2019 USDA report reveals nearly $14 billion in horticulture sales

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service has released its 2019 Census of Horticulture Specialties report. The report highlights comprehensive sales and production data across all aspects of specialty agriculture.

The industry survey found that 20,655 U.S. horticulture operations (total number of operations down 11% from the 2014 Ag Census) sold $13.8 billion worth of floriculture, nursery, and specialty crops in 2019, which is down slightly from 2014 levels.

Additionally, 10 U.S. states accounted for 66% of total industry sales with California ($2.6 billion), Florida ($1.9 billion) and Oregon ($1 billion) leading the way.

Other key findings include:

• Total industry expenses were up 6% in 2019, with labor accounting for 42% of total expenses
• Annual bedding/garden plants totaled $2.24 billion in sales, down 13% from 2014
• Potted flowering plants came in at $1.2 billion, up 11%
• Potted herbaceous perennials totaled $923 million, down 2%
• Sod, sprigs and plugs ($1.27 billion, up 12%) and propagative horticulture materials, bareroot plugs, and unfinished plant materials ($720 million, up 4%) both saw substantial increases
• Surprisingly, food crops under protection came in at $703 million, which was down 12%

Additionally, the report found that the family-owned horticulture operations accounted for 52% of the operations in 2019, while larger, corporately owned operations made up three quarters (75%) of the industries’ sales volumes for the year.

Follow the link to access the full report via .pdf: https://bit.ly/2019hortcensus