County shows increase in Ag value

Sonoma County showed an increase of four percent in the gross value for agricultural production in 2013, to $848,323,200, according to the annual Crop Report.

The overall increase in value is attributed primarily to a significant growth in nursery production, over 20 percent, coupled with more modest growth in other areas, according to Agricultural Commissioner Tony Linegar.

Total tonnage of winegrapes was up one percent, as more than 270,000 tons were processed in 2013, valued at $605,068,400. This total slightly exceeded the yield for 2012, which had been the largest winegrape crop on record in Sonoma County.

The value of livestock and poultry products such as eggs and milk was up nearly 5.5 percent due primarily to an increase in market prices for milk.

Linegar said that the impact from the dry year, with the lowest rainfall in over 120 years, was mitigated somewhat by a few periods of brief and heavy rainfall. “We had optimum conditions during bloom for apples, and it was another ideal growing season for winegrapes,” he said. “We set a record for quality and quantity of the harvest.”

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