Latest Santa Barbara County crop report shows agricultural production exceeded $2 billion in value with strawberries remaining the top crop of 2024
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner's Office released the 2024 Crop and Livestock Production Report, a comprehensive summary of the county's leading industry Tuesday.
According to the latest crop report, the gross production value of agriculture and livestock countywide comes in at $2,009,138,000 for the 2024 cycle, a 7.1 percent increase over the 2023 Crop and Livestock Production Report.
The County Agricultural Commissioner's Office has every published production report since 1916 here.
Those production values are gross figures and do not include incurred costs from the industry including labor, planting, irrigation, and distribution amongst other costs noted the Agricultural Commissioner's Office.
Strawberries remain the top crop with a value of $860,478,000, an 11 percent increase over last year's production value. This is the 22nd consecutive year that strawberries are the highest valued crop and this cycle's increase in value is attributed to increased acreage and yields shared the Commissioner's Office.
The full list of top ten agricultural commodities are listed in the table below from the latest crop report.
The second most valuable crop in Santa Barbara County is collective nursery products which largely consist of cut flowers and potted plants.
The nursery products category does not include locally grown cannabis. The chart below shows that packaged cannabis value was $309,085,000, which would make it the second most valuable crop grown over the last cycle, not including immature plants which bring the total value to $313,508,000.
Notably, broccoli had a 7.7 percent increase in value despite reduced acreage. Higher yields and strong prices on the market boosted the value explained the Agricultural Commissioner's Office.
Overall, fruit and nut crops make up more than half of all gross production in the County's agricultural sector in the last cycle as shown in the graph below.
The annual crop report detailed that the crop experiencing the sharpest reduction compared to last year was wine grapes.
"Santa Barbara County’s wine grape production was markedly low, with reduced yields per acre," shared Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer Jose Chang. "Despite this smaller yield, the high quality of the grapes fueled strong demand and robust pricing, especially when compared to other regions."
A breakdown of wine grape crops by type and a comparison to last year's valuation is shown in the chart below.
Also experiencing a notable reduction in value were apiary products.
"In 2024, Santa Barbara County saw significantly fewer bee registrations, and statewide colony values also fell," stated the 2024 Crop and Livestock Production Report. "These trends highlight the severe difficulties, such as coastal habitat loss and pest pressures, that challenge beekeepers despite strong early-year pollination numbers and high overall demand for bees in California."
The Agricultural Commissioner's Office also works to protect consumers by certifying and investigating devices such as scales, retail motor fuel meters at gas station pumps, and taximeters through its Weights and Measures Division.
The 2024 Crop and Livestock Production Report relayed the enforcement actions by the Weights and Measures Division shown in the chart below.
For more information about the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner's Office, visit here.
