Monterey, Calif., (July 10, 2017) – Ag Commissioner Eric Lauritzen has released the Monterey County 2016 Agriculture report and says the following from the introduction of the report:
It is a pleasure to present the 2016 Monterey County Crop Report that is prepared pursuant to the provisions of Section 2279 of the California Food & Agriculture Code. This report re ects a production value of $4.25 billion for Monterey County, which is a decrease of 9.5% or $449 million under the previous year.
Crop values vary from year to year based on production, market and weather conditions. The decrease in total crop value in 2016 is primarily the result of market conditions. Eight of the County’s top ten crops had notable decreases, largely due to low market volatility, stable production, but stagnant prices. Head lettuce and leaf lettuce declined nearly 25% and 10% respectively. Total nursery crop value declined by 12%, in part because many greenhouses are being transitioned to medical Cannabis production. The value of our strawberry crop is nearly unchanged from the previous year.
Each year we like to highlight a segment of the industry in our report and this year chose wine grapes. The wine grape industry was the lone standout among the top ten crops in 2016 with a 28.5% increase, after a below- average year in 2015. A short lm on Monterey County viticulture can be found on our Department’s website. The lm highlights different aspects of the wine industry with interviews describing the evolution of the wine industry in Monterey County. Many thanks to Kim Stemler from the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association for her numerous contributions to this report.
It is always important to note that the figures provided here are gross values and do not represent or reflect net profit or loss experienced by individual growers, or by the industry as a whole. Growers do not have control over input costs, such as fuel, fertilizers and packaging, nor can they significantly affect market prices.
This report is our yearly opportunity to recognize the growers, shippers, ranchers, and other businesses ancillary to and supportive of agriculture, which is the largest driver of Monterey County’s economy. As such, we would like to extend our thanks to the industry for their continued effort to provide vital information that enables the compilation of the Monterey County Crop Report. While we continually strive to improve upon this information, without their assistance, this report would not be possible.
Special recognition for the production of this report goes to Richard Ordonez, Christina McGinnis, Graham Hunting, Shayla Neufeld, and all of the staff who assisted in compiling this information and improving the quality of the report.
To View the whole report CLICK HERE
