Those crispy and juicy pears at the farmer’s market do more than make a delicious dessert. They also help support our local economy. According to the latest crop report, Sacramento remains the number one pear-producing county in California. However, pears represent only 10% of overall crop production. In 2014, the total value of agricultural production in Sacramento County was $495.38 million, the highest ever recorded and a 7.7 percent increase over 2013.
Several factors contributed to the increase in value, including higher prices for milk, cattle and rice, and higher yields per acre for young walnut orchards. For more than a decade, wine grapes have been the number one crop in Sacramento County, with a value of $130.87 million in 2014.
“I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the growers and producers whose crops are in this report,” said Sacramento County Agricultural Commissioner Juli Jensen. “They are the reason that Sacramento is the Farm-to-Fork Capital of America.”
The ten leading farm commodities – 2014
• Wine Grapes - $130.87 million
• Milk, Market - $76.17 million
• Bartlett Pears - $49.99 million
• Poultry - $36.17 million
• Cattle & Calves - $33.04 million
• Nursery Stock - $24.23 million
• Aquaculture - $20.55 million
• Corn, Field - $19.37 million
• Hay, Alfalfa - $16.69 million
• Rice - $16.42 million
• All Other - $71.89 million