SALINAS – The value of Monterey County crops increased 13.1% to $4.6 billion in 2022 with strawberries again leading the way with a value of nearly $1 billion.
The 2022 Crop and Livestock Report was released Tuesday by Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo at a press briefing with a panel of agricultural leaders. The report lists top crop values and other key agricultural statistics while highlighting the work and programs of the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office.
“We do not usually see double-digit increases in crop value from year-to-year,” said Hidalgo. “There are many factors that can contribute to double-digit increases. I think one of those things is the continuance to emerge from the pandemic.”
The report reflects a production gross value of agricultural commodities grown in Monterey County and pegs it at $4,638,336,000.
Executive Director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau Norm Groot said it is nice to see an increase that possibly shows a recovery from the pandemic. He pointed out that vegetable crops grew by 21.8% to $3.1 billion, reflecting that “markets are coming back both in pricing and distribution.”
But “farmers are still facing challenges to make the bottom line work.” he said.
The values represented in the Crop Report do not include costs incurred by growers that include but are not limited to labor, field preparation, planting, irrigating, harvesting, distribution, pest management, cooling, marketing, equipment, assessments, regulatory costs of loss experienced by individual operations, and other production activities.
Groot said the report highlights Monterey County’s crop diversity “that allows our farmers to adjust their production schedules to meet the market demands and the shifting consumer preferences by growing crops in multiple rotations.”
Monterey County’s top five crops include strawberries holding the No. 1 position with a value of about $959 million, a decrease of 1% from last year. Leaf lettuce including Romaine and other leaf lettuce varieties, again at No. 2 and valued at $842 million an increase of 13.6%. Head lettuce again at No. 3 posting a value of $547 million, with an increase of 21.1%. Broccoli held onto the fourth spot with a value of $519 million, a 67.7% increase, and cauliflower, valued at $217 million, a 28.01% increase, grabbed the fifth spot away from wine grapes which fell to the No. 7 spot.
Executive Director of the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association Kim Stemler said that she expects the 20% reduction in wine grape value to be a short-term consequence of the impacts of COVID, wildfires, and climate change.
The summer of 2022 saw unseasonably warm weather from mid- to late-summer that reduced production yields for wine grapes.
Stemler said that though there is currently uncertainty in the market, what is promising is Monterey County’s usually moderate weather and water availability.
“Over the next 10 years, the Central Coast will be the growing region,” said Stemler.
California Strawberry Commission Director of Communications Jeff Cardinale said that the top crop’s standing at No. 1 is a testament to strawberry farmers’ resiliency.
“Growers in California, especially here in Monterey County, face some of the toughest regulations in the world,” he said, adding that it is just something that growers have to deal with.
“Having a strong relationship with the ag commissioner’s office is essential because (Hidalgo) and his staff are the ones that know each rule inside and out and help each individual grower, whether they’re farming 5 acres or 500 acres, to really make sure that they’re complying with the rules and regulations set forth by the state and the federal government and that’s very important,” said Cardinale.
President of the Grower-Shipper Association Chris Valadez said the report corroborates that farming is like a roller-coaster ride with many factors contributing to a crop’s success or failure.
Vegetable crops were responsible for about 70% of the overall farm crop value and prices remain high for lettuces, but the Impatiens necrotic spot virus continued its impact on lettuce production resulting in reduced yields.
Just as weather impacted wine grapes, it also impacted lettuce production, weakening the plants from the ability to fight off INSV.
But work continues to be done to find solutions to help control the disease through collaborations among growers, the industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the University of California Extension.
The 2022 Annual Crop and Livestock Report can be found at the County of Monterey website.