Some Bright Spots for California Agriculture

Taylor HillmanCattle, Citrus, Corn, Cotton, Dairy & Livestock, Field & Row Crops, Forage Crops, General, Specialty Crops, Tree, nut & vine crops

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Even with the problems the California ag industry is seeing, there are some bright spots. Sabrina Hill reports.
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Water, invasive pests, politics, you name it, our farmers deal with it. But, when it comes to agriculture and the economy the news really isn’t all bad. Ryan Jacobsen of the Fresno County Farm Bureau explains.

“What we’re getting right now, we’re very fortunate. Probably the last two to three years California agriculture has been one of the very few bright spots in the state economy,” he said. “Obviously, California ag is a very very diverse agriculture state but for the most part, most of our crops are experiencing some of the better times they’ve had in quite some time.”

But he says there are always the exceptions.

“In this one county alone, here in Fresno County, we have over 400 different crops and commodities, so obviously some are going to be higher than others,” he said.

He points out the dairy industry continues to face very difficult times. But, among those that are high right now – nut crops. He said there’s a big demand from other countries, and that’s certainly building up the local economy.