The Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commission recently released its annual crop report, detailing the production of fruit, vegetable, nut, nursery, and livestock crops throughout the county.
According to the Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Guy Tingos, this report shows just how important agriculture is to the county.
“Santa Barbara County is ranked 12th in the state of California for agricultural production,” he said.
The report shows agriculture is the biggest industry in the county, with gross production for 2011 reaching $1.19 billion. Although this is a 2.1 percent decrease in total value from 2010, last year was the sixth year in a row that agriculture exceeded the billion-dollar mark.
While strawberry crops are ranked No. 1 again, last year’s grape crops didn’t fare as well. Tingos said the hard freeze in April 2011, followed by strong winds and a rather cold summer, triggered a significantly smaller grape yield. According to Tingos, grape crops yielded approximately 82,000 tons in 2010 and roughly 60,000 tons in 2011—a substantial decrease.
“There is a silver lining here,” Tingos said. “Since the last couple of years were big harvests, there was an excess of grapes.”
Even though grape growers were hit hard by last April’s frost, the supply and demand remains steady and prices are still up; Tingos said winemakers and grape growers are still getting good prices for their fruit.
The report revealed agriculture continues to provide a strong economic base for the county, with an overall revenue impact of $2.4 billion.
This article appears in May 3-10, 2012.