The city of Exeter can retain its title as Citrus Capital of California after a recent USDA report confirmed Tulare County was still the largest citrus growing county in the state. The 2022 California Citrus Acreage Report, published by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) on Aug. 3, shows Tulare County is home to about half (59,127) of the state’s 64,679 acres of navel oranges and more than one-third (17,391) of the state’s mandarin oranges. Additionally, Tulare County led the state in valencia oranges (11,304 acres), and pummelos (739 acres).
Tulare County was second in lemons with 10,000 acres, just behind Ventura County’s coastal climate, home to more than 15,000 acres. Tulare County was also second in grapefruit, with 1,176 acres trailing Riverside County’s 3,580. The only citrus category Tulare County didn’t crack the rankings for was limes, which were exclusively in Southern California and only totaled 465 acres statewide.
Source: thesungazette.com