According to the latest crop report, Fresno County agriculture has hit a new milestone for production value. “For the first time ever Fresno County went over the $8 billion mark, which was a big deal for us,” said Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO, Ryan Jacobsen. The 2021 Fresno County Crop and Livestock Report shows that the total gross production value was $8,085,567,000.
“It was pretty remarkable all things considered, with the extraordinarily difficult year,” said Jacobsen. “Most likely, it would have been one of those years where we could have had probably $500 million to $1 billion more in productivity if it wasn’t for the water situation that we found ourselves in. But our farmers are innovators, they find ways to maximize every drop and still try to do something in years when we have those tight times.”
The top ten commodities on the report remained the same as the previous year, with some crops changing position. Altogether, the top ten crops accounted for nearly $6.4 billion of the total value. Almonds and grapes continued to dominate production, with each valued at over $1 billion. Despite the strong year of production value for Fresno County agriculture, drought and transportation issues were substantial challenges. Exorbitant input costs also put a strain on farmers’ bottom line. “Even with some commodity prices being up, it’s been all but taken away, or eaten away by what we’ve seen on the input side,” Jacobsen noted.
Fresno joins both Kern and Tulare counties in having a production value of more than $8 billion. The three counties often rotate in rank as the most valuable agricultural counties in the country. “It’s remarkable when eight out of the top 10 agricultural counties in the U.S. are based here in California. A great majority of those are here in the San Joaquin Valley. It just really shows the specialness and the uniqueness of what we do here,” said Jacobsen.
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