Florida Agricultural Statistics Service

Division of Marketing and Development
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
United States Department of Agriculture

2006-2007 Overview of Activities

Introduction

Reliable information is essential to making production, marketing, and policy decisions for the agricultural community. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shares in a cooperative federal/state program responsible for collecting and disseminating Florida agricultural statistics. Information on the state’s major commodities is gathered through onsite producer surveys, voluntary mail questionnaires, and telephone and personal interviews. Statistics compiled from these data are available in over 200 reports issued annually.

In the past year, the Florida Agricultural Statistics Service included staffed an informational booth at industry trade shows for citrus and cattle as part of its public relations efforts. The booth allowed the service to promote its role in the industry and increase the visibility of its reports. The office is preparing to conduct the 2007 Census of Agriculture, which is scheduled to be mailed to every farm operator in Florida in December 2007.

Citrus

An initial citrus production forecast is issued in October and modified monthly through the citrus season based on fruit size measurements and observations on drop rate. These forecasts are based exclusively on objective data obtained directly by field personnel, including an extensive limb count survey conducted from July to September to estimate fruit set per tree. Florida’s citrus growers produced an estimated 128.9 million boxes of all oranges and 27.2 million boxes of grapefruit in the 2006-2007 season.

Cash receipts for all citrus crops sold in 2006 totaled $1.44 billion compared to $1.67 billion in the 2005 season. Citrus accounted for 21 percent of all cash receipts in 2006.

Vegetables

Florida growers harvested fresh market vegetables from 161,200 acres in 2006. Cash receipts for all vegetables amounted to $1.42 billion, which amounted to 20 percent of all cash receipts in 2006. Tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, cucumbers, and snap beans accounted for the largest amount of sales among vegetable crops.

Greenhouse and Nursery Production

The total value of Florida greenhouse and nursery production exceeds $1.7 billion. The foliage and floriculture industry contributed $800.4 million, down from $956.6 million in 2005.

Berries and Melons

Strawberry production for 2006 was up from the year before, resulting in cash receipts of $239.1 million compared to $196.8 million in 2005. Lower prices for watermelons resulted in a decrease in their total crop value to $111 million in 2006.

Field Crops

Potato prices in 2006 increased from the previous year, resulting in cash receipts of $145.1 million to growers. Although sugarcane production was up from the previous year, total cash receipts declined to $356.9 million in 2006 due to lower prices. Cash receipts for peanuts decreased to $51.9 million, due to decreased production in 2006. Tobacco production was greatly reduced to 2.9 million pounds of tobacco, valued at $4.3 million in 2006. Increases in production for cotton and cottonseed produced cash receipts of $39.6 million in 2006, compared to $31.7 million in 2005.

Other Fruits and Nuts

Receipts for other fruits and nuts, such as avocados, blueberries, mangos, and pecans, at $98.2 million, were up from $87 million in 2005.

Dairy

A decrease in milk production in 2006 and lower prices resulted in decreased cash receipts of $343.6 million compared to $421.9 million in 2005. The annual average farm gate price for milk in Florida was $15.90 per cwt in 2006, down from $18.60 in 2005.

Cattle and Calves

The total number of cattle and calves was up 50,000 head from 2005, but lower prices resulted in cash receipts of $484 million compared to $502 million in 2005.

Poultry and Eggs

Egg sales in 2006 totaled $115 million, up from $100.7 million in 2005 due to higher egg prices. Broiler production was slightly down in 2006 with sales decreasing to $181.4 million from $201.6 million in 2005 due to lower prices.

Aquaculture

Aquaculture contributed an estimated $57 million to total cash receipts. Tropical fish and aquatic plants accounted for the majority of the sales in this category.

Honey

Florida was third in the nation in honey production in 2006 (behind North Dakota and California) with 13.8 million pounds valued at $14 million. There were an estimated 170,000 colonies in the state in 2006 with an average honey yield of 81 pounds per colony, five pounds per colony less than in 2005.