AN ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF FIELD-GROWN BULB CROPS
                            Executive Summary


The 1992 Census of Agriculture reported 993 farms with bulb crop
sales.  These farms had 1,004,474 square feet under protection,
8,428 acres in the open, and $52.5 million in bulb sales.  Bulb
crop production is concentrated in the West, especially in
Washington, Oregon, and California.  Nearly one-third of the
farms and over 60 percent of the reported sales in 1992 were in
these three states.

A special tabulation of the 559 farms reporting bulb sales in
1987 show that receipts from bulbs accounted for about one-fourth
of the gross cash farm income on farms with bulb crops.  Nearly
all of the remaining receipts were from the sales of other
greenhouse and nursery crops.  The largest share of bulb
production occurs on relatively few farms.  In 1987, farms with
total agricultural sales of $500,000 or more accounted for 61
percent of the bulb sales and about 50 percent of the acreage.  

There are no reported estimates of the quantity of U.S. bulb crop
production.  The only aggregate production measures are sales and
acreages.  Currently, domestic grower sales are estimated between
$50 and $75 million.  About $10 million of U.S. bulb sales are
exported annually.

The bulk of flower bulbs purchased in the United States are
imported.  Imports accounted for approximately $135 million in
1994, or about twice the domestic output.  About 85 percent of
U.S. imports are supplied by the Netherlands.  Other foreign
suppliers are Canada, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

U.S. consumption of bulbs is estimated at about $200 million
annually at the wholesale equivalent level.  About 60 percent of
the bulbs are sold between August and October for fall planting. 
Most of the remaining volume is sold during the winter and early
spring.  Demand is generally low between May and July.

Most bulbs are grown in areas where the climate and soil provide
a particular advantage for those varieties.  A large bulb
industry has developed west of the Cascade Mountain range in
Oregon and Washington because of the temperate climate in that
area.  A wide range of bulb varieties can be grown there because
the soil usually does not freeze enough to damage the bulbs and
the abundant rainfall creates good growing conditions.  Mild
temperatures and abundant moisture favor the production of bulbs
having a multi-year production cycle.  In more severe climates,
such as the Midwest and Northeast, tender bulbs must be removed
from the soil in the fall and stored during the winter.

Most bulb crops are planted in the early fall, usually in
September.  Some varieties, such as gladioli, gloxinia, and
begonia, are planted during the spring.  The bulblets or small,
immature bulbs remain in the ground for 1-3 years until they
reach harvestable size.  Some tender varieties in the
Northcentral and Northeast regions require "lifting" or removal
from the soil in the fall to avoid freeze damage.

Most bulbs are mechanically harvested using methods similar to
those used for onions.  The bulbs are lifted from the soil and
deposited onto a belt-conveyor that moves them into the
harvester.  The harvester shakes loose soil from the bulbs and
they are placed into a bulk bin.  Several workers on each
harvester sort and grade, discarding damaged bulbs.  Small bulbs
are separated and may be used for planting the next crop.  After
harvesting, the bulbs are washed and cured.  Although the timing
of harvest is not specific, wet field conditions can delay
harvesting and increase losses.

The major production perils in bulb production are excessive rain
at harvest- time, excessive heat and drought, and unusually cold
winter temperatures.  Snow, ice, and hail also can reduce bulb
crop yields.  Excessive rainfall, in particular, is the main
production problem for many bulb producers.  Water-logged fields
exacerbate rot problems, diminishing quality and reducing yields. 
Extended flooding can cause the complete loss of bulb crops.

Our assessment is that participation in crop insurance for in-
ground bulbs is likely to be limited largely to participation in
the catastrophic coverage plan.  Bulb growers feel they can deal
with most production problems through good management.  The
biggest losses in bulb production are due to flooding, and it is
for this peril that some growers may want to purchase additional
coverage.

Further, FCIC might want to require state inspection of bulbs as
a condition for participationg in crop insurance to avert losses
due to avoidable causes such as insects, diseases, or weeds. 
Typically, growers fumigate their fields with methyl bromide
prior to planting to eradicate nematodes, but methyl bromide will
be banned after the year 2000 and growers report they do not have
an adequate alternative fumigant.  FCIC might even require that
soils be tested and shown to be acceptably free of nematodes.