MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo has announced the release of the 2023 Annual Crop and Livestock Report, which recorded a production gross value of just over $4.35 billion, reflecting a 6.1% decrease from 2022.
“The values represented here reflect gross values of agricultural commodities grown in Monterey County and do not include costs incurred by growers,” Hidalgo said. These costs encompass labor, field preparation, planting, irrigating, harvesting, distribution, pest management, cooling, marketing, equipment, assessments, regulatory costs or losses experienced by individual operations.
The report highlights the impact of various factors on the county’s diverse range of commodities, including market demand, production challenges, labor availability and weather conditions.
“Two major storm events in January and March resulted in flooding of low-lying areas throughout the county, impacting planting schedules and resulting in commodity losses in some areas,” Hidalgo noted.
In addition, cooler-than-usual weather in the spring and early summer led to a slow start for some commodities.
Despite these challenges, market demand for high-value crops in the region helped mitigate some of the adverse effects.
Strawberries maintained the top spot among valued commodities with a gross production value of nearly $904 million, though this represents a 5.7% decrease from 2022.
Leaf lettuce, including romaine and other leaf lettuce varieties, continued as the second most valuable crop at $782 million, with a decrease of 7.2%. Head lettuce ranked third at $493 million, a 9.8% decline. Broccoli remained in fourth place with a 9.7% decrease to about $469 million.
Overall, the Vegetable Crops category saw a decrease in value of 7.9% to $2.88 billion, while the Fruit and Nuts category decreased by 3.5% to $1.19 billion.
Hidalgo attributed the widespread decrease in production values among vegetable and fruit crops to a “very wet winter,” which shortened the growing season, decreased production rates and reduced growing acreage. However, perennial crops such as wine grapes and seed crops, which were less impacted by the increased rain, saw improvements in production values.
Wine grapes increased and ranked fifth in production value in 2023. Seed crops and the Livestock and Poultry category also saw increases, while field crops remained steady.
This year’s Crop and Livestock Report, released July 16, carries the theme “Together We Rise,” reflecting the resilience of Monterey County agriculture in the face of various natural disasters over the past decade.
Hidalgo highlighted how challenges created by droughts, floods, fires, smoke and a national pandemic have spurred the development of new technologies, ensuring that Monterey County remains a leader in agricultural production both in California and nationwide.
“It is thanks to the resiliency and support from our communities, and the drive from our growers and agricultural industry in continuing to find solutions, that makes agriculture a success in our region,” he said.
