Vegetables 



Florida excel Is in other agricultural products and between October and 

 June is the Nation's leading supplier of many fresh vegetables. Their abun- 

 dance in order of importance are tomatoes, sweetcorn, celery, potatoes, and 

 peppers. The State is ranked second in the Nation in the production of toma- 

 toes. Florida's unique climate permits the growth of both cool weather and 

 warm weather vegetables at the same time. 



The percentage growth in vegetable production has matched the growth in 

 the State's population until recently. This was due largely to the conversion 

 of farm acreage to urbanization and a decline in yield per acre. The implica- 

 tion of this trend is that a greater share of vegetable production is consumed 

 locally and less is exported. 



Nursery Products 



The newest and fastest growing of Florida's agricultural sectors are 

 nursery and ornamental horticulture products such as gladiolus and foliage. 

 In this regard, Florida ranks second in the Nation. In 1978 estimated cash 

 receipts were about $271.1 million in real dollars (1967 = 100), up nearly 18% 

 since 1974. Florida is the world's leading producer of foliage plants, 

 accounting for over 75% of the U.S. production. Much of Florida's cut foliage 

 is exported to florists in Europe and Canada. Florida is second in production 

 among the states for flowering plants, gladiolus, chrysanthemums, sypeophila, 

 poinsettas, orchids, and other similar plants. Florida is the Nation's sole 

 supplier of some of the 300 varieties of plants in this industry (Greene 

 et al. 1980). 



Animal Husbandry 



Animal husbandry is another major sector of agriculture. Excluding 

 forestry, it is the most land intensive sector and is the fastest changing 

 agricultural industry. Rising land values have spurred research to increase 

 productivity by using new feeds, nutrients, and animal breeds. The value 

 ($358 million) of Florida's cattle and calf production in 1978 was second only 

 to oranges in the State and was ranked 25th in the Nation. The egg and poul- 

 try industry's cash receipts were $184.2 million, and dairy products were 

 $247.3 million. According to the Florida Crop and Livestock Reporting Serv- 

 ice, annual dairy summaries (1970-80); poultry summaries (1960-80); livestock 

 summaries (1960-80), Florida imports beef, lamb, pork, milk, and poultry to 

 meet it's needs, but exports eggs. 



Forestry 



Forests, the major land use in the State, occupy 15.5 million acres, or 

 45% of the State's land. In 1978, real cash receipts of forest products were 

 about $61.4 million. Real income increased 18% in 1975-78. Over 50% of Flor- 

 ida's forest land is controlled by non-industrial users (noncorporate owners). 

 The bulk of commercial forests and wood processing and manufacturing plants is 

 located in north and west Florida. Forest products have the largest retail 

 markup of any agricultural products, i.e., 2,500% from the tree to the con- 

 sumer. Sawlogs and pulpwood are the major products from the State's timber 

 industry. 



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