Florida Agriculture’s No. 1’s

In 2012, Florida ranked No. 1 in the value of production in:

Oranges

Florida’s most famous crop accounts for 66 percent of U.S. value, bringing $1.5 billion to Florida annually. All orange production totaled 146.6 million boxes in 2011-2012.

Sugar Cane

Florida’s sugar cane farmers grow $673 million worth of the crop annually, or 49 percent of U.S. value. In 2011, the Sunshine State produced more than 14.4 million tons of sugar cane.

Fresh-Market Tomatoes

Tomato growers in Florida harvested 29,000 acres of fresh-market tomatoes in 2012, bringing in $268 million. This translates to 31 percent of U.S. value for the vegetable crop.

Grapefruit

In 2012, Florida had 4.9 million bearing grapefruit trees, producing 18.8 million boxes total, including fresh and processed. Grapefruit was valued at $187 million, or 65 percent of U.S. value.

Sweet Corn

Florida produces $180 million worth of sweet corn each year, or 22 percent of U.S. value. In 2012, farmers harvested 42,000 acres of the crop, with a yield of 165 cwt per acre.

Fresh-Market Snap Beans

Snap beans for fresh market are another top vegetable crop for the Sunshine State. The 2012 crop brought $167 million to the state, or 56 percent of U.S. value.

Watermelon

Florida produced 27 percent of U.S. value of watermelons in 2012, or $138 million. Growers harvested more than 25,000 acres of the large, popular summer fruit.

Fresh-Market Cucumbers

In 2012, Florida farmers planted 11,200 acres of fresh-market cucumbers and harvested 10,800 acres. The value of production was $67 million, or 27 percent of U.S. value.

Squash

Acreage increased for Florida squash this year, with farmers harvesting 9,700 acres, up from 9,300 acres. The state’s squash value totaled $67 million, or 27 percent of U.S. value.