 but 7 percent below the 1994 crop.  Harvest    
began and is continuing along the coast.                                        
                                                                                
                                                                                
Sweet corn:  Florida harvested acreage is estimated at 5,100 acres, up 4 percent
             from last year but 22 percent less than in 1994. Rainfall during   
October delayed planting. Drier, cooler weather during November and most of     
December aided crop development. Freezing temperatures that arrived in late     
December caused no significant damage to the crop. The majority of winter       
acreage, located around Lake Okeechobee, escaped significant damage from the    
heavy rains falling over the New Year holiday.                                  
                                                                                
                                                                                
Eggplant:  After increasing in 1995, winter eggplant acres for harvest in       
           Florida are forecast to decline by 200 for 1996. This is 100 acres   
greater than the 1994 harvest.                                                  
                                                                                
                                                                                
Escarole/endive:  The harvested acreage of Florida's  winter crop of escarole   
                  and endive is forecast to be above the 1995 crop, but will be 
smaller in acres than the 1994 crop.  Acreage for harvest, at 900 acres is 300  
acres more than last year.                                                      
                                                                                
                                                                                
Lettuce:  Warm, seasonal weather has helped early harvest of the 1996 lettuce   
          (head) crop.  Acreage for harvest is forecast at 61,000 acres in      
Arizona and California.  Harvested 1996 acreage in the two states is 3 percent  
above last year, but 8 percent below their 1994 total.  The crop quality is     
reported as good.                                                               
                                                                                
                                                                                
Onions:  Growers intend to plant 40,300 acres of spring onions for 1996, an     
         increase of 8 percent over 1995 and 4 percent more than 1994 acres     
planted. Acreage is expected to increase in three of the four major states, with
the fourth state, Texas, down only 100 acres.                                   
                                                                                
                                                                                
Bell Peppers:  Florida winter acreage for harvest is estimated at 5,600 acres,  
               7 percent less than last year and 10 percent below 1994.  Strong 
winds from Hurricane Opal in early October blew blooms off plants and bruised   
young fruit which reduced yield prospects in parts of the southwestern and      
southeastern production areas. Heavy rainfall during most of October continued  
to blow blooms off plants in most southern Peninsula areas. Freezing            
temperatures burned the leaves of some plants in the East Coast area in late    
December with most plants expected to recover. Southwestern fields escaped      
damage from the late December icing.                                            
                                                                                
                                                                                
Spinach:  The harvested acres of winter spinach for 1996 is forecast at         
          2,800 acres in Texas.  This is 12 percent above 1995 and 22 percent   
more acreage than 1994.                                                         
                                                                                
                                                                                
Strawberries:  Florida winter acreage is estimated at 6000 acres, unchanged from
               last year and 200 acres greater than 1994.  Overall, harvest is  
later this year. The late December freezes did very little damage to the crop.  
Some damage from the heavy rains on January 1, could be minimized if the weather
clears up.                                                                      
                                                                                
                                                                                
Tomatoes:  Florida acreage is forecasted at 14,500 acres, up 6 percent from last
           year but 13 percent below 1994.  Strong winds from Hurricane Opal    
during early October laid over some plants in the northern and Palmetto-Ruskin  
areas. The wind lowered production prospects by blowing blooms off plants and   
bruising young fruit in all areas except Dade County. In early November, heavy  
showers in the Palmetto-Ruskin area again reduced yield prospects. Cooler, drier
weather for most of November boosted plant growth and fruit development. Ideal  
planting and harvesting weather persisted over the southern Peninsula during    
most of December. Freezing temperatures in late December damaged some plants and
fruit in some East Coast and Palmetto-Ruskin localities. Heavy rains during     
early January fell over the southern Peninsula with effects from the rainy      
weather still to be assessed.                                                   
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
HDR2012000140060118961500NXT RLSE DATE & EEO STATEMENTS                         
The next "Vegetables" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on April 8, 1996.    
                                                                                
                                                                                
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in  
its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age,  
disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status.  Persons with    
disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program         
information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA     
Office of Communications at (202) 720-5881 (voice) or (202) 720-7808 (TDD).     
                                                                                
To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA, Washington, D.C.,
20250, or call (202) 720-7327 (voice) or (202) 720-1127 (TDD).  USDA is an equal
employment opportunity employer.