Hawai'i farmers had a record season last year growing flowers and nursery crops, but macadamia nut production fell to a 26-year low, according to the latest federal statistics on local agriculture.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated that macadamia nut production fell 22 percent in the 2007-08 season from the prior season largely due to bad weather and a pest called the Koa seed worm.

Macadamia nut prices also were lower, reducing the industry's crop value to $20.9 million, or about half what it's been in the last few years.

The agency said farmers last year netted 58 cents per pound of nuts, down 9 cents per pound from a year earlier. The low prices contributed to low production because some growers couldn't afford to hire pickers to harvest nuts.

Other growers said wet weather caused increased nut spoilage, while yet others said dry conditions during the critical maturation phase reduced output.

Total crop losses were estimated at 10.7 million pounds, or 25 percent of the total crop.

As a result, farmers were able to harvest an estimated 36 million pounds of good wet-in-shell nuts, down from 58 million pounds a year earlier and the lowest since 33 million pounds were harvested in the 1981-82 season.

To further contrast the difference in production, the 1981-82 season involved 10,000 acres of harvested mac nuts, compared with 15,000 acres in the 2007-08 season, which was unchanged from the prior year.

Hawai'i flower and nursery crop farmers had a much better season last year with record estimated farm-level sales of $106 million, which was up 7 percent from $99 million a year earlier.

The Agricultural Statistics Service said most types of flower and nursery products had sales gains, though there were reduced sales for a couple of categories.

Cut and potted orchid sales were up 1 percent to $21.8 million, but other cut flower sales were down 8 percent to $12.4 million.

Landscape plant sales jumped 25 percent to $26 million. Sales of foliage, including potted palms and cut ti leaves, were up 7 percent to $19.3 million. Plant rentals rose 25 percent to $6.5 million. Lei flower sales were up 3 percent to $3.6 million. Uncategorized nursery product sales were down 6 percent to $5 million.

Last year, flower and nursery farmers operated on 4,075 acres, up slightly from 4,064 acres the year before.