Michigan veggie crop relatively unscathed last year

LANSING, MI (AP)--   The Michigan Farm Bureau says the state's vegetable crops suffered only minor damage from bad weather last year, unlike the heavy losses to fruit, corn and hay. 

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The group says statistics released last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that vegetable production in Michigan was down about 2 percent in 2012 from the previous year, while the combined value of the vegetable crop rose by 3 percent.

The numbers are based on harvests of a dozen consumer staples, such as asparagus, snap beans, cabbage, carrots, squash and tomatoes.

Statewide production of most vegetable crops decreased slightly, but celery and sweet corn output rose.

Fruit crops such as cherries and apples were devastated last year by an early spring thaw, followed by a deep freeze that killed buds.