New Jersey is a leading producer of fresh fruits and vegetables. Its total farm income was $821 million in 2001. In 2000, New Jersey ranked 3rd in the US in the production of escarole/endive. In 2002, it ranked 3rd in cranberries, 6th in lettuce, 7th in fresh market tomatoes, and 14th overall in fresh market vegetables.
Some 820,000 acres (about 332,000 hectares) were in 9,600 farms in 2002. The major farm counties are: Warren for grain and milk production, Gloucester and Cumberland for fruits and vegetables, Atlantic for blueberries, Burlington for nursery production and berries, Salem for processing vegetables, and Monmouth for nursery and equine.
In 2002, New Jersey produced 290,700 tons of fresh market vegetables. Leading crops (in hundredweight units) were: bell peppers, 962,000; cabbage, 624,000; sweet corn, 791,000; tomatoes, 759,000; and head lettuce, 150,000. New Jersey farmers also produced 56,340 tons of vegetables for processing. Fruit crops in 2002 (in pound units) included apples, 35,000,000, and peaches, 62,000,000. In 2002, cranberry and strawberry production were 43 million and 1.8 million pounds respectively. The expansion of housing and industry has increased the value of farm acreage and buildings in New Jersey to over $8,000 per acre, the highest in the nation.