In California's San Luis Obispo County drought and a chilly spring has caused a significant decline in the wine grape industry. Yet for the county's top crop of 2015, strawberries, growing conditions were favorable and the crop remains the leading crop in terms of value, for the second year in a row.
Wine grapes’ overall value fell from $203 million in 2014 to $146 million in 2015. Strawberries remained the county’s top crop in 2015, racking up a value of more than $222 million.
Total crop value in 2015 was $828.8 million, down 8 percent from 2014.
San Luis Obispo County ranks 15th in the state in terms of the value of its crops. More than 100 different crops are produced in the county, and that diversity provides stability when drought and other conditions become challenging.
The drought continues to take a toll on other crops in the county, as well. Dry conditions affected avocados, dryland-farmed walnuts and the cattle industry.
The avocado crop dropped by 10 percent in 2015, and the value of the walnut crop went down by 25 percent. Avocado farmers continued to stump or severely prune back their trees to reduce their demand for water.
However, vegetable crops did well, increasing by 10 percent in value from 2014. Leaf lettuce jumped from 15th place to No. 8, going from $6.8 million to $16.8 million in value.
Celery and bok choy made the top-20 list in 2015 after missing it in 2014. Two crops fell off the top 20 list this year — Valencia oranges and Napa cabbage. Napa cabbage took a big hit after ranking No. 10 with a $14 million value in 2014.
Source - freshplaza.com
