Takeaways
- Total vegetable harvested area will continue to decrease in 2026, but the value will continue to grow because of the increase in yields caused by good agricultural practices, research, and extension support to growers.
- Vegetable prices will continue to be noisy, but the consumer price index will remain strong in 2026.
- Although per capita consumption of vegetables took a hit, probably the lowest in the past decade, consumption is expected to bounce back in 2026.
Vegetables and Pulses
There was an 11.8% increase in total vegetable harvested area in 2024 compared to the 1.8% decrease in 2023, according to the USDA report. The harvested area included fresh and processed vegetables, potatoes, dry beans, dry peas, lentils, chickpeas, and mushrooms. Despite the increase in harvested area in 2024, total production decreased by 6.1% compared with 2023, when production rose by 7.6%. Crop value also decreased from $25,772 million in 2023 to $24,915 million in 2024, a 3.3% decline (Table 1).
Despite the total increase in harvested area, imported vegetables increased by 8.7% in 2024 compared to 2023. The value of imported vegetables in 2023 was $20.006 million compared to $21.747 in 2024. This upward trend is expected to continue in 2026. Total exports in 2023 were $7,317 million compared with $7,860 million in 2024. This is an increase of 7.4%. However, it was troubling to notice that per capita consumption of vegetables decreased from 388.4 lb in 2023 to 375.5 lb in 2024. This represents a 3.3% decrease (USDA ERS, 2025; Table 1).
Table 1. Trends in the U.S. Vegetable and Pulse Industry, 2021–2024.
| Item | Unit | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Percent change, 2023–24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area harvested | ||||||
| Vegetables, fresh and processing/2/7 | 1,000 acres | 2,271 | 2,240 | 2,140 | 2,024 | -5.4 |
| Potatoes/8 | 1,000 acres | 930 | 918 | 961 | 925 | -3.7 |
| Dry beans, dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas/3 | 1,000 acres | 3,140 | 3,068 | 2,969 | 3,839 | 29.3 |
| Mushrooms/4 | 1,000 acres | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 5.0 |
| Total | 1,000 acres | 6,344 | 6,228 | 6,073 | 6,791 | 11.8 |
| Production | ||||||
| Vegetables fresh/2/7 | million cwt | 304 | 309 | 305 | 291 | -4.5 |
| Vegetables processing/2/5 | million cwt | 339 | 338 | 379 | 331 | -12.9 |
| Potatoes/8 | million cwt | 413 | 402 | 440 | 420 | -4.5 |
| Dry beans, dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas/3 | million cwt | 38 | 51 | 52 | 63 | 20.0 |
| Mushrooms | million cwt | 7.6 | 7.0 | 7.2 | 6.6 | -9.1 |
| Total | million cwt | 1,102 | 1,106 | 1,184 | 1,111 | -6.1 |
| Crop value | ||||||
| Vegetables fresh/2/7 | $ millions | 11,024 | 15,171 | 14,420 | 14,438 | 0.1 |
| Vegetables processing/2/5 | $ millions | 1,970 | 2,507 | 3,180 | 2,407 | -24.3 |
| Potatoes/8 | $ millions | 4,204 | 5,166 | 5,393 | 5,079 | -5.8 |
| Dry beans, dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas/3 | $ millions | 1,312 | 1,603 | 1,651 | 1,903 | 15.3 |
| Mushrooms/4 | $ millions | 1,064 | 1,018 | 1,128 | 1,088 | -3.6 |
| Total | $ millions | 19,573 | 25,466 | 25,772 | 24,915 | -3.3 |
| Imports/6 | ||||||
| Vegetables fresh | $ millions | 10,004 | 10,683 | 11,429 | 12,499 | 9.4 |
| Vegetables processing/5 | $ millions | 3,869 | 4,394 | 4,441 | 4,893 | 10.2 |
| Potatoes (including seed) | $ millions | 2,022 | 2,534 | 3,093 | 3,315 | 7.2 |
| Dry beans, dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas/3 | $ millions | 355 | 404 | 415 | 387 | -7.0 |
| Mushrooms | $ millions | 595 | 664 | 629 | 654 | 4.0 |
| Total | $ millions | 16,844 | 18,679 | 20,006 | 21,747 | 8.7 |
| Exports/6 | ||||||
| Vegetables fresh | $ millions | 2,396 | 2,487 | 2,388 | 2,574 | 7.8 |
| Vegetables processing/5 | $ millions | 1,538 | 1,617 | 1,627 | 1,811 | 11.3 |
| Potatoes (including seed) | $ millions | 1,869 | 2,082 | 2,291 | 2,318 | 1.1 |
| Dry beans, dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas/3 | $ millions | 732 | 664 | 979 | 1,131 | 15.6 |
| Mushrooms | $ millions | 42 | 41 | 32 | 26 | -19.2 |
| Total | $ millions | 6,577 | 6,892 | 7,317 | 7,860 | 7.4 |
| Per capita availability | ||||||
| Vegetables fresh | pounds | 157.5 | 160.4 | 153.1 | 148.1 | -3.3 |
| Vegetables processing/5 | pounds | 111.6 | 114.1 | 104.4 | 95.6 | -8.4 |
| Potatoes/8 | pounds | 112.8 | 112.8 | 116.9 | 117.2 | 0.3 |
| Dry beans, dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas/3 | pounds | 7.9 | 12.0 | 10.5 | 11.2 | 7.2 |
| Mushrooms/9 | pounds | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.3 | -6.3 |
| Total | pounds | 393.5 | 403.0 | 388.4 | 375.5 | -3.3 |
| Hundredweight (cwt) = 100 pounds. $ millions = million U.S. dollars. 1/ Total values rounded. 2/ Utilized production excluding melons. 3/ Includes Austrian winter and wrinkle seed peas where applicable. 4/ Mushroom area equals Agaricus total fillings (multiple mushroom crops). 5/ Includes canned, frozen, and dried. Excludes potatoes, pulses, and mushrooms. 6/ All international trade data are expressed on a calendar year basis. 7/ Includes both fresh and processed sweet potatoes. 8/ Includes both fresh and processed. 9/ The mushroom crop year (July–June) ends with the year listed (e.g., 2024 = 2023/24). | ||||||
| From “Vegetables and pulses outlook: April 2025” (Report No. VGS-375), by W. V. Davis, C. Weber, H. Wakefield, & S. Wechsler,2025, USDA Economic Research Service, p. 3 (https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/outlooks/111478/VGS-375.pdf?v=68257). Copyright 2025 USDA. | ||||||
Vegetable prices are often fluctuating and difficult to predict; unfortunately, growers have to embrace the challenges and risks. Although vegetable prices have been consistently increasing for the past 2 decades, there was a noticeable increase from 2021 to 2024, with 2022 being the peak. Input price index (2020 = 100) followed a similar trend but leveled off from 2022 to 2024. On the other hand, the GDP deflator (2020 = 100), which “measures changes in the prices of goods and services produced in the United States,” increased at a steady pace (Figure 1). The GDP deflator equals nominal GDP divided by real GDP multiplied by 100. Although it would be hard to forecast how these prices will end up by the end of 2026, there is a high probability that they will remain consistently high and trending upward (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Vegetable Price, GDP Deflator, and Input Price Index, 2009–2024.
Source: USDA ERS, using data from the USDA NASS and the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Although the Georgia vegetable industry is fast-growing, its contribution to the state’s total farm gate value by commodity group is decreasing. For instance, Georgia vegetables contributed 9.6% of the total value by commodity group in 2012, while the percentage dropped to 7.6% in 2023. On a brighter note, the total vegetable farm gate value in 2023 was $1.33 billion compared to $935.59 million in 2012 (Georgia Farm Gate Value Report, 2012, 2023). The top 10 vegetable growing counties in terms of value are Colquitt, Decatur, Echols, Tift, Tattnall, Toombs, Worth, Mitchell, Brooks, and Lowndes (Table 2).
Table 2. Georgia Top 10 Vegetable Producing Counties by Value, 2023.
| County | Value | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Colquitt | $215,155,540 | 16.14% |
| Decatur | $119,426,100 | 8.96% |
| Echols | $117,146,500 | 8.79% |
| Tift | $101,541,640 | 7.62% |
| Tattnall | $91,998,694 | 6.90% |
| Toombs | $84,530,750 | 6.34% |
| Worth | $65,278,425 | 4.90% |
| Mitchell | $65,163,425 | 4.89% |
| Brooks | $36,925,365 | 2.77% |
| Lowndes | $28,887,170 | 2.17% |
Source: Georgia Farm Gate Value Report 2023.
References
Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development. (2025). Georgia farm gate value report 2023. University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. https://caed.uga.edu/content/dam/caes-subsite/caed/publications/annual-reports-farm-gate-value-reports/2023%20Farm%20Gate%20Value%20(Updated).pdf
Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development. (2013). Georgia farm gate value report 2012. University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. https://caed.uga.edu/content/dam/caes-subsite/caed/publications/annual-reports-farm-gate-value-reports/2012-farm-gate-value-report.pdf
