New York ranked ninth in the nation for total commercial sales of floriculture crops in 2012. However, the overall value of the Empire State’s commercial sales for growers with more than $10,000 in sales decreased slightly to $169 million last year from $171 million in 2011. That’s according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistic Service, New York Field Office.
Bedding and garden plants continued to be the biggest component of the total value of New York’s floriculture sales at $102 million. Potted flowering plants were second with $26.6 million, up 10 percent from 2011. Propagative materials ranked third at $21.1 million, a decrease of four percent from the year prior, according to the field office.
New York had 577 floriculture growers generating sales exceeding $10,000 last year, down from 615 growers in 2011, the field office said. The total covered area for floriculture crop production in the state totaled 25.2 million square feet in 2012, down slightly from 25.3 million square feet in 2011.
Contact Carbonaro at mcarbonaro@cnybj.com