California Agriculture 2012 Data
How many farms & ranches are in CA? 81,500 Less than 3.7% US farms
What is the total value of these receipts? Over 44.7 billion dollars
How many different commodities do we produce? Over 350
We produce over half of the nations… Fruits, Nuts & Vegetables Over 1/3 of the country’s vegetables and nearly 2/3 of the country’s fruits and nuts
CA is the sole producer (99% or more) of: Almonds Artichokes Dates Figs Grapes, Raisins Kiwi Olives Peaches Pistachios Dried Plums Pomegranates Sweet Rice Walnuts Ladino Clover Seed
CA leads the nation in the production of commodities. 80
Top 5 Ag Producing States: California Iowa Texas Nebraska Illinois
of the nations top 10 producing counties are in CA. 9 of the nations top 10 producing counties are in CA.
1.) FRESNO 2.) TULARE 3.) KERN 4.) MONTEREY 5.) MERCED 6.) STANISLAUS 7.) SAN JOAQUIN 8.) KINGS
Fresno County Almonds Livestock Grapes Milk Hay
Conclusion…
California is the most populated state in the nation. Things to consider… California is the most populated state in the nation. (Over 38.4 million people)
However only uses 25% of its land for farming…
all while the average farm size is decreasing… 1999 2012 330 acres 316 acres
Yet it supports 1/3 of all jobs…
Of which less than 1% are farmers…
And continues to remain the #1 agriculture producing state.
Why do you think this is
California Agriculture: Microclimates Advances in Technology Stronger Workforce Progressive to meet demands of growing population