Tulare County, which led all other counties in the U.S. in agricultural value in 2022 , was the third most successful agricultural county in 2023, behind Kern and Fresno.
Tulare County’s total gross agricultural production value for 2023 was $7,866,730,100, a decrease of 8.7% from its 2022 value of $8,612,450,000, reported Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner Tom Tucker in the 2023 Tulare County Crop & Livestock Report , which he presented to Tulare County Supervisors at the Sept. 24 meeting.
“By no means is that any issue,” Tucker told the supervisors. “These are fantastic numbers for our growers and for the county, and all of those that work in ag, so we’re extremely proud.”
The main reason for the decrease in 2023 was the price of milk.
“Milk continues to be the leading agricultural commodity in Tulare County, with a gross value of $2,039,238,000, a decrease of $632,053,000 or 23% from 2022’s value,” stated Tucker in the report. “The value of milk decreased by $7 per hundredweight, nonetheless milk represents over a quarter of the total crop and livestock value for 2023.”
This is a reflection of the price that’s charged in the industry, according to Supervisor Pete Vander Poel.
“You look at the major drivers of total Tulare County crop value, our largest crop is milk, so if milk prices take a hit and decrease, our crop value is going to go down pretty significantly,” he said.
Meanwhile, the higher value for cattle increased the gross value of livestock and poultry by about 20% from 2022 to $987,681,000, but the total value of all field crop production in 2023 decreased by 26% last year to $554,372,000 as a result of lower prices for corn silage.
Fruit and nut values decreased by 2.3% to $4,033,325,000, but as a result of increases in the yield and value of tomatoes, vegetable crops increased by nearly 46% to a value of $38,730,000.
Tulare County’s top 10 agricultural products in 2023, in order of value, were: milk, grapes, cattle and calves, navel and Valencia oranges, pistachios, almonds, tangerines, lemons, nectarines, and corn.
“In 2023, Tulare County had 458,000 total bearing acres in commercial production,” Tucker told supervisors.
Vander Poel suggested that future crop reports include, “how the acreages of things are changing due to water restrictions (since) ground water sustainability limitations are coming into full effect now.”
Kern and Fresno counties
The 2023 gross value of all agricultural commodities produced in Kern County is $8,626,533,000, reported Kern County Agricultural Commissioner Glenn Fankhauser to the county's board of supervisors, on Sept. 24.
Fresno County’s total gross production value for 2023 is $8,589,054,000, Fresno Agricultural Commissioner Melissa Cregan reported in August.
“This represents an increase of $493,508,000 or 6.1% over the previous year’s total of $8,095,546,000," Cregan said.
Grapes were the leading ag commodity in both Kern and Fresno counties last year, when the price of fresh table grapes increased by 35% in price per ton.
Kern County’s grape production had a gross value of $1,619,193,000, or 18.77% of the total gross value of all crops produced in 2023, while Fresno County’s had a gross value of $1,339,412,000, or 15.59% of the total value of all crops produced in 2023.
Tulare County also benefitted from the increase in the price of table grapes, since they were the second leading crop in the county, with a total value of $997,141,000 in 2023, or 12.68% of the total value of all crops.
However, milk was the main agricultural commodity in Tulare County in 2023; it ranked sixth in Kern County, and seventh in Fresno County.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare County the No. 3 ag producer in the U.S.: ‘Fantastic numbers for our growers’
Local News
