Grapes, milk push Tulare County crop value to record

Source: The Business Journal

A surge in grape revenue and continued high milk production helped push Tulare County gross crop value to a record $6.2 billion for 2012. Gross value of dairy products remained strong, despite the loss of numerous dairies hurt by high feed costs and lack of profitability. The 2012 total crop value is 10 percent above the county’s 2011 value of $5.6 billion. Marilyn Kinoshita, Tulare County agricultural commissioner and sealer, pointed out in a just released 2012 crop report that milk continues to be the leading agricultural commodity in the county with a gross value of $1.8 billion. It represented 29 percent of the total crop and livestock value for 2012, despite decreasing 12 percent from 2011. The 12 percent decrease resulted primarily from the price of milk dropping from $18.40 per hundredweight in 2011 to $16 per hundredweight in 2012. Kinoshita noted that total milk production in Tulare County remained relatively stable. Officials in the Agricultural Commissioner’s office are hopeful that the Tulare dairy business will bounce back in terms of economic health. “We are encouraged,” said Tom Tucker, assistant agricultural commissioner. He said his office is also encouraged by improving values for most crops and a strong export market. Agricultural exports, dominated by grapes and oranges, also helped push the 2012 crop value to its lofty level. Oranges dominate in exports with 51.34 percent of the crop leaving the U.S. “Oranges have a good shelf life, making them good for export,” Tucker said. Fruit and nuts grew to $2.8 billion in gross value, an increase of 29 percent. Total gross value of the county’s grape crop surged from $529.5 million in 2011 to $863 million in 2012. It was a good year for Thompson and other grape varieties as fresh table grapes took a big jump in gross value reaching $658.8 million, compared to $319.6 million in 2011. “There was good demand both in the U.S. and for export,” Tucker said. Wine grapes grew from a gross value of $49.4 million in 2011 to $52.6 million in 2012. Grapes were a large factor in pushing the overall crop value to a record level, Kinoshita said. Another big gainer was almonds with a gross value of $179.9 million in 2012, compared to $128.4 million in 2011. Pistachios also took a big jump in gross value from $144.7 million in 2011 to $193.9 million in 2012. Although peach production was down, gross value of freestone peaches grew from $86.3 million in 2011 to $131.7 million in 2012. Gross value of plums and pluots increased from $86.8 million in 2011 to $106.6 million in 2012. Nectarines dropped in gross value from $127.6 million in 2011 to $118.8 million in 2012. Navel orange value grew from $483.3 million in 2011 to $525.5 million in 2012. In the category of livestock, cattle and calves value grew slightly from $547.4 million in 2011 to $577.1 million in 2012. That is despite the number of head dropping from 644,000 in 2011 to 595,000 last year. The top 10 highest valued crops for 2012 were milk, grapes, oranges, cattle and calves, corn, alfalfa, pistachios, walnuts and peaches in that order.

URL to original article: http://thebusinessjournal.com/news/agriculture/7010-grapes-milk-push-tulare-county-crop-value-to-record

For further information on Fresno Real Estate check: http://www.londonproperties.com