Wisconsin one of nation's top vegetable producers

MADISON (AP) — Wisconsin is still the national leader in production of snap beans, and one of the top producers overall of vegetables for processing.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Wisconsin processed nearly 300,000 tons of snap beans last year. That's 45 percent of the nation's crop.

The state also processed about 584,000 tons of sweet corn, third best in the U.S.

Wisconsin saw its production of green peas increase 14 percent, while its cucumbers intended for pickle production jumped 27 percent.

The state did lose its top ranking for carrots destined for processing. Wisconsin's production was up 1 percent, but Washington state took over the top spot because its harvested acres increased 35 percent.

Overall, Wisconsin is second in the nation in the production of vegetables for processing. California is first.