Spurred by a precipitous drop in milk value, Stanislaus County’s total gross farm revenues fell nearly 10 percent last year, the largest one-year decline in eight years, according the yearly 2023 crop report released Aug. 27.
Agriculture commissioner Linda Pinfold presented the report at the Board of Supervisors meeting, and showed that the county totaled nearly $3.34 billion in crop production in 2023, still the 10th highest total in the county’s history, but down from about $3.73 billion the previous year.
The county’s 2022 total was five percent better than 2021, and that was two percent better than 2020.
The last time the county sustained larger losses came in 2016, when production values dropped 16 percent. The 2015 output of $3.88 billion was 12 percent lower than in 2014, but 2014 was the largest grossing crop in county history at nearly $4.4 billion — a 20 percent increase from 2013.
“Mostly, prices for almonds and dairy are down, and those are our two big ones,” said Pinfold. “Almonds went up a little bit, but milk was No. 1 in 2022 and it dropped quite a bit in 2023.”
Milk value fell by about a third, down from $1.13 billion in 2022 to about $762 million in 2023 — a decline of nearly $370 million.
Almonds were up slightly in 2023, rising eight percent to $813 million and regaining the throne as the most valuable commodity in the county.
Almonds and milk make up nearly half — 47 percent — of the county’s agriculture might with a combined value of nearly $1.6 billion.
“Milk did really well the year before because of a big milk price,” said Pinfold. “But there was a big drop in California and definitely in Stanislaus County.”
The report wasn’t without bright spots, however. Poultry, which accounts for about one-eighth of Stanislaus County’s total value, was up from $383 million in 2022 to just under $400 million in 2023. Cattle and calves jumped from $193 million to about $209 million; walnuts increased from roughly $43 million to nearly $56 million. But the star of the report was the tomato haul. Valued at $53 million in 2022, tomatoes were more than double that in 2023 at $107 million.
Besides milk, silage and eggs also were a drag on overall value. Silage went from $173 million in 2022 to $121 million last year, a drop of about 30 percent, while eggs went from $84 million to $54 million, a setback of roughly 35 percent.
“This report was challenging,” said District 2 Supervisor Vito Chiesa, “but commodity prices are rebounding, and I’m guessing that we’ve seen the absolute bottom of the market. Things are setting up better for dairy and almonds and walnuts.”
Pinfold’s report also pointed out that for 19 consecutive years, dating back to 2005, the county has dealt with some sort of weather-related disaster, whether drought, excessive heat, storms, flooding or freezes.
Only nine times in the four decades between 1965 and 2004 were there such weather-caused disasters.
Pinfold said it was because of such hardships that the theme of this year’s report was “Cultivating Resilience.” In the back of the 2023 report is a feature about Stanislaus County farmers facing recent weather-related challenges, plus a full-page listing of county, state, and federal resources to help in dealing with natural disasters.
“A lot of times, when dealing with a disaster, it’s not easy to think through these things,” said Pinfold. “This is just a little cheat-sheet that people can have at their disposal.”
Despite recent weather-related challenges and the decline of 2023, Stanislaus County ranks higher in agriculture production than 17 states, more than doubling the ag production of 11 of those states. Overall, Stanislaus County ranks eighth out of the nation’s 3,078 counties in ag value.
“Remember, these numbers don’t reflect profits. They’re merely gross numbers,” said Chiesa. “When we see the report a year from now, I think you’ll see a noticeable increase. This is really a statement on the resilience of the ag community, which truly shines in difficult times.”
The report is available online at stanag.org/agricultural-statistics.shtm
