PH26619 - Annual survey of vegetable acreages

Municipality :
Community : Bradford
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Concession :
Description : The latest crop statistics show that the total onion acreage in the Bradford and District Marshes was down, as was the potato acreage while the area of carrots and lettuce increase. The number of muck vegetable growers continue the steady downward trend of the last twenty years These statistics are compiled each year by the staff of the O.M.A.F. Dairy, Fruit and Vegetable Industries Inspection Branch in Bradford (commonly known as the Bradford Inspection Office). Judy Sturgeon and Barry Roberts would like to thank all of the growers for their cooperation. The onion acreage in Bradford was over 200 acres lower than in 1992, but there were 67 more acres of transplanted onions. This is not surprising, considering the disappointing onion year we had last year and the predictions that 1993 would be more the same. The area devoted to potatoes on muck soil was down by more than 200 acres as well. The carrot and lettuce acreage increased about 80 acres each to make up for some of the difference. The onion and carrot acreages have gone up and down during the past 8-10 years, but there are a few trends in some of the other crops that are revealed by the statistics. The celery acreage has dropped steadily since 1987 and there have been increases in oriental vegetables. There were approximately 228 acres of oriental vegetables in 1990; now the figure is 480 acres. The average farm size this year was 58 acres, but two thirds of the growers operated farms that were 50 acres or less.