Although Fresno County had a record-breaking Agricultural Production year in 2021, Kern and Tulare Counties had an even better year. The latter made about $8.4 billion of gross revenue, while a bit over $8 billion went through Fresno County.
The annual crop and livestock report shows gross revenue, not net revenue, which takes into account expenditures like labor and transportation costs. In 2020, Fresno County was the top agricultural producer in the nation.
Fresno Farm Bureau’s Ryan Jacobsen says this year was better than he had expected because of how difficult 2021 was for growers dealing with rising costs and restrictions.
The west side is home to a large number of vegetable crops that require a lot of water to grow annually. To use their small supply of water efficiently, several farmers had to remove some permanent crops.
“What’s little different about Tulare County is we’re not positioned on the west side of the valley, and we don’t grow as many of those annuals, those rotational,” said Tricia Blattler with the Tulare County Farm Bureau.
Tulare County saw a staggering $940 million gross increase from 2020 to 2021, narrowly edging out Fresno County for second place. Fruit and nut crops were a major part of the increase in revenue, losing 50,000 acres of harvestable land but seeing the value skyrocket to over $4.5 billion.
Kern County now owns the top spot with an around $600 million increase in gross revenue.
Source: yourcentralvalley.com
