For the first time Kern County may become the top ag producing county in California according to Kern County Agricultural Commissioner Glenn Fankhauser.
Fankhauser released Kern's annual crop report Tuesday. It shows the total gross value of the county's agricultural products increased by 6 percent last year, nearly making up for a 9 percent dip in 2015.
In 2016, all agricultural commodities produced in Kern were worth about $7.2 billion, a significant increase compared to the 2015 crop value of approximately $6.8 billion.
Powerhouse ag producer Fresno County — which often jockeys with Tulare County for the state's top spot — released its 2016 crop report last month, showing a total value of $6.1 billion, a decline of 7.3 percent from the previous year.
Tulare, which topped $8 billion in 2014, fell hard the following year to $6.9 billion.
Kern's top five commodities in 2016 were grapes, almonds, citrus, pistachios and milk, which together made up more than 60 percent of the total value. But the pistachio crop was a superstar, Fankhauser said.
The crop improved from 7th ranked to 4th. More importantly, its total value increased 213 percent, from $245.1 million in 2015 to $769.2 last year.
Cherries showed an even more dramatic leap from 19th to 9th in ranking, although the total value of the crop is $105.8 million, a fraction of the value of the the pistachio harvest.
Taken in a broader historical context, despite fluctuations in crop values, Kern's has been trending upward for years.
In 2009, Kern' s total crop value was $3.6 billion. The next year the value began to climb, and it continued to shoot upward, more than doubling by 2014.
Source: bakersfield.com
