Fresno County farmed $7.7 billion in crops in 2019. Here’s how it ranked in the U.S.
Fresno County’s agricultural and livestock production of $7.7 billion for 2019 fell short of the record-breaking previous year, but the county still topped all others in production, according to the annual report adopted Tuesday.
The total gross production value of the plants and livestock raised in the county was down by 2.3% from the 2017 peak of $7.9 billion, according to the report from county Agricultural Commissioner Melissa Cregan.
“Once again almonds continue to be the leading agricultural crop in Fresno County,” she said. “They had a strong year with increases in both harvested acreage, yield and price.”
Almonds made up $1.57 billion, or more than 20%, of the total county gross for the year. Grapes were second with $962 million, and pistachios rounded out the third spot with $660 million, the report says.
The top 10 also included, in order: poultry, milk, garlic, cattle, tomatoes, mandarins and oranges. Onions saw a dip in prices and were knocked off of the list from the previous year by oranges, Cregan said.
The report came out a couple of months later than a typical year, which staffers attributed to the coronavirus pandemic.
Crops from Fresno County are exported to some 90 countries, including the top five of Mexico, Canada, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. “I think we see a shift away from products that don’t export well,” Cregan said.
Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen said one-third of the U.S.’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits come from California. The state also has seven of the top 10 agricultural producing counties in the country, including Fresno, Kern, Tulare, Merced and others.
“(The crop report) provides the opportunity to salute local agriculture and focus on the food and fiber, jobs and economic benefits our farms provide,” Jacobsen said. “No matter how small or big the farm operation is, they all provide essential benefits to our community, nation and world.”
Farmers in Fresno County harvested more than 1.7 million acres of farmland and orchards in 2018, a dip from the previous year.
