SANTA CRUZ – The effects of the severe winter storms of 2023 are still being felt in Santa Cruz County, the newest example coming from the agricultural sector.
Agricultural commodities reached $654.7 million in 2023, down 1.8% from the previous yr, in response to the annual harvest report of the district published last week. The decline in value is the primary decline in crop yields in 4 years.
“Severe storms can have significant impacts on farms, and these declines were not unexpected,” Santa Cruz County Agriculture Commissioner David Sanford said in a news release. “Although fields have recovered and returned to full productivity, damage and delays caused losses that have continued throughout 2023, underscoring how climate change can impact our economy.”
Strawberries, long a powerful economic driver within the county, once more took the crown of “top crop” in 2023, bringing in greater than $184.8 million from 74,269 tons of total production on 2,363 acres. Still, the overall value of strawberries declined by greater than $35 million in comparison with 2022. In the report, Sanford attributed this to storm damage and flooding in late 2022 and early 2023.
Nursery plants – potted houseplants, landscape plants, young plants and Christmas trees – got here in second behind strawberries, bringing in greater than $128 million in 2023 – a rise of nearly $24 million in comparison with 2022.
Raspberries got here in third with nearly $115 million on 1,712 acres, a financial total that’s $13.6 million higher than the 2022 total.
Overall, the berries category had an estimated value of $184.8 million on 2,363 acres in 2023, representing 60% of the county's total gross production value of agricultural products.
Planting delays and other weather-related issues also prevented vegetable production from exceeding 2022 figures. In 2023, $90.9 million was produced – a ten% decrease from the previous yr.
“It is important to note that the figures presented in this report are gross values and do not include costs incurred by producers such as labor, soil preparation, irrigation, integrated pest management, transportation, marketing and regulatory costs,” Sanford noted within the report.
Grapes and apples appeared to flee major setbacks from last yr's devastating rains, with production volumes declining in comparison with 2022, albeit only by a comparatively small amount.
Organic farming experienced a resurgence in 2023, with roughly 160 registered farms on 9,287 acres throughout the county, generating a complete value of $147.6 million. This total acreage is 1,276 greater than the 8,011 farms registered in 2022, and the gross value is $29 million higher than the $118 million in 2022.
The full report is obtainable at www.agdept.com.
Top cultures
1. Strawberries: $184.8 million2. Nursery plants: $128 million3. Raspberries: $114.9 million4. Blackberries: $84 million5. Broccoli and other vegetables: $54.9 million
Source: Santa Cruz County 2023 Crop Report
Originally published:
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