Wisconsin Ag Connection - State Fruit Crop Producers Saw Mixed Production in '09

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State Fruit Crop Producers Saw Mixed Production in '09
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 01/27/2010

Wisconsin's apple production in 2009 was down 31 percent from 2008 totaling 43.5 million pounds, with 36.5 million pounds of utilized production. According to the state's agriculture department, bearing acres were down 500 acres to 4,200. Yields decreased 1,700 pounds per acre to 10,400. Prices dropped 25 percent to $0.411 per pound in 2009. Nationally, apple production increased three percent to 10 billion pounds and U.S. apple prices dropped from $0.232 in 2008 to $0.228 per pound in 2009. Weather varied throughout the 2009 growing season. Wisconsin growers experienced weather that was too cold, too dry, or too wet at various times throughout the season. Heavy rainfall in October affected local sales.

Cranberry production in the state was down 13 percent from the 2008 record high, at 3.95 million barrels. Producers harvested 18,000 acres, an increase of 300 acres. Harvested acres were the highest on record. Yields decreased 15 percent to 219.4 barrels per acre, but were up from 2007. The 220,000 barrels sold on the fresh mar-ket brought a price of $77.70 per barrel. Prices for processing cranberries decreased $1.80 to $52.80 per barrel. Wisconsin producers accounted for 57-percent of the U.S. crop in 2009. The average U.S. price for cranberries decreased $5.40 to $52.40 per barrel.

And Wisconsin farmers began to recover from the devastating low in 2008 and harvested 10.9 million pounds of tart cherries in 2009, up 94 percent from 2008 and 5 percent from 2007. Yields were up 95 percent to 6,060 pounds per acre. Prices decreased from $0.350 to $0.208 per pound in 2009. Total U.S. production increased 39 percent to 352.9 million pounds, while yield was up 38 percent to 9,930 pounds per acre. An early frost hurt a few farms in Door County, but otherwise weather was favorable for the 2009 growing season.

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