September 20,2017-
Cattle & Field Crop Values Fall Big Time In Tulare County
The 2016 Tulare County Crop Report, released this week, shows a drop of almost 9% from 2015 to $6.37 billion, well below Kern County at $7.18 billion.
That means Tulare County falls to second place in bragging rights for top ag county.Fresno County is number 3. So, what happened?
Milk dropped by $72 million, field crops were down by $300 million while grapes, peaches and walnuts all dropped, based on lower per ton price.
The big blow came with the one-third decline in cattle prices with the total value in this category falling nearly $300 million.
Cattle prices in Tulare County fell from nearly $1500 per head in 2015 to about $1000 per head in 2016, a victim of declining beef prices that continue to flex at the low end in 2017 (see chart).
Oranges beat out cattle for number two crop in the county behind milk. Meanwhile pistachios and tangerines showed nice growth.
Milk prices fell to an average of $14.90 per cwt from $15.30 in 2015. The volume of milk produced fell by nearly 2%
Meanwhile other commodities fell as well. Tulare County’s pomegranates declined in value from $40 million in 2015 to just $7.5 million.
In Kern County cherry yields were up 250 percent. But the big factor is nuts. Kern is where they grow 40 percent of the state’s pistachio crop (up $500 million) and 20 percent of the US almond crop.
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