Despite a spectacular recovery in almond and walnut prices, San Joaquin County’s gross agricultural production values fell last year, the county’s agricultural commissioner reported.
The overall value of the county’s farm output totaled $3.1 billion, a 2.3% decrease from the previous year, Agricultural Commissioner Kamal Bagri said in releasing the 2024 Crop Report.
Even with the dip, “San Joaquin County stands out as an agricultural powerhouse,” Bagri told the Board of Supervisors last week in presenting the annual report.
With 3,439 farms and 891,008 acres, the county was tops last year in the production of cherries, watermelons, blueberries, eggs and walnuts, the report states. It ranks seventh among California’s 58 counties in gross agricultural production.
The crop report, the county’s 91st, underscored the balancing act that growers and farmers go through in trying to decide how much acreage to devote to a product, only to see whether their bets pay off based on commodity prices. A terrific year for farm production can go unrewarded if the prices that farmers receive tumble.
Milk was the county’s most valuable commodity in 2024, totaling $536.9 million even though high heat decreased production by 13.6% compared to the previous year.
Next came almonds, with a 43.3% increase in value as prices recovered from lows set in 2023. If trends hold, the crop should have a favorable 2025 as well. In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted a 3% increase in almond production statewide, thanks to favorable weather and an expansion of almond orchards.
Grapes were San Joaquin County’s third most valuable crop, despite an 18.9% drop in value, the report shows. The wine industry remains troubled by oversupply, changing tastes and a move away from alcoholic beverage consumption. A lot of grapes are being left unharvested on the vine rather than bringing them into a depressed market, Hayden Lewis, a county agricultural biologist, told the Board of Supervisors last week.
Chickens and eggs combined as the county’s fourth most valuable agricultural commodity, up 9.5% from last year despite avian flu cutting into production at the end of the year. The outbreak hit California especially hard, infecting 7.8 million birds across the state and prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in December.
Rounding out the top five in San Joaquin County crops were walnuts, with a 60.8% rise in total value from the previous year. Like with almonds, the walnut crop benefited from better pricing even though growers cut back on acreage. Last year, intense heat took its toll on walnut production, with yields up to 45% below average and smaller nuts.
Walnuts were also the county’s top agricultural export last year, followed by almonds, rice, cherries and corn. The top customer counties for San Joaquin County agriculture were Japan, South Korea, India, the United Arab Emirates and Canada.