Agriculture remains Santa Barbara County’s largest producing industry with a gross production value of more than $1.93 billion, according to the 2022 county Agricultural Crop Report—a 5 percent increase from the 2021’s numbers.
“We are certainly seeing an increase as we are getting out of the COVID-19 pandemic, as more and more people are going to restaurants to eat and schools are going back in-person, many farmers are providing vegetables and fruits to the schools and restaurants,” Santa Barbara County Agriculture Commissioner Jose Chang said. “That’s why during the pandemic we saw a significant decrease because a lot of those markets were shut down.”
Strawberries remained the top crop, bringing in a gross value of $810 million—an increase from $10.3 million in 2021, according to the 2022 county crop report. Cauliflower moved to the second spot at $96.6 million because of a higher demand for gluten-free products, cauliflower pizza crust, rice, and other byproducts, while wine grapes came in third with $96.3 million value, Chang said.
This year’s crop report was not impacted by the severe winter storms, but Chang said he expects the numbers will be reflected in next year’s report. The county Agricultural Commissioner’s Office conducted an assessment of the storms’ damage to the agricultural industry and reported $160 million worth of damage between late December and January, Chang said.
“As the storms were happening at the end of last year, at that time most of the harvest season for all the vegetables and fruits was pretty much over,” he said.
Other consequences surrounding the significant rainfall and changes in weather—with a relatively cool season until about June—also remain to be seen until the 2023 report.
Claire Wineman, president of the Grower-Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, said that many people in the agricultural industry are glad for the rainfall due to potential groundwater recharge and the Twitchell reservoir refilling, but many farmers still experienced tremendous impacts and worry about the cool weather.
“I think all of these factors have impacted the cultivation of some of the crops, and we will see some of those direct and indirect impacts to the growing season as well,” she said. “It really wasn’t everywhere; the spectrum was complete losses to minimal impact. There really was a huge range across us geographically and with different crop types.”
The storms emphasized how important it is for the county to continue producing a wide range of crops because the economic impact to one or more crops can be balanced out, Wineman said.
“That’s the other thing that our county crop report highlights is the diversity of agriculture as a whole in Santa Barbara County and the importance [of having] policies that promote vitality because that economic diversity is really important,” she said. “It’s important we remain mindful of the policies and economic conditions that keep agriculture economically viable because it provides so many jobs and economic impacts, directly and indirectly.”
She added that it’s important to note that the crop report’s $1.93 billion value doesn’t take land rent, increased labor costs and energy bills, and inflation into consideration.
“It’s important to recognize the limitations of what the information is that’s being collected and recognize that it doesn’t mean that’s profit,” Wineman said. “Remembering back in the year, the cumulative impact to everything was challenging.”
The agriculture industry continued to face labor shortages, lingering supply chain issues, and changes in international markets, all reflecting an increased cost of production, Wineman said.
“I think we’re not seeing the impact of economic changes and crops that aren’t always reflected in pricing,” she said. “Buyers aren’t always paying more; there’s increased minimum wage, increased land rent that’s not always reflected in buyers willing to pay those increased costs.”
This article appears in Aug 3-13, 2023.
