NASS releases vegetables summary

In 2020, the Nation’s production for the 26 estimated vegetable and melon crops totaled 720 million cwt, down slightly from 2019.

The information was released by USDA-NASS last week in the vegetables summary. The utilized production totaled 715 million cwt, up slightly from 2019. Area harvested in 2020 was 2.33 million acres, down 1 percent from 2019. The top three vegetables, in terms of area harvested, were sweet corn, tomatoes, and snap beans.

In terms of total production, the three largest crops were tomatoes, onions, and sweet corn, which combined accounted for 53 percent of the all vegetables total. The value of utilized production for 2020 vegetable crops was $13.1 billion, down 4 percent from the previous year.

Tomatoes, Head lettuce, and Romaine lettuce claimed the highest values, accounting for 30 percent of the utilized value of production when combined. For the 26 selected vegetables and melons estimated in 2020, California remained the leading State in terms of area harvested, utilized production, and value of production.