Almonds once again the top crop in SJ County

Almonds were valued at $435,764,000 last year, he said.

It’s the fourth year in a row that almonds topped the county’s list of most valued commodities. In 2020, almonds were valued at $644 million, and that was a 54.35% increase from the prior year.

Despite being the county’s top commodity, almonds were not the most-exported crop. That title went to rice, with 114,1149 tons shipped overseas last year. Just over 70,000 tons of almonds were exported.

Pelican said part of the issue in the crop’s decline in 2021 was shipping container availability, as well as empty cargo ships leaving ports around the country.

However, Pelican said there are containers full of almonds still waiting to be exported at ports while San Joaquin County growers continue to harvest the crop.

Fruit and nut crops in general were valued at nearly $1.73 billion, an increase of just 7.68% from 2020. That year, fruits and nuts were valued at $1.6 billion, which was an increase of 18.38% from 2019.

Milk and winegrapes were second and third in value, respectively, with the former valued at $445.6 million and the latter at $428.4 million.

Milk’s value saw just a 1.3% increase — a drop from the 16.09% increase it saw in 2020 — while winegrapes increased by 26.65%. In 2020, grape value increased by just 8.47% over 2020.

Walnuts and cherries rounded out the top five commodities, with the former valued at $367.8 million — an increase of 65.74% from 2020 — and the latter valued at nearly $320 million — an increase of 71.56%.

Pelican said the change in increases over the years are due in part to labor and farming methods.

“A lot of specialty crops like cherries and olives have gone to more mechanized farming methods versus hand labor,” he said. “There’s still plenty of hand labor out there, but not nearly as much as there was at one time. A lot of times now, growers don’t keep on full-time staff like they did at one time. A lot of the people you see out in the fields are coming in from all over the state.”

Other crop report highlights included livestock and poultry products, which increased by 5.10% with a total value of $654.2 million; nursery products, which increased by 4.46% with a total value of $138.1 million; and apiary products, which increased by 11.04% with a total value of $54 million.

This was the 88th year the agricultural commissioner’s office presented a crop report, and this year’s theme was Women in Agriculture.

“I thought it was time we recognize the important role that women play in the agricultural industry,” Pelican said. “I think we lose sight of the fact that their importance continues to grow and they are integral to its continued success. In my view, I believe women invented agriculture and I think we could at least do our small part to make up for the lack of credit they get.”

Pelican said there are 46,235 women in the state who are agricultural producers, accounting for 37% of California farmers on 10.9 million acres of land.

“Women have always been an equal contributor to the success of agriculture not only here in San Joaquin County but throughout the world,” board chair Chuck Winn said. “Whether it is farming, research, agricultural education or agribusiness, women are instrumental to the agricultural sector. This year’s crop report is a prime example of how women are leading the way in helping feed the world while boosting our local economy.”

To view the entire crop report, visit tinyurl.com/SJCCrops2021.