
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 21, 1994                   TAG: 9407250012
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Wire report
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

STATE'S PEACH CROP DECLINES DRAMATICALLY

Virginia's peach crop this year will be 10 million pounds, only 36 percent of last year's crop of 28 million pounds, the Virginia Agricultural Statistics Service reported.

The decline is attributed to extremely cold temperatures this past winter that damaged trees and virtually wiped out the crop in most orchards in the northern Shenandoah Valley.

Orchards in the central and southern Piedmont escaped most winter damage but yields will still be lower than last year.

U.S. peach production is forecast at 2.47 billion pounds, down 7 percent from last year.

Meanwhile, the state's flue-cured tobacco yields this year are forecast at 2,100 pounds per acre, slightly up from last year's yields of 2,035 pounds per acre.

However, Virginia producers are expected to harvest 3,000 less acres this year. This would result in production of 69.3 million pounds or a 5 percent reduction from last year.

Total U.S. flue-cured tobacco production is forecast at 827 million pounds, down 7 percent from 1993.

Virginia's barley yield is expected to be 70 bushels per acre, up from 67 last year, and the wheat yield 56 bushels per acre, up from last year's 53 bushels.

by CNB