Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties both recently released their 2018 crop reports, and while Santa Barbara County’s farms and ranches saw a decrease in crop value from the year before, San Luis Obispo’s reached record highs.
In 2018, strawberries still led the way as Santa Barbara County’s highest grossing crop by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Wine grapes followed in second, and nursery products and cut flowers and foliage followed closely behind in third and fourth, respectively.
While Santa Barbara County’s farms and ranches grossed $1.5 billion in 2018, the year’s profits represent a 4.9 percent decrease from those accumulated in 2017, according to the report.
Santa Barbara County’s fruit and nut crops, nursery products, and livestock and chicken commodities were the only categories to increase in value from 2017 to 2018, while others saw decreases. Vegetable crops saw a drop of more than $76 million.
Rudy Martel, Santa Barbara County’s deputy agricultural commissioner, explained that if there is an increased supply or decreased demand for one product, its price will go down, leading to a reduction in crop values.
“Overall it’s based on the market values,” Martel told the Sun. “If they’re down, then overall production value will be down.”
Still, San Luis Obispo County’s crop value hit a record of $1.03 billion in 2018, a 12 percent increase from values reported in 2017. Although nursery products in SLO were down 2 percent, all other agricultural categories showed increases in overall value.
Wine grapes led SLO County with a record value of $276 million, equating to a 3 percent increase from 2017. Despite an extended summer heat wave last year, wine grape growers enjoyed an 8 percent increase in production and an all-time record for San Luis Obispo County.
But Santa Barbara County was hit harder by extreme weather in 2017 and 2018.
In December 2017 and January 2018, the Thomas Fire burned 281,893 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, hurting orchards, nursery products, cut flowers, and vegetable crops on the south coast. On Jan. 9, the report states, a half inch of rain fell in five minutes, triggering debris flows and flash floods that killed 21 people and destroyed structures in Santa Barbara County.
Growers hit by the Thomas Fire also suffered from the debris flows, according to the report. The nearly two-week closure of U.S. 101 following the mudslides shut down commerce, prevented workers from accessing fields, and resulted in the loss of perishable goods.
Despite the heavy rain at the beginning of the year, 2018 was one of the driest years on record. Frost in February damaged strawberry crops, the report states, and another frost advisory was issued in December for the Santa Ynez Valley area. A heat wave in March caused blooming plants to prematurely drop their flowers, affecting the following year’s yield. Record-breaking heat in July and high winds affected crops countywide and contributed to the Holiday Fire, which scorched Goleta orchard crops and livestock.
For permanent crops, the report states that heat can damage both the current crop and also the fruit set for the coming season, packing a two-year punch.
“Santa Barbara County agriculture has an inspiring story of innovation and resiliency,” Agricultural Commissioner Cathy Fisher wrote in her 2018 report. “As we move forward, it’s important to share this story and remember that we’re all in this together as we work to safeguard for future generations what our forebears have provided for us—our Santa Barbara way of life.”
—Kasey Bubnash
This article appears in Aug 1-8, 2019.