Ag Facts
New York Is An
Agricultural State
Agriculture is important to New York State. Agricultural production returned over $3.6 billion to the farm economy in 2005. About 25 percent of the state’s land area, or 7.55 million acres, are used by the 35,600 farms to produce a very diverse array of food products. Here are some of the items in which New York ranks high nationally:
LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS
Dairy and animal production in New York provided $2.30 billion to farmers in 2005. That accounts for 63 percent of all cash receipts.
DAIRY PRODUCTS
Milk is New York’s leading agricultural product and is produced all across the state. Milk sales account for one-half of total agricultural receipts. Production in 2005 was 11.7 billion pounds with a preliminary value of $1.91 billion. New York is the Nations 3rd leading producer and Wyoming is the State’s leading county.
MEAT PRODUCTION
New York livestock producers marketed 246 million pounds of meat animals during 2005 bringing in $190 million in cash receipts. Sales from cattle and calves accounted for $173 million, hogs and pigs returned $13.0 million, and sheep and lambs provided $3.67 million.
POULTRY PRODUCTION
The value of New York eggs, ducks, broilers and turkeys plus the value of sales for other chickens totaled $91.3 million for 2005. Eggs made up $36.5 million of the total followed by broilers at $7.61 million. New York ranks 22nd among all egg producing states.
CROP PRODUCTION
Field crops, fruits and vegetables returned $1.33 billion to New York farmers in 2005.
FRUITS
New York’s fruit crop receipts were valued at $244 million in 2005. Apples and grapes lead New York fruit crops in value.
APPLES
New York ranks 2nd nationally with receipts worth about $185 million in 2005. Three general areas produce most of the apples: along the southern Lake Ontario shore, along the Hudson Valley, and along the upper Lake Champlain Valley. New York’s leading varieties are McIntosh, Empire, Rome, Idared, and Red Delicious.
GRAPES
Wine and juice grape production place New York 3rd behind California and Washington. The crop was worth $34.3 million in 2005. Three-fourths of the production was for juice and one-fourth went into wines. The four major producing areas are Lake Erie area, the Finger Lakes, the Hudson Valley and the eastern end of Long Island.
TART CHERRIES
Production in New York ranks 4th in the Nation. Production in 2005 totaled 7.5 million pounds with a value of $3.24 million.
PEARS
Production ranked 4th in the nation with 8,500 tons and had a value of $4.09 million.
STRAWBERRIES
Strawberries are the 3rd most valuable fruit in New York and places New York 7th in national production. Growers harvested 5.20 million pounds in 2005. The crop returned $8.06 million to growers.
VEGETABLES
The value of vegetables in 2005 totaled $461 million. Fresh Market vegetables rank 6th and Processing vegetables are 7th among all states. Leading crops in New York are cabbage, sweet corn and onions.
CABBAGE
The nation’s 2nd largest producer, cabbage is principally grown south of Lake Ontario at Monroe, Genesee, Orleans, Ontario and Niagara counties. New York cabbage is typically stored for sale as fresh during winter months. Value of the fresh market crop in 2005 totaled $67.3 million.
SWEET CORN
Produced statewide, sweet corn had a value of $69.9 million. Concentrations are found in the Lower Hudson Valley and around the Genesee Valley. The 2005 fresh market crop worth $60.5 million, placed 4th nationally and the processing crop valued at $9.34 million ranked 5th.
ONIONS
An important crop with receipts of $49.0 million in 2005. Onions are grown in New York’s muck soils in Orange, Orleans, Oswego, Madison and Wayne counties. The state ranked 6th in production for 2005 with 301 million pounds.
SNAP BEANS
Grown in the Central and Western regions for fresh and processing. The 2005 crop was valued at $35.8 million. Fresh production accounted for 59 percent of the total and puts New York 5th across the nation. Processing sales of $12.8 million rank New York 2nd..
OTHER VEGETABLES
Tomatoes: $21.5 million, 13th nationally
Pumpkins: $21.9 milllion, 6th nationally
Cucumbers: $15.3 milllion, 5th nationally
Squash: $29.1 million, 5th nationally
Green Peas for Processing: $11.4 million, 4th nationally
Cauliflower: $3.35 million, 3rd nationally
FIELD CROPS
New York produces a variety of field crops largely in support of it’s dairy industry. Corn, oats and wheat are most widely grown with soybeans steadily increasing in importance. New York ranks 3rd in corn silage, valued at $227 million. Production of grain corn ranked 19th with a value of $117 million. Soybean production was valued at $43.5 million. The state placed 10th in oat production, 32nd in wheat and 24th for soybeans. Hay production put New York 22nd and was valued at $282 million in 2005. Most hay is used on farms and its value is realized through sale of milk and livestock. Fall potatoes reached a value of $40.3 million in 2005 and made New York the 11th leading producer.
MAPLE SYRUP
At $7.04 million, New York ranks 2nd behind Vermont in value but was 3rd with 245,000 gallons produced behind Vermont and Maine in 2005.
FLORICULTURE CROPS
In 2005, New York floriculture products were valued at $200 million. Bedding and garden plants top the list of commodities. New York’s floriculture output ranks 5th nationally. A variety of crops are produced in 24.5 million square feet of covered area and on 963 acres of open ground. Christmas Trees provide about $21.3 million of sales and made New York the 11th leading producer in 2001.
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