Every year California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) produces their yearly report which is always interesting although the amount of information can be overwhelming. Lots of food for thought to ponder with no pun intended:
- The sales value generated by California agriculture decreased by 16.8 percent between the 2014 and 2015 crop years. The State’s 77,500 farms and ranches received $47.1 billion for their output, down from the $56.6 billion received in 2014.
- California accounted for nearly 60 percent of the U.S. non-citrus fruit and nut production. In total, California produced 16.2 million tons of fruits and nuts in 2015. The state’s total value of all fruits and nuts in 2015 was $18.1 billion.
- California accounts for over 40 percent of the U.S. citrus production and 56 percent of the national value.
- For the third year in a row, almonds were the number one valued fruit or nut crop, coming in at $5.3 billion in value for 2015. California is the number one producer of almonds in the world, with 67% of 2015 almond shipments exported.
- Grapes were a close second at $5.0 billion. California grapes accounted for 89 percent of the United States utilized grape production in 2015. Prices received by growers decreased from $756 per ton of grapes in 2014 to $724 per ton in 2015.
- Crops with record California production in 2015 were blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mandarins, dates and walnuts.
- California accounted for all or nearly all of the national production of almonds, pistachios, walnuts, dates, figs, kiwifruit, olives, Clingstone peaches, dried plums, and raisins.
Notable Increases in California Value of Production:
Cherries, Sweet ……………………………….. 81%
Celery …………………………………………….. 48%
Onions, Spring ………………………………… 45%
Artichokes ………………………………………. 33%
Leaf Lettuce ……………………………………. 31%
Dates ……………………………………………… 31%
Bell Peppers ……………………………………. 30%
Cucumber ……………………………………….. 28%
Grapefruit…. …………………………………… 25%
Mandarins ………………………………………. 27%
Olives …………………………………………….. 88%
Raspberries, All………………………………. 20%
Notable Decreases in California Value of Production:
Chili Peppers …………………………………. -54%
Pistachios ……………………………………….-47%
Corn, Grain …………………………………….-44%
Cotton, Upland………………………………..-44%
Hay, Other ……………………………………… -41%
Apples …………………………………………… -39%
Apricots …………………………………………. -38%
Pecan …………………………………………….. -21%
The decreases in production are not so straight forward. It can be the result of other states or countries becoming more competitive and influencing the decline in California’s production. Growing up in Idaho, for example, I know that much of the hay and grain business or acreage has moved from California, given the high cost of land. Idaho is poised to become the largest dairy state in the nation ahead of Wisconsin. However, new Pistachio orchards seem to be springing up everywhere and California’s Central Valley, where 98 percent of all the country’s pistachio’s are grown, a -47% decline in production is most likely the result of production problems – specifically, pistachio shells turning up empty.
