2012 Floriculture Crop Highlights
Value of All Production: The 2012 wholesale value of floriculture crops is up 1 percent from the 2011 valuation. The total crop value at wholesale for the 15-State program for all growers with $10,000 or more in sales is estimated at $4.13 billion for 2012, compared with $4.08 billion for 2011. California continues to be the leading State with crops valued at $985 million, down 3 percent from the 2011 value. Florida, the next largest producer, is down 3 percent from the prior year to $812 million in wholesale value. These two States account for 44 percent of the 15-State total value. For 2012, the top 5 States are California, Florida, Michigan, Texas, and North Carolina, which account for $2.72 billion, or 66 percent, of the 15-State total value.
Number of Producers: The number of producers for 2012, at 5,419, is down 6 percent in the 15 States compared with the 2011 count of 5,763.
Area Used for Production: In the 15-State program, total covered area for floriculture crop production was 702 million square feet, down 1 percent from the 2011 area of 712 million square feet.
Peak Hired Workers: The average peak number of hired workers employed on operations in the 15-State program in 2012 is 19. A total of 4,184 operations hired workers during 2012. Overall, 77 percent of operations used some hired labor during 2012, up 1 percentage point from 2011.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service
