The 2021 California Agriculture Statistics Report outlines production from the state’s 69,000 farms and ranches, which produce one-third of the nation’s vegetables and three-quarters of the country’s fruits and nuts.
Dairy products, grapes and almonds were the state’s most lucrative commodities in 2021, valued at $7.57 billion, $5.23 billion and $5.03 billion, respectively. Miscellaneous crops fell into the sequential spaces, including nursery and greenhouse crops.
Agricultural exports represent a large portion of receipts, totaling $22.5 billion. The number has increased 7% from 2020.
As the only state in the US with NOP authorized state organic program, California's organic sales saw double-digit increases in 2021 topping $14 billion. The value is up 16.4 percent from the year prior with over 2.13 million acres utilized for organic production.
Production quantity and value increases come despite a state-wide declining number of farms and a marginal decrease in the land devoted to farming and ranching.
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California’s total farmland area decreased from 24.3 million to 24.2 million acres between 2020 and 2021.
The number of farms in California dropped nearly a whole percent in one calendar year to 69,000. However, 29% of the state’s farms generated commodity sales of more than $100,000 compared to just 18.5% of farms nationally that met the production mark.
California's average farm size sits at 351 acres, nearly 100 acres below the national average of 445 acres.
The average farmland value was up 9% from the year prior at $10,900. Irrigated cropland values rose 7.2% to $16,300 an acre and nonirrigated cropland values increased 7.2% to $5,900 an acre.
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