FAIRFIELD — Solano County’s gross crop value dropped after five straight years of gain, sliding 6.5 percent in 2015, but remains a big industry countywide.
Environmental conditions are blamed for much of the decline.
“The extended drought contributed to decreased values in animal production, field crops and seed crops,” Agriculture Commissioner Jim Allan said in his introduction to the 2015 Solano County Crop and Livestock Report, which was released this summer.
The 2015 gross value of all crops and livestock production was nearly $353.9 million, down from $378.6 million from the previous year, the 66th annual report states. It was still the second-highest gross value in county history.
“Everything now takes on a global scale so there is always more than one factor,” said Ryan Maloney, president of the Solano County Farm Bureau.
He noted how export markets took a hit for a number of Solano County products, in part because of various labor strikes at sea ports, but also the strength of the American dollar internationally has had an affect.
Maloney said the effects of the drought were felt in animal production because there was less feed available and fewer irrigated acres. So while beef prices were at historic levels last year, the ranchers delivered fewer pounds.
“Sheep were the same story,” said Maloney, who is a sheep rancher. “The price was about the same, but because of the drought, the pounds were down.”
Maloney also said he would not be surprised to see the agriculture value rebound next year.
Allan agrees, in part because farmers are going to higher-value crops, such as sunflower seeds rather than oil. Additionally, the nursery industry is getting a boost by a general increase in the economy coming out of the downturn. In short, people are buying for landscaping, again.
The top crop for the second straight year was canning tomatoes, but it too slipped, falling 8.6 percent from about $46.12 million in 2014 to $42.16 million last year, the county report states.
Calls seeking comment from a local grower and the California Tomato Growers Association were not returned Monday.
Walnuts followed tomatoes at $37.89 million (-16.5 percent); then nursery products at $37.65 million (5.8 percent); alfalfa at $34.82 million (-20.3 percent); and cattle and calves at $27.56 million (-13 percent).
Only two of the top 10 crops increased in value from 2014 to last year. Along with nursery products, almonds jumped 66.7 percent from about $14.2 million to $23.6 million. It moved from eighth to sixth on the top 10 list, the crop report states.
The county reports there were 6,880 bearing almond acres in 2015, up from 3,430, and production also went up from 0.65 tons per acre to 0.7 tons per acre.
Sheep and lambs replaced corn/grain at 10th on the list even though it also saw a decline in value, from $7.91 million in 2014 to $6.68 million, the report states.
Maloney said he fully expects the sheep and lambs industry, which has a strong history in the county, to continue to grow over the next couple of years and climb the county list of crop values.
Fruits and nuts as a crop group represented 25 percent of the total value at $87.74 million – the largest of any group and a 1 percent overall increase in gross value, the county report states.
The second-largest percentage as a group was vegetable crops at 23 percent ($81.02 million; 3 percent), followed by field crops at 22 percent ($78.45 million; -20 percent).
The next largest group was animal production at 16 percent ($54.94 million; -7.5 percent) and nursery products at 11 percent ($37.65 million; 5.8 percent) while seed crops make up 3 percent of the total value ($11.73 million; -30.6 percent).
The last group listed in the county report is apiary, which had a gross value of $2.34 million in 2015, down 21.6 percent from the previous year.
Ag values slip
Gross crop and commodities values for the past five years
- 2015: $353.87 million
- 2014: $378.65 million
- 2013: $348.22 million
- 2012: $342.70 million
- 2011: $291.66 million
Top 5 crops/commodities by value
Crop: 2015 // 2014 (ranking)
- Tomatoes: $42.16 million // $46.12 million (first)
- Walnuts: $37.91 million // $45.42 million (second)
- Nursery: $37.65 million // $35.59 million (fourth)
- Alfalfa: $34.82 million // $43.70 million (third)
- Cattle/calves: $27.56 million // $31.67 million (fifth)
Source: 2015 Solano County Crop and Livestock Report
