Breadbasket How California’s agricultural power feeds America
BY BRUCE FARR
THE THREE FOLLOWING facts about California’s agricultural profile may surprise you: California grows upwards of 400 specialty crops; The Golden State grows more than half the nation’s fresh produce; The state grows more than two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, California is the top agricultural state in the U.S. and one of the world’s largest producers of food and fiber. The state’s fertile soils and dry Mediterranean climate, along with its long growing season, enable farmers to grow high-value crops that, in many cases, can’t be grown elsewhere. 1 2 3
In fact, there are 19 different fruit, vegetable and nut crops that only grow here. Those “California- only” comestibles include everything from almonds, pistachios, pomegranates and walnuts on the nut spectrum, to artichokes, celery and garlic on the vegetable side of the equation. Increasingly, year after year, California’s agricultural output is nothing short of phenomenal. According to the State of California, for the 2023 crop year, the state produced nearly $8.13 billion worth of dairy products and milk; $6.52 billion in grapes; $4.76 billion in cattle and calves; $3.88 billion in almonds; $3.93 billion in lettuce; $2.97 billion in strawberries; $2.98 billion in pistachios; $1.24 billion in [chicken] broilers; $2.01 billion in tomatoes; and $1.67 billion in carrots.
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IN YOUR CORNER ISSUE 18 | 2024
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