 Walnut trees near Vacaville. Walnuts remain Solano County's top crop, according to the latest Crop and Livestock Report.
Spotlight on Ag: Solano County Crop and Livestock Report details rise in Ag value
As drought
conditions eased last year, the value of Solano County’s agricultural
production rose slightly after two years of declines, according to the latest
crop report.
Last week,
the Solano County Board of Supervisors received the 2017 Crop and Livestock
Report, which reflects a 4.5 percent increase in the gross value of
agricultural production to $362,822,000. In part, the increase can be
attributed to a rise in animal production - the result of an improved rainy
season and its positive impact on grazing land.
For a second
year, walnuts claimed the top spot in terms of crop value, at $47,358,000. The
remaining top ten million dollar commodities are: nursery products, almonds,
tomatoes, alfalfa, cattle and calves, grapes, sunflower, wheat, sheep and lambs.
Solano County remains the second most agriculturally diverse county in the
state after Monterrey County. There are 860 farms in Solano County which
combine to produce more than 80 different commodities. We are fortunate to have
the land and the climate to support an array of crops and livestock. As Ag
Commissioner Simone Hardy explained, it is this diversity that makes our agricultural
industry sustainable.
Highlighted
in this year’s report is the seed industry. Now is a great time to see the
fields of sunflowers in bloom (please respect private property if doing so),
yet many people may not realize that those seeds are destined for the export
market, predominantly Eastern Europe. Other crops grown for seed include
watermelon, squash, tomato, pepper and others. These seeds make their way to
markets around the globe. In 2017, Solano County’s Ag products were certified
for export to 37 countries.
The crop
report is a great resource and helps tell the story of our county’s
agricultural landscape. It also provides a glimpse into the important role our
Ag Commissioner/Sealer of Weights and Measures plays. Pest prevention and
detection is critical to protecting our agricultural industry and the Ag
Commissioner monitors thousands of traps targeting destructive pests such as
the Mediterranean Fruit Fly, for which a quarantine boundry was established in September 2017. Just this week, Solano County officials received notice from the California Department of Food and Agriculture that the quarantine could be lifted - welcome news for growers. Outside of the
agricultural element, the Weights and Measures Division helps to ensure that
each gallon of gas you buy is accurately dispensed at the pump and the scale in
your supermarket is precise.
Compiling the
annual crop report is a great undertaking by the Ag department and wouldn’t be
possible without the support and participation from our farmers and ranchers. For
a detailed look at the 2017 Solano County Crop and Livestock Report, visit www.solanocounty.com/ag.
Spotlight on Ag is a
recurring segment highlighting agriculture in Solano County.
 |
|
Since 2003, Supervisor John M. Vasquez has had the privilege to represent the 4th Supervisorial District covering Northern Solano County. The district includes portions of Vacaville and Dixon. |
|
