June 17 is National Lettuce Day, a chance to recognize California’s lettuce growers and farmworkers who help produce one of the state’s most important vegetable crops.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS), California leads the nation in the production of all three major lettuce categories: head, leaf, and romaine lettuce.
In California, growers produce:
Head lettuce: 2.8 billion pounds with a value of $1.2 billion
Leaf lettuce: 1.4 billion pounds with a value of $1.17 billion
Romaine lettuce: 3.8 billion pounds with a value of $2.2 billion
Romaine is California’s largest lettuce crop by both production and value, with 3.8 billion pounds grown and a value of $2.2 billion.
This National Lettuce Day, we celebrate the dedication of California’s lettuce growers and farmworkers whose work helps make California the nation’s leading producer of head, leaf, and romaine lettuce.
Learn more about California’s lettuce production on California Grown – Everything You Need To Know About How Leafy Green Vegetables Are Grown In California
Additional Resources:
Lettuce Production in California
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Pest Management Guidelines for Lettuce