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Abstract
Excerpts from the report: In 1960, the United States production of truck crops for fresh market and processing occupied nearly 3.5 million acres of cropland. These crops used less than 1 percent of the total cropland. The farm value of truck crops harvested for sale was almost $1.1 billion, or an average of $310 per acre harvested. Although the total acreage of truck crops is small, it is highly concentrated in areas with conditions favorable for production of these crops. The major areas are in California, Florida, Texas, the Eastern Seaboard from Georgia to Long Island, N. Y., the States bordering the Great Lakes, and the Pacific Northwest. To gain further knowledge of some of the inputs involved in production of vegetables, information regarding the 1958-59 crop was obtained from 2,496 vegetable growers in 12 areas. The areas included in the survey were selected on the basis of importance of seasonal and overall production, diversity of crops grown -- both for fresh market and for processing -- and number and proportion of farmers harvesting truck crops for sale. This report presents information on labor requirements, production practices, and costs involved in the production of truck crops in Accomack and Northampton Counties, Va.