Overview

Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

Lettuce, believed to be one of the first vegetables brought to the new world by explorer Christopher Columbus, has been grown in the United States since colonial times (California Lettuce Research Board). In the early 1900s, the iced shipping industry developed in the western states, expanding the range and popularity of lettuce. Today, in terms of production value, it is the leading vegetable crop in the United States. More than 90 percent of U.S. lettuce production is located in California and Arizona. The main varieties include iceberg, romaine  and various leaf varieties.  June 2010 ... Lettuce
 

Other Links

• Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS), Foreign Ag Service (FAS), USDA, 2009.
• Grocery Retailer Behavior in the Procurement and Sale of Perishable Fresh Products, Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA, 2003.
• High tunnel leafy greens and herbs, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2009.
• Iceberg Lettuce, Vegetables and Melons Outlook, ERS, USDA, 2006.
• Iceberg Lettuce Production in California, University of California Cooperative Extension.
• Leaf Lettuce Production in California, University of California.
• Lettuce, University of California. 
• Lettuce: Crisphead or Iceberg, Postharvest Technology, University of California, 2006.
• Lettuce Handbook, Cornell University.
• Lettuce: How to Manage Pests, University of California.
• Lettuce: Romaine or Cos, Postharvest Technology, University of California, 2005.
• Production Guide for Organic Lettuce: 2010, Cornell University, 2010.
• Small-Scale Lettuce Production with Hydroponics or Aquaponics, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2009.
• Specialty Lettuce & Greens: Organic Production, ATTRA, NCAT, 2002.
• U.S. Fresh Produce Markets: Marketing Channels, Trade Practices, and Retail Pricing Behavior, ERS Research Briefs, USDA, 2003.
• U.S. per capita food availability, ERS, USDA, 2008.
• Vegetables, Melons, and Pulses, ERS, USDA.

Links checked June 2010.