Colusa County’s agriculture production didn’t reach the hopeful $1 billion mark in 2020, and actually saw a slight .7 percent decrease from 2019 values, likely due to the start of the drought, officials said.
Agricultural Commissioner, Anastacia Allen, presented the 2020 crop report to the Colusa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
The crop report, a mandate of the State of California, is an analysis of the gross values of all agricultural commodities grown in Colusa County.
The gross production value for Colusa County agriculture for 2020 was approximately $927 million, down slightly from $933 million in 2019, but up from $908 million in 2018.
“Though estimated values move slightly from year to year, the agriculture industry in Colusa County remains strong,” Allen said.
Almonds, rice, and walnuts continue to be the top three leading crops, in that order.
Almond and rice production values were up from the previous year, while walnut values declined.
Almond values totaled $307.7 million in 2020, up from $302.5 million in 2019.
Almonds (meat) were harvested on 68,604 acres, just a slight drop from 68,753 acres harvested in 2019. While farmers saw an increase in the production of almonds per acre, the value of almonds decreased from $5,500 per ton in 2019 to just $3,900 in 2020 – far below the all-time high of $7,191 per ton in 2015.
The value of rice, Colusa County’s second leading crop, came in at $286.3 million, up from $280.7 million in 2019, despite a decrease in acreage due to the onset of drought and water shortages, Allen said.
Rice values also dropped to $432 per ton in 2020, from $437.50 in 2019, although farmers saw a significant increase in the yield per acre.
English walnut production dropped in 2020, with a total value of about $78.5 million, down from $85.7 million in 2019.
The value of walnuts also dropped significantly to $1,290 per ton in 2020, down from $2,100 per ton in 2019. While farmers harvested about 23,886 acres of walnuts, down from 24,000 acres in 2019, they experienced higher yields than the previous year.
Tomatoes remained in the fourth position at $50 million, up from $45.3 million in 2019.
Almond pollination remained in fifth position at $27.4 million in 2020, down from $28.9 million the previous year.
Miscellaneous fruit and nut crop values switched places with miscellaneous fruit and vegetable crops.
Miscellaneous fruit and nuts took the sixth position with a total value of $25 million, up from $24 million in 2019.
Miscellaneous fruit and vegetables dropped to seventh position at $24 million, but was up from $23 million in 2019.
The value of cattle and calves remained in eighth position at $21 million, up from $17.9 million in 2019.
For the second year, seed crops held their ninth place position in the top 10 list of farm commodities in Colusa County, with a gross value of $17 million, down slightly from $17.3 million in 2019.
Miscellaneous non-certified seed crops, which include asparagus, cabbage, cantaloupe, grass and herb seeds, managed to hold on the 10th spot, with a value of $14.9 million, the same value as in 2019.
The 2020 crop report includes graphs depicting commodity trends and crop value trends. It also has a full-page world map of leading export countries.
For the first time, Colusa County’s industrial hemp production, while very small, was added to the miscellaneous field crop values, Allen said, which also includes alfalfa stubble, oats, rye, sorghum, and other minor agriculture products.
The total value of the miscellaneous field crops in 2020 was $2 million, up from $1.2 million in 2019.
Colusa County exports commodities to approximately 70 countries, Allen said. The majority of Colusa County almonds, the county’s leading crop, are exported to India.■