USDA Resumes Floriculture Report

The United States Department of Agriculture is back in the business of creating and releasing a floriculture and nursery report.

Published September 02, 2003

The Economic Research Service of the USDA is once again publishing its Floriculture and Nursery Crops Situation and Outlook Yearbook – the first since 1999. This report provides current information and forecasts the effects of changing conditions in the U.S. floriculture and nursery crop sectors.

  • Floriculture and nursery crops reached $13.8 billion in sales in 2002, up from $13.7 billion in 2001.
  • The weak U.S. economy in 2001 and 2002 is largely responsible for flat grower sales in the green industry.
  • Growers in the Midwest generated the highest sales per acre of production area – averaging more than $104,000 in sales.
  • On an individual state basis, Colorado has the highest sales per acre of floriculture crops in the United States – nearly $300,000 during 2002.
  • Florida produces nearly 70 percent of the total U.S. foliage production, with California producing two-thirds share of the cut flower production.
  • About 36 percent of total floriculture crop production was under covered protection (greenhouses, shade and temporary covers).
  • Floriculture growers continue to decline in numbers. However, the average large grower now exceeds $1 million in sales.
  • U.S. nursery crop production – valued at $8.9 billion during 2002 – is 83 percent larger than floriculture crop production.
  • 2002 per-household purchase of nursery crops was $84 and appears to have peaked in 2001.
  • Growers in California and Texas produced 36 percent of the country’s nursery crops in 2002 based on sales of $2.1 and $1.1 billion respectively.
  • Imports of unfinished seedlings and other propagative material from Central America and Mexico expanded 500 percent in value from 1992 to 2002.

    • Click here to view the entire report online.

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