Stephen Reiners, Associate Professor, Horticulture, Cornell University, passes along his annual report on New York’s nationwide ranking as a vegetable producer based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
When you say New York, most people think of Broadway, Times Square and the Yankees. But outside the Big Apple, the state is a major player in the U.S. vegetable industry.
In 2010, New York ranked fifth among the states in both fresh market and processing vegetable acreage according to a report compiled from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics by Stephen Reiners (right), Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture, Cornell University. The state ranks in the top four in planted acres for fresh market cabbage, sweet corn, cauliflower, fall storage onions, pumpkins and squash as well as processing snap beans.
The total value of all New York fresh market vegetables 2010 was $361 million, according to the USDA. But that does not include potatoes, peppers, lettuce, carrots, eggplant, melons or dry beans. Adding these crops increases the total to close to $450 million, and $500 million if you add processing vegetables.
See also: Steve Reiners’ 2010 New York Vegetables Summary.