MWFPA touts Wisconsin vegetable production

The Midwest Food Processors Association (MWFPA) touted Wisconsin’s second place ranking nationally for total production and value of production for major processing vegetables in 2014. The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistical Service released the findings.

“Food processing is strongly tied to the agricultural community,” said Nick George, president of MWFPA. “Wisconsin places perennially in the top five in growing and processing such crops as potatoes, sweet corn, peas, snap beans, carrots, cucumbers and cabbage for kraut.”

Wisconsin’s vegetable industry is a major contributor to the state’s $6.3 billion specialty crop industry and employs over 35,000 Wisconsin residents.

The USDA figures show the Badger State maintained its number one ranking in production of processing snap beans, as Wisconsin farmers processed 46 percent of the nation's crop.

Wisconsin remained in third place for processing sweet corn in 2014, producing 542,160 tons. The state's sweet corn industry produces an annual state economic impact of nearly $130 million when its yearly sweet corn crop is processed.

Green pea production in Wisconsin in 2014 totaled 70,640 tons, down 6 percent from the previous year, but despite the decrease in production Wisconsin remained third in the nation.

The state remained as one of the two largest states for production of carrots for processing comprising 33 percent of the nation’s production. Yields were up 2 percent in Wisconsin during 2014 despite a 9 percent drop nationally.

“Wisconsin ranks second national behind only California in the production of all processed vegetables,” George said.