Local farmers had a good year in 2000, and agriculture will continue to do well here over the next few years. However, the county may no longer be home to certain crops in the future.
The 2000 Crop Statistics & Annual Report, released late last month, stated that San Diego County had a record-breaking year in 2000. It came despite an agricultural quarantine, the increased cost of water and a few other challenges.
The total reported value for crops in the county was more than $1.25 billion. It is the highest ever for the county and is the eighth successive year of growth for local agriculture, said Delores Brandon, a spokeswoman for the county’s Department of Agriculture, Weights & Measures, which released the report.
The 2000 figure for total value of crops was an increase of 34 percent over the 1990 figure of $935 million, she said.
The total amount of acreage decreased by 2 percent in that same time period , from 167,917 acres to 164,357 acres.
“We’re certainly pleased with agriculture in this county,” she said. “Historically, over the past several years, agriculture is the fourth-leading economic sector in this county.”
Nursery and flower crops continue to dominate the industry in San Diego County, accounting for $790 million, or 63 percent of the county’s total agricultural value. Indoor flowering and foliage plants alone generated $310 million, or one-fourth of all the total dollars generated in agriculture, Brandon said.
Continued Expansion
Eric Larson, executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, said the report was mostly good news.
“We continue to expand even in a somewhat troubled economy,” he said. “It’s business as usual. We continue to see growth in the horticulture industry, which is no surprise to anyone at all, and since it’s our single biggest sector, it’s nice to see that it continues to grow.”
Larson noted the total value of crops has gone up noticeably over the past decade, while the total acreage has remained relatively constant. That means farmers have become more efficient at growing crops on the land they have, and also switching to higher valued crops, such as nursery products, he said.
Brandon agreed. The report shows agriculture, as an industry, has been able to adapt to challenges such as the increasing cost of water and encroachment from development, she said.
“The agricultural industry in this county has been very adaptable,” Brandon said. “It’s a very difficult thing to have in areas where we just keep building more homes, but we’re fortunate that our industry has responded to the pressures very well thus far They manage to work with people in the surrounding communities.”
Most Growth In Nursery Crops
Notably, the most growth has been in nursery crops, which can thrive alongside urban sprawl, while, milk production , largely incompatible with development , has declined 29 percent since 1990, to $16.9 million last year, she said.
Among farm products valued at $10 million or more, the only other ones to experience any declines were eggs, which fell 21 percent to $47.9 million last year; and strawberries, which fell 11 percent to $19.3 million, Brandon said.
Larson said local agriculture can sometimes be vulnerable because a large percentage of farming in San Diego County is on small farms of five or 10 acres. Any sudden change in the marketplace can severely hurt small growers.
One specific example from last year was the quarantine due to the Mexican fruit fly. That devastated the persimmons crop and other growers in Fallbrook to $2.5 million , a huge dent in the economy of such a small area, he said.
However, Larson predicts the trends of the past decade will continue , meaning greater crop value on the same amount of acreage in the years to come. But the crop mix locally could change.
Changing Crops
“I think the acreage will remain stable, but because the land values are high, and labor is high, and water is high, we will see growers attempting to get a better return per acre. And so they’re going to have to take a very serious look at the crops they grow, and make sure the crops give them the greatest return they can.”
Brandon said there are many factors affecting local agriculture, making it impossible to predict the future of the industry here. A frost in Florida may drive up the price for local citrus, while markets in South America may be able to undercut local growers of nursery products.
Trade agreements, meanwhile, may make it easier to import Mexican avocados, hurting local growers, she said.
