FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Tierra Mobley

Wednesday, May 4, 2005

www.nass.usda.gov/ny 

APRIL PRICES DECREASED

      Prices received by New York producers during April for selected commodities decreased from a month earlier, according to Steve Ropel, Director of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Office. The price of corn, oats, wheat, hay, potatoes, apples, eggs and milk decreased. Prices for soybeans increased. Many previous month prices were revised due to more complete sales information.

      Grain corn averaged $2.36 per bushel during April, 2 cents less than March and 84 cents less than a year earlier. Oats sold for an average of $1.82 during April, 7 cents below March and 15 cents lower than April 2004. Wheat, at $2.85 per bushel, was 28 cents less than a month earlier and 63 cents less than April a year ago. Soybeans averaged $5.84 per bushel, up 9 cents from March but $3.66 below April 2004. Hay, at $94.00 per ton, decreased $27.00 from March and $15.00 from a year ago. Potatoes averaged $7.05 per hundredweight (cwt.), down 30 cents from March and $2.15 from April 2004. Fresh market apple prices at the packinghouse door averaged 22.00 cents per pound, down 0.3 cent from March but up 0.3 cent from April 2004.

      Dairy farmers in the Empire State received an average of $15.50 per hundredweight of milk sold during April, down 60 cents from March and $2.00 from April a year ago. Poultry producers received an average of 25 cents per dozen eggs sold, down 9 cents from March and down 45 cents from April 2004.

      The preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in April, at 120, based on 1990-92=100, is 1 point (0.8 percent) above the March Index. The Crop Index is up 2 points (1.7 percent) while the Livestock Index is unchanged. Producers received higher commodity prices for tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, and hay. Lower prices were received for lettuce, corn, celery, and eggs. The seasonal change in the mix of commodities farmers sell, based on the past 3-year average, also affects the overall index. Increased average marketings of several commercial vegetables, cattle, strawberries, and dairy offset decreased marketings of soybeans, corn, hogs, and grapefruit.

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5-04-05

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