– Monterey/Santa Barbara see higher numbers
Monterey County
-Typically one for the top ag production county Monterey County is often the earliest to publish farm statistics form the year before.
The 22’ report reflects a production gross value of $4,638,336,000 which is an increase of 13.1% from 2021.
The ag commissioner’s reports says top valued commodities this year include Strawberries which maintain the top spot with a gross production value of $958,774,000, a 1% decrease from 2021. Leaf lettuce, including Romaine and other leaf lettuce varieties, continued to be the 2nd most valuable crop at $842,462,000 with an increase of 13.6%, and Head lettuce as the 3rd most valuable crop at $546,786,000 with an increase of 21.1%. While it is good to see values remain high for lettuces, Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) continues to impact lettuce production resulting in reduced yields.
Collaborations among growers, industry, USDA, and the University of California Extension have been crucial in finding solutions to help control the disease. Broccoli remained at 4th place ranking with a 67.7% increase to $519,049,000. Broccoli’s significant increase in value was due in part to increased production volumes and good pricing during the year.
Overall, the Vegetable Crops category saw an increase in value of 21.8% to $3,129,167,000. Fruits and Nuts category had a decrease of 3.9% to $1,234,722,000 primarily due to unseasonable warm weather observed in mid to late summer that reduced production yields for wine grapes- valuation was down. Wine Grapes ranked 7th in production value in 2022. Seeds and Field Crops saw increases, and Livestock remained steady.
Cannabis sales in Monterey County dropped by more than half on a lower price per unit.
Santa Barbara County
Ag production Santa Barbara County saw a gross value of $1,930,445,000 -an increase of 5.1% from 2021. Strawberries, in 2022, continue to remain as the top crop with an increase of $10,437,000 for a value of $810,923,000.
Cauliflower moved up to the 2nd most valuable crop at
$96,657,000 with an increase of $16,358,000. Wine Grapes
remained the 3rd most valuable crop at $96,334,000 even
though it saw a decrease from 2021 of 8.4%. Nursery Products
moved down to the 4th spot with a total value of $95,318,000,
a decrease of 20%.
The Fruit & Nuts Category saw an increase in value of 4.8%
to $988,331,000 representing 51% of the county total gross
production value. Vegetable Crops saw an increase of 12.4% to
$660,562,000, representing 33% of the total gross production
value. Wine grapes saw a decrease in value of 8.4% to
$96,334,000 representing 5% of total gross production value.
The Nursery category saw a decrease of 20% to $95,318,000.
Livestock, Apiary, Field and Seeds Crops all saw an increase of
8.7%, 9.1%, and 8.5% respectively.
The total Cannabis production amount for 2022 was estimated
to be $260,370,000. Cannabis is not included in the county
total gross production total.
The Santa Barbara Independent reports that statewide there is a glut on cannabis and the prices for wholesale cannabis flower have plunged by half from their peak of $1,400 in 2020 to about $660 per pound now. “The state is believed to be producing three times as much pot as residents can consume — much of it grown in Santa Barbara County — effectively fueling the black market where, by most estimates, two-thirds of the sales are taking place.
Statewide, county officials said, the number of active cannabis cultivation licenses has fallen by 20 percent since early 2022, as a host of provisional licenses expired and were not renewed.”