Michigan harvest gets underway
Michigan harvest gets underway
While recent statistics showed relatively stable production in Michigan in recent years, shippers said that a very strong crop is at hand for the 2006 shipping year.
Oliver Wolfe, owner of Above All Produce Inc. in Benton Harbor, MI, said June 28, "The quality coming off the plant and also in the field looks very good right now. Quality is excellent. We will be harvesting in a little over a week and it is just beautiful." Already being harvested in late June were cucumbers, pickles, green beans and yellow squash.
Mr. Wolfe said that the Eastern cantaloupe harvest would begin in mid-July, followed by grape tomatoes in late July and Roma and round tomato harvests in August.
At Benton Harbor Fruit Market Inc. in Benton Harbor, MI, Lee LaVanway, market master, said, "Last year we had the hottest year on record. It was a hot, dry season and that took its toll. Except for extremes early" in the 2006 Michigan growing season, "we've been in a good pattern recently. That gives us a chance to recover."
According to a 2005-2006 bulletin by the USDA, Michigan ranks eighth and fifth, respectively, for fresh market and processing value of vegetable production nationally.
In 2005 Michigan farmers produced 9.74 million hundredweight of fresh market vegetables, a 2 percent increase over 2004. Processing vegetable tonnage increased 7 percent in 2005 over the previous year.
Michigan vegetable growers produced 887,560 tons of fresh and processed vegetables in 2005. Harvested acreage was 126,600, a 5 percent increase from 2004. The value of production was $216 million, down $15 million from the previous year.
The same report showed record highs and lows for Michigan vegetable production. In 2005 Michigan had a record high in fresh- market tomato yield at 280 hundredweight per acre. Michigan's peak in acres (9,400) and production (797,000 hundredweight) was 1943. The record low production year for Michigan fresh market tomatoes was 2001, with 1,800 acres.
Michigan's record high year for asparagus production was 2003, with 317,000 hundredweight; records for Michigan celery yields were set in 2004 at 260 hundredweight per acre; and Michigan fresh-market sweet corn had a record yield year in 2003, at 90 hundredweight per acre.
Michigan's fresh-market vegetable industry remained relatively stable between 2001 and 2005, with a high of 71,100 acres planted in 2003 and a low for acres planted of 68,400 in 2005. In total production, however, 2005 was the second highest for the five-year period, with 9,742 hundredweight. The peak production in 2001-2005 was 2003, at 9,854 hundredweight.
In terms of value, the 2004 vegetable crop was the highest, with returns of $175.4 million. The lowest value year in the 2001-2005 span was 2001, at $157.7 million.
(For more on the Michigan deal, see the July 10 issue of The Produce News.)
Oliver Wolfe, owner of Above All Produce Inc. in Benton Harbor, MI, said June 28, "The quality coming off the plant and also in the field looks very good right now. Quality is excellent. We will be harvesting in a little over a week and it is just beautiful." Already being harvested in late June were cucumbers, pickles, green beans and yellow squash.
Mr. Wolfe said that the Eastern cantaloupe harvest would begin in mid-July, followed by grape tomatoes in late July and Roma and round tomato harvests in August.
At Benton Harbor Fruit Market Inc. in Benton Harbor, MI, Lee LaVanway, market master, said, "Last year we had the hottest year on record. It was a hot, dry season and that took its toll. Except for extremes early" in the 2006 Michigan growing season, "we've been in a good pattern recently. That gives us a chance to recover."
According to a 2005-2006 bulletin by the USDA, Michigan ranks eighth and fifth, respectively, for fresh market and processing value of vegetable production nationally.
In 2005 Michigan farmers produced 9.74 million hundredweight of fresh market vegetables, a 2 percent increase over 2004. Processing vegetable tonnage increased 7 percent in 2005 over the previous year.
Michigan vegetable growers produced 887,560 tons of fresh and processed vegetables in 2005. Harvested acreage was 126,600, a 5 percent increase from 2004. The value of production was $216 million, down $15 million from the previous year.
The same report showed record highs and lows for Michigan vegetable production. In 2005 Michigan had a record high in fresh- market tomato yield at 280 hundredweight per acre. Michigan's peak in acres (9,400) and production (797,000 hundredweight) was 1943. The record low production year for Michigan fresh market tomatoes was 2001, with 1,800 acres.
Michigan's record high year for asparagus production was 2003, with 317,000 hundredweight; records for Michigan celery yields were set in 2004 at 260 hundredweight per acre; and Michigan fresh-market sweet corn had a record yield year in 2003, at 90 hundredweight per acre.
Michigan's fresh-market vegetable industry remained relatively stable between 2001 and 2005, with a high of 71,100 acres planted in 2003 and a low for acres planted of 68,400 in 2005. In total production, however, 2005 was the second highest for the five-year period, with 9,742 hundredweight. The peak production in 2001-2005 was 2003, at 9,854 hundredweight.
In terms of value, the 2004 vegetable crop was the highest, with returns of $175.4 million. The lowest value year in the 2001-2005 span was 2001, at $157.7 million.
(For more on the Michigan deal, see the July 10 issue of The Produce News.)
