Why Are Eggs Sold By The Dozen?

Find out why by reading http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/26/insider/why-are-eggs-sold-by-the-dozen-why-not-by-10s-or-8s.html?_r=0 this article from the New York Times.

New York Ag Receipts Outpace National Averages

From New York state:

The growth of agricultural sales in New York outpaced the national average, with cash receipts up 36 percent across the state and only 32 percent nationally. 

In 2014, farmers in New York state also set a new record for sales with $6.36 billion in cash receipts, up from $4.7 billion in 2010, representing a nearly $1.7 billion increase in gross income from sales of crops, livestock and other products.

New York has seen a surge in average gross income and a significant increase in sales of many of the state’s top commodities. Since 2010, the following commodities have shown the greatest increases:

   

· Poultry and eggs up 63 percent to $206 million; · Peaches up 80 percent to $12.6 million; · Honey production up 59 percent to just under $9 million; · Cattle production up 132 percent to $415 million; and · Hay up 173 percent to $147 million.

The national estimates for the same commodities for the same period are:

· Poultry and eggs up 39 percent; · Peaches up 2 percent; · Honey production up 38 percent; · Cattle production up 59 percent; and · Hay up 63 percent.

The New York dairy industry also saw record high dairy prices in 2014, constituting about half of the state’s agricultural receipts.

Taste NY Market at Todd Hill Brings In $1M in Sales

From the state Department of Agriculture and Markets:

The Taste NY Market at Todd Hill recently hit a major milestone, bringing in more than $1 million in total sales.  

The majority of the revenues go directly to New York growers and producers, and provide a boost to the local agricultural economy. The Market has featured more than 112 New York state vendors and has sold more than 1,200 different products in the store since its opening in June 2014, helping local farmers, beverage producers and other merchants reach new markets. 

The Taste NY Market at Todd Hill also provides valuable information on the extensive agri-tourism opportunities in the area.

The Taste NY Market at Todd Hill, which is operated by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County with support from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, is a unique Taste NY experience located on the Taconic State Parkway one mile south of Route 55 in LaGrange. 

The Taste NY Market provides a showcase for local farms and businesses to highlight and sell their locally produced products, including milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, juice, sauces, honey, jams, maple syrup, farm-raised beef, lamb, pork and poultry. Inventory is rotated regularly.

 

Based on an ongoing customer satisfaction survey, the Taste NY Market’s overall customer satisfaction rating is 97 percent. Survey-takers praised the “high quality products, service and environment,” as well as the “excellent local and organic products” available for sale, which allow New York residents to support local farms and businesses.

Bird Flu Hits Fairs, Egg Prices, Restaurant Menus

Here's a story about eggs and the avian flu from Empire Farm & Dairy magazine by my colleague, Ted Booker:


WEST CARTHAGE — Black River Valley Farms, the largest egg supplier between Syracuse and Plattsburgh, has heard lots of feedback in recent months from its customers about how rising egg prices have cut their profit margins.

“I’m having some restaurants I supply saying they’re no longer doing breakfast specials because of the cost of doing eggs,” said Loren L. Roggie, co-owner of the egg farm on Route 26 near the village of West Carthage. 

“The wholesale price of eggs has gone up by about 50 percent this year because of the bird flu,” he said.

He said the farm, which produces 45,000 eggs daily, supplies mostly mom-and-pop operations across Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties — small diners, restaurants and grocery stores.

A highly contagious strain of avian influenza, responsible for the death of nearly 50 million farm fowl, has dramatically affected the nation’s egg and poultry producers across the country this year. 

The virus, which has been found in 15 states, has not yet spread to the Northeast and has remained mostly west of Indiana, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Monika L. “Moe” Harra, who owns Moe’s Diner on Factory Street and Friede’s Diner on Court Street, said she has been compelled to raise prices of daily breakfast specials by 20 cents because of rising egg prices. 

She said the two diners are supplied with eggs weekly from the Carthage farm.

“We’ve been affected by it a lot,” said Harra, who said she now pays the Carthage farm $1.89 for a dozen grade-A eggs. “They give us a break because we’re a little diner, but we’re now going to have to raise all of our menu prices. All items will soon be 10 to 15 cents more because we can’t just afford to jump up our egg prices by 50 cents.”

PROFIT MARGINS

Though rising egg prices have been largely negative for restaurants and grocery stores that have turned off consumers by raising prices, the trend has been positive for the family-owned Carthage egg farm, said Roggie, who co-owns the business with brother Leonard J. and son-in-law Michael Lyndaker. 

Though demand for eggs has been slightly down from last year, he said, the business is expected to draw about 20 percent more revenue because of higher prices.

That’s because the farm, which has an egg-laying hen flock of about 50,000, produces almost all of its own eggs, Roggie said. When the wholesale price for a dozen large grade-A eggs surged earlier this year — climbing from about $1.35 in January to a peak of about $2.20 in May — the farm increased its prices accordingly. 

This week, the wholesale price in the region for those eggs has been about $2.10 per dozen, he said.

“The trend has benefited us, although it’s hard to say you’re benefiting from the demise of other producers. The higher prices will continue to help our bottom line unless we get hit with the bird flu,” Roggie said, adding that only employees are allowed to go into henhouses as a precaution against the virus.

The farm’s eggs usually are sold to customers at prices lower than the region’s wholesale prices, he said. To determine the cost, the farm uses Northeast wholesale egg prices reported by Urner Barry, a New Jersey-based publisher of food market prices.

Depending on the customer, “we sell them anywhere from exactly the wholesale price to anywhere from 25 to 30 cents lower,” he said, adding that its largest customers, such as Renzi Foodservice of Watertown, are charged the lowest prices because they buy in bulk quantities.

Profit margins on eggs sold to customers are ordinarily tight at the farm, he said. The farm, which harvests corn, hay and soybeans as chicken feed, plans to take advantage of better profit margins this year by investing in a new tractor and disc harrow.

“I’m 52 and have been doing this since I was 5, and I’ve learned that when times are good you need to upgrade your agriculture equipment,” he said, adding that his late father, Wilbur N., started the egg farm in 1959. “You also might save up a little for retirement.”

FEWER BARGAINS

Roggie said he has heard from owners of grocery stores that consumers aren’t spending as much on eggs as they used to as deals have become harder to find. He said one local chain of stores, for example, quit offering deals this year.

“They used to have specials every two or three months on eggs,” he said. “And we’ve heard that if a customer used to buy three or four dozen eggs, they’re now only buying two.”

Deals still can be found, however, by persistent bargain hunters. The Walgreens on State Street in Watertown, for instance, is selling eggs at $1.99 per dozen this week; they are normally priced at $3.29.

Some restaurants, such as Crossroads Diner on Route 11 in the town of Pamelia, have elected not to raise egg prices — even though it would be justified. The diner cracks about 30 dozen eggs per week that are supplied by Black River Valley Farms, owner Robin L. Harwood said.

“If it gets too bad I’ll have to raise my prices, but I don’t want to affect customers and try to be as fair as I can,” she said. “You might have to charge an (extra) 25 to 50 cents for your eggs, but I’ll stick it out” until prices go down.

The price of Black River Valley Farms eggs at the Great American grocery store on State Street in Watertown has been highly volatile, manager Randall D. Lockwood said. The price per dozen large grade-A eggs, which peaked at $2.89 earlier this summer, is now $2.39.

“We’ve had to reduce our gross margins to reduce
sticker shock,” Lockwood said. “There’s usually a spike around Easter, but this is something I haven’t seen in the past 18 years.”

He said customers have become choosier about the size of eggs they buy. “They’re not grabbing as many jumbo size and extra-large eggs because of the price point,” he said.

AVOIDING DISASTER

This strain of avian flu started last year in British Columbia, traveling south along the flyways of migratory birds through California and making its way to the Midwest. 

It has been responsible for the death of about 48 million birds nationwide as a result of efforts to stonewall it, according to USDA statistics. That figure accounts for about 10 percent of the country’s egg-laying hen population and 4 percent of meat turkey flocks.

It remains to be seen whether the virus will spread to the Northeast, where New York and other states have taken precautionary measures to keep it out. 

Farmers and backyard-chicken keepers have been urged, for example, to stay vigilant for symptoms. Poultry competitions, meanwhile, have been canceled at all county fairs and the New York State Fair as part of a the state’s decision to do away with such events at fairs statewide.

Experts from the USDA have said the virus could be spread by wild waterfowl along their migration routes and into East Coast migratory flyways. Though waterfowl such as geese are resistent to the disease, they are capable of carrying it long distances. 

Experts believe the virus is not a threat to humans, and there have been no known cases involving humans in the U.S.
Roggie, meanwhile, said he remains hopeful that upstate New York will be spared the virus.

“I’m not saying we aren’t going to get it, but we’re better off than Lancaster, Pa., where they have chicken farm after chicken farm,” he said. “If they get it, that would be a disaster.”

*** If you'd like to read more stories like this, subscribe to Empire Farm & Dairy magazine. A one-year subscription is $50 and two years are $75. Send a check to Empire Farm & Dairy, 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY, 13601 

Buy Local Onondaga Grown Campaign Kicks Off

Onondaga County Legislature chair Ryan McMahon and Legislator David Knapp kick off the Buy Local Onondaga Grown campaign at Reeves Farm Wednesday morning.

The Onondaga County Agriculture Council kicked off the county's "Buy Local. Buy Onondaga Grown" campaign Wednesday morning at Reeves Farm in Lysander.

The campaign will help educate the public on all that Onondaga County has to offer through its agriculture industry. 

The county's more than 700 farms each year pumps about $152 million into the local economy, preserves pristine farmland for all the enjoy and provides consumers with the freshest vegetables, fruits, dairy products, meats, poultry and eggs, honey, maple, flowers and Christmas trees than they can find anywhere.

"What sets this campaign apart is that it provides a direct link between what the community will hear on local media and what they will see at retailers across Onondaga County," said county Legislator David Knapp, who also is co-chair of the Agriculture Council. 

The campaign includes billboards, radio spots, a blog on I Heart Radio stations (http://www.b1047.net/features/onondaga-grown-837/) and stickers boasting the Buy Local. Buy Onondaga Grown. on produce and products at area grocery stores. 

Since now is the middle of strawberry season, the kickoff event includes Reeves Farm strawberries served over Byrne Dairy ice cream.

To keep engaged with the Buy Local. Buy Onondaga Grown. campaign, go to Twitter at twitter.com/OnondagaGrown, Facebook at facebook.com/OnondagaGrown or to the website at wsyr.com/features/onondaga-grown-837/ 

New Regulations Restricting Movement of Poultry Announced

News from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets:

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today announced new regulations restricting the movement of poultry into the state to prevent the spread of strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry flocks in New York state.  

The rapidly expanding viral outbreak has already affected nearly 50 million birds in the Midwest and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed the current outbreak is the worst in U.S. history.

The new regulations require that all live poultry moved into New York must be:

• From a source flock in which 30 birds were tested for avian influenza within ten days prior to entry into New York State; or
• From a source flock that  has been certified by the state of origin as an Avian Influenza Monitored Flock; or
• From a source flock certified as clean of HPAI under the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP). 

All hatching eggs and day-old chicks imported into New York must be from a source flock certified as clean of HPAI under the NPIP.

“The U.S. is in uncharted waters with this disease, and we need to exercise every bit of caution to minimize the incidence of avian influenza in our state’s poultry population,” Commissioner Ball said.  “New York’s poultry industry is an important part of the state’s agriculture economy and this regulation will build on the proactive measures already taken  — from the ban of all fowl exhibits and competitions at fairs to rigorous testing of birds moving into the marketing system — to continue to safeguard our flocks.” 

According to the USDA, 10 percent of the egg-laying hens in the U.S. have already been lost as well as over 6 percent of the nation's live turkey inventory. States such as Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska have sustained the greatest damage to their poultry farms.  

The virus has not been found in poultry flocks in New York state or in neighboring states, though it has been found in two flocks in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Agriculture officials such as Department of Agriculture and Markets State Veterinarian Dr. David Smith recognize the threat to farm livelihoods posed by this disease. With a total domestic poultry population of about 7.5 million birds, New York’s poultry industry generates roughly $150 million in sales annually.

"HPAI can wipe out an entire egg-laying flock in less than a week and we still don't fully understand how it spread so quickly from farm to farm in the Upper Midwest,” Dr. Smith said. “While we hope hot, dry summer weather will slow down the virus spread, that is by no means certain.  We encourage everyone who keeps poultry to be very careful about minimizing their birds' exposure to avian influenza.”

The Department today also released publications intended to raise awareness about biosecurity measures and help poultry farms and visitors to poultry farms learn how to prevent the introduction and spread of HPAI. The fact sheets (available at http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/AI/bird_flu.html) created by Dr. Smith and his staff provide information on best practices farmers and visitors can use to avoid carrying the virus into or out of farms.

Among the practices outlined in the fact sheets are tips for poultry farms:

**   Require all visitors to use covers on their footwear and to disinfect all footwear.

**   Lock all entrances to chicken houses after hours.

**  Ask all visitors if they have had any contact with any kind of bird in the past five days.

**  Forbid from entry employees and visitors who own any kind of fowl.

** Discourage unnecessary visitors and use biosecurity signs to warn people not to enter buildings without permission.

Among the tips for visitors:

**   Never enter a farm without permission.

**   Wear clean clothes and shoes for any visit to a farm.

**   Stay in the parking lot on arrival and call for an escort onto the farm.

**   Do not touch animals unless it's part of your job.

**  Report anything unusual, especially sick or dead birds.

While experts are concerned about the avian flu's impact on farms, they also emphasize that the virus subtypes that are causing the current outbreak are not a threat to the public. Officials stress that chicken and eggs are safe to eat. 

Avian influenza outbreaks are not uncommon, but the current outbreak is particularly deadly to birds.The outbreak is concentrated in two strains of influenza – H5N2 and H5N8. Influenza has been found in birds on more than 210 farms in 15 states and in wild birds in five more states in the West, Midwest and South, and two Canadian provinces.  

In addition to this new regulation and the recent ban of fowl exhibits at the New York State Fair, all county fairs held in the state, and all chartered youth fairs, New York is taking a strongly proactive stance with suppliers, distributors and live bird markets in attempting to prevent the spread of avian influenza and prevent birds with influenza from crossing into the state. 

Bird flocks intended for the live bird sales market must test negative for avian influenza before they can move into the marketing system. Once birds are in the marketing system, state officials verify test records and monitor sanitation levels at the live bird markets.

In addition, employees of the Department’s Division of Animal Industry routinely test poultry in live bird markets for avian influenza. In 2014, approximately 35,000 birds in the New York live bird marketing system were tested for the disease. Any bird that tests positive is traced back to its original flock to address possible infections.

An Avian Influenza Biosecurity Brochure is also available at http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/HPAI_Brochure.pdf and on the Department’s Facebook page.    

For more information, please visit the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets website at www.agriculture.ny.gov

Is California Egg Law the Wave of the Future for Farming?

Interesting story about egg law and the future of farming.

Go to http://www.agweb.com/blog/The_Farm_CPA_243/is_california_egg_law_the_wave_of_the_future_for_farming/ to check it out.

Ontario Orchards -- the Farm Stand with Everything

It's fall at Ontario Orchards when pumpkins and apples are in. Photo by Lisa Hollenbeck

By Debra J. Groom

A stroll through the Ontario Orchards store in Oswego Town shows all that is great about agriculture.

The Ouellette family transformed a chicken and pig farm that started on 132 acres back in 1952 and grew it into one of the most diverse farming enterprises in Central New York. In fact, it’s a one-stop shop, a place folks can visit year round (every day but Christmas) to buy just about everything they need.

And that everything, by the way, is pretty much all local. Can you say fresh?

“Customers are amazed at the selection, the variety and the completeness of the store,” said owner Dennis Ouellette. “They can come here any day and find something they need.”

The farm today is run by Dennis, his wife June and their daughters, Kathy and Laurie. Dennis, at 67, still is at the farm or store most days tending to one thing or another.

But back in 1952, when Dennis was just 6, his parents Dennis and Estelle had the chicken and pig operation, along with the acres and acres of fruit trees in Sterling that took in the cool moist breezes from nearby Lake Ontario.

Dennis remembers as a young boy selling apples and strawberries on a roadside stand atn state Routes 104 and 104A. “This planted a seed,” he said. “How about U-pick apples for $1 a bushel. At this time it became apparent retail sales were more profitable than wholesale and processing.”

The Ouellettes set up retail operations in Fulton, Watertown, Ogdensburg and across the road from the current store on Route 104. Soon, they expanded into the Regional Market in Syracuse. Then the farm extended its sales to Long Island during the fall and Christmas seasons.

“The New York City market was more profit,” Dennis Ouellette said. “It meant prepping during the week and traveling to New York Friday after school and returning Saturday evening.”

The Ouellettes have always had a strict business plan – they want to expand to provide their produce to as many people as possible, but they also remember not to overextend or overexpand.

This was quite evident after June and Dennis married in 1965, after realizing in their senior year at Hannibal High School that they “would become more than friends,” Dennis said.

The beginning of the present-day Ontario Orchards came after the marriage, when Dennis and June decided to offer more than just apples. They got into producing other fruits, vegetables and Christmas trees.

They added a Fall Jamboree and U-pick operation. This, Dennis said, not only helped with profits, but brought people out to the farm so they could see the operation and learn a little about where their food comes from.

On 35 acres, the Ouellettes grow corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, squash and pumpkins. They have 30 acres of Christmas trees. About 90 acres are apples.

After the old two-stall horse barn was converted into the present-day store in 1966, Ontario Orchards sold not only its own vegetables, fruits and trees, but also brought in product from other nearby locales.

Dennis Ouellette said he gets nursery products from local and out-of-state growers and also grows many varieties in Ontario Orchards own nursery behind the farm market.

He sells Tender Loving Compost, made from cow manure on the Fessenden Family Dairy Farm in King Ferry, Cayuga County. He gets parsnips from a farmer in Port Byron. He sells New Hope Mills pancake products from Cayuga County. Honey comes from Snow Valley Honey Farms in Hannibal.

New York maple syrup in his store comes from Croghan, in the state’s largest maple-producing county, Lewis County. All onions and potatoes come straight from the rich, black muck of Oswego County.

Ontario Orchards presses cider yearround. Photo by Lisa Hollenbeck

He sells Hinerwadel’s salt potatoes, Dinosaur BBQ sauce and Hofmann franks and coneys from Onondaga County, Croghan bologna from Lewis County, Grandma Brown’s baked beans from Mexico, Sillman Jams from Dickinson Center, Franklin County, Turkey Joints from Nora’s Candy Shop and olives from Williams’ Homegrown Garlic, both from Rome, Oneida County, Morgia’s pasta and sauce originally from Watertown, Buck’s Seasoning from Mallory in Oswego County and Italian sauces from Canale’s in Oswego.

Even his refrigerated case has local products, such as cheese from various places like Macadam from St. Lawrence County, Heluva in Sodus, Wayne County and Yancey’s Fancy in Genesee County,  Hudson Farms eggs from Elbridge, Onondaga County and milk from Hudson Dairy in Fulton.

The farm store also has a full bakery, an outgrowth of pies made in June’s home kitchen and sold at the retail sites in the early years.

“David and George (two farm workers) came to work on the farm on weekends and said ‘how bout you make some apple pies with those drops?’” Ouellette said of the apples that drop to the ground.

He said June began making the pies and others delivered them to the retail sites. The customers loved them.

“Then one day, a deer jumped out in front of us and all the pies went all through the car,” Ouellette said. That was when the full bakery in the farm stand was born.

“The expansion of the farm, farm market, cider mill, bakery and nursery was a direct result from the increases in customers,” Ouellette said.

Dennis credits many of the new ideas at Ontario Orchards to his daughters and other employees.

“Not only did the two girls, but also the very young staff had a lot of new energy and ideas,” he said. “And with this in mind, what was the horse barn in 1966 has become one of North America’s most complete family-owned farms and farm markets.”

And while many farm markets are open only in the summer and fall when the crops are harvested, Ontario Orchards is open year round. This was an unheard of idea a few years ago – but Ouellette said it works at Ontario Orchards.

“Our variety allows us to be open seven days a week,” he said. “We really don’t have a season here.”

The store is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m .in the winter, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the spring and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in summer.

“And we press our own cider 12 months a year,” Ouellette said.

In addition to expanding the hours, Ouellette said he has always thought “outside the box” on how to improve the business and bring in more customers.

He knows he can’t make a living off the person who might drive up from Syracuse once a year to visit Ontario Orchards. He needs to draw repeat customers in throughout the year – who them that the store is more than just a place to come get apples.

“Advertising and promotions at specific times of the seasons has extended the customer base out 100 miles,” he said. “Each season is a whole new energized season and each time you have a new season, you come up with a new idea.”

What he wants to do more of in the future is product sampling. He began a couple of years ago with cheese, but is tinkering with offering other products for people to try. He might even have some cooking demos to show people how to prepare things he sells.

For example, he mentioned parsnips, a root vegetable that many people think of as a white carrot. He said people will look at them at the store, sometimes pick them up, but put them back because they aren’t sure what to do with them.

Ouelette said he also plans to improve the facilities, work on upgrading the website (tasteofcny.com) and growing the ever-popular Fall Jamboree.

“There are not many of us that are this complete,” Ouellette said. “In this day and age, everyone wants local, fresh, homegrown, completeness.”

A fourth generation, Dennis and June’s grandchildren Taylor and Nichole, now are involved in the business, so it looks as though Ontario Orchards will be serving its customers for a long time to come.

“Entrepreneurship and self employment is great, but a very difficult challenge,” Ouellette said. “Fortunately adjustments are made and met. Ontario Orchards wants to extend its many thanks for everyone’s support and ideas. The three generations – Dennis and June, Laurie and Kathy and Taylor and Nichole, look forward to being a part of your lives and the community.”

In Search of Protein

Sure, there are lots of good sources of protein -- eggs, meat and dairy.

Check out this graphic from the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council.

Breakfast On the Farm

Here's a great photo from friends at Cross Island Farm on Wellesley Island.

David Belding and Dani Baker posted this on their Facebook page and titled it "Bacon and Eggs Eating Breakfast" as their pigs and chickens all dined on the same organic grain.

Check it out.

Chickens Rescued In California Heading to NYS

Here are a number of stories about this bizarre case, first from the Mercury Calif. News, second from The Today Show and the third from the Sacramento Bee:

http://www.mercurynews.com/animal-life/ci_23986418/morris-rescued-california-chickens-headed-new-york

http://www.today.com/pets/chickens-plane-1-000-take-red-eye-freedom-8C11033576

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/04/5705291/1200-chickens-catch-a-flight-to.html

Cheese, Milk, Honey Production Up in 2012 in New York

Here are some production stats on various commodities in New York state:

Cheese: Total cheese production in New York, excluding cottage cheese, totaled 754 million pounds in 2012, said Blair Smith, state statistician of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office.

This is a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year. Italian
cheese, which accounted for 48 percent of New York’s total cheese output, was at 365 million pounds, down 0.5 percent. Total cottage cheese production at 315 million pounds was up 0.9 percent from 2011. 

New York leads the nation in cottage cheese production.

Milk: Total milk production in New York during 2012 was up 3 percent from 2011 with a total of 13.2 billion pounds produced, Smith said.

The annual average number of milk cows, at 610,000 head, was
unchanged. Annual output per cow averaged 21,633 pounds, up 3 percent from 2011.

Cash receipts from the sale of New York milk during 2012 totaled $2.6 billion, down 7 percent from 2011. The $19.40 per hundredweight received for all milk sold by New York farmers was down $2, or 9 percent, from the $21.40 received in 2011.

Marketing totals include whole milk and producer-separated cream sold to plants and dealers as well as milk sold directly to consumers.

An estimated 32 million pounds of milk was used on farms during 2012, unchanged from the previous year. About 93.8 percent of the milk used on farms was fed back to calves. The value of all milk produced, including milk fed back to calves, totaled $2.6 billion, down 7 percent from 2011.

Floriculture: New York floriculture production ranked ninth in the nation for total commercial sales in 2012, Smith said.


The overall value of commercial sales for operations with more than $10,000 in sales decreased slightly to $169 million. Bedding and garden plants continued to be the highest component of the total value of sales at $102 million.

Potted flowering plants were second with a value of sales of
$26.6 million, up 10 percent from previous year. Propagative materials ranked third at $21.1 million, a decrease of 4 percent from 2011.

During 2012, there were 577 growers. The total covered area for the floriculture crop production was 25.2 million square feet, down slightly from the 25.3 million square feet in 2011. The total open
ground area was 607 acres.

Honey: Honey production from beekeepers with five or more hives in New York totaled 2.65 million pounds during 2012.

The 2012 production was extracted from 52,000 colonies, up from the 49,000 colonies in 2011. Honey yield per colony averaged 51 pounds.

Honey stocks on hand across the state as of Dec. 15, 2012 totaled 1.01 million pounds, a decrease of 18 percent from the 1.24
million pounds a year earlier. Prices received by beekeepers in New York averaged $2.28 per pound for all methods of sale during 2012. 

Value of honey production for the state in 2012 totaled $6.05 million, compared with $5.38 million in 2011. 

Red meat: Commercial red meat production in New York slaughter plants totaled 32.7 million pounds in 2012.

This output is down 1 percent from the 33 million pounds produced in 2011. The number of calves slaughtered in the state, at 105,500 head, was down 4 percent from 2011, but total pounds of veal produced were up 5 percent.

Cattle slaughter in the Empire State totaled 30,200 head during 2012, down 12 percent from a year earlier.

Poultry: The value of New York egg production in 2012 was $93.7 million, 13 percent above the 2011 egg production value of $82.7 million, Smith said. 

Egg production in New York during the 2012 year totaled 1.31 billion, up 4 percent from a year earlier. The value of sales from chickens in 2012 was $21,000, down 9 percent from 2011.