Coastal counties so far are reporting a decline in crop value values in 2023 and much of the drop appears weather related.
Santa Barbara County farmers reported a gross production value of $1,875,978,000 which is a decrease of 2.8% or $54,467,000 from 2022.
Strawberries top crop
Once again, in 2023, strawberries held the top spot as the number one agricultural crop, with a gross production value of $775,282,000 even though it reported a decrease of 4.4% from 2022 primarily due to weather related factors.
Nursery Products moved up to the 2nd most valuable crop at $122,301,000 with an increase of 28% as a result of market demand, product stabilization, and increased production.
Wine Grapes remained as the 3rd most valuable crop at $98,562,000, a 2.3% increase from 2022. Broccoli moved up to the 4th spot with a value of $86,737,000. Cauliflower moved down to the 5th spot with a total value of $84,078,000, a decrease of 13%.
Although the 2023 Santa Barbara County Crop and Livestock Report includes figures on cannabis production, it is not factored into the total value of agricultural products but it tracks sales. The report says cannabis operators produced nearly 9.9 million pounds of packaged harvest weight with a total value of just under $329 million in 2023.
Adding in the value of seeds, clones and immature plants ,the total gross production value comes to a little more than $333 million. That is up from $260 million 2022.
Monterey Report
Monterey County is one the first major ag production counties in California to report crop values for 2023. The report reflects a production gross value of $4,353,338,000 – a decrease of 6.1% from 2022.
Major crops drop in value
Top valued commodities this year include Strawberries which maintain the top spot with a gross production value of $903,791,000, a 5.7% decrease from 2022. Leaf lettuce, including Romaine and other leaf lettuce varieties, continued to be the 2nd most valuable crop at $782,134,000 with a decrease of 7.2%, and Head lettuce as the 3rd most valuable crop at $493,464,000 with a decrease of 9.8%. Broccoli remained in the 4th place ranking with a 9.7% decrease to $468,871,000.
Overall, the Vegetable Crops category saw a decrease in value of 7.9% to $2,882,975,000. The Fruit and Nuts category had a decrease of 3.5% to $1,191,221,000.
Wet weather impact
Decreased production values in Monterey County were widespread among vegetable and fruit crops and can be attributed in part to a very wet winter that shortened the growing season, decreased production rates, and decreased growing acreage. Perennial crops such as wine grapes and seed crops that were less impacted by the increase in rain saw production values improve. Wine Grapes increased and ranked 5th in production value in 2023. Seed Crops and Livestock & Poultry also saw increases, while Field Crops remained steady.
Cannabis higher
One of the few counties that tracks cannabis as a crop, Monterey County reported $363 million in sales in 20223, up from $283 million in 2022. That value compares to $493 million in sales for head lettuce, one of the county’s top crops.