|
I want to share with you some community news and events that may interest you or someone that you know. These are just some of the things that make Solano County a great place to live, learn, work, play and age.
 The economic impact of the agricultural sector in Solano County continues to trend upward as the gross value of Ag production set a new record high value in 2025.
The latest Ag production figures were laid out in detail for the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. During the meeting, Solano County Ag Commissioner, Ed King, and Deputy Ag Commissioner, Matthew Carl, presented the 76th annual Crop and Livestock Report, which is always a highly anticipated report that includes a ranking of the top ten crops and commodities and highlights the work of the Agriculture/Weights and Measures staff.
The gross value of Solano County’s agriculture officially reached $476,209,000 for the 2025 calendar year. This is more than a $38 million increase over 2024. However, this figure does not account for any extended multiplier effects that agriculture generates in the local economy, such as secondary processing, employment opportunities, or exports.
Solano County agricultural regions.
Solano County has 712 farms spread across 10 distinct agricultural regions (Green Valley is not depicted in the above image). These regions combine to represent 351,360 acres of farmland that produce more than 100 crops and commodities, making Solano County one of the most agriculturally diverse counties in the state.
Almonds remained the county’s leading crop. This marks the first time almonds have exceeded $100 million and establishes a new high for any single crop in county history. (Photo courtesy of Solano County Ag Department)
For a second consecutive year, almonds captured the top spot in the rankings. With a 2025 crop value of $108,107,000, almonds saw a 38 percent increase over 2024. This marks the first time the crop has exceeded $100 million and establishes a new high for any single crop in county history, topping the 2023 processing tomato value of $101.5 million. The 2025 almond harvest in Solano County was also the largest on record, coming in at 23,700 tons. However, that is still a little less than 2 percent of the total almond production in California, according to King.
Cattle and calves came in second in the rankings and set a new record high of its own with a 2025 crop value of $65,369,000. Close behind were processing tomatoes with a value of $50,266,000, which reflects about a 10 percent decline in value compared to 2024. This is largely due to tomato processors beginning the year with sufficient inventories and a drop in the price of processing tomatoes per ton, King said. Rounding out the top five are wine grapes and nursery products, with 2025 crop values of $31,199,000 and $28,270,000, respectively. The remaining Top Ten Crops and Commodities are:
Alfalfa (Hay) $16,606,000
Walnuts $15,251,000
Prunes (Dried) $12,388,000
Pollination $9,345,000
Corn (Grain) $7,369,000
 Corn (grain) re-entered the top 10 commodities for the first time since 2014, at $7,369,000. (Photo courtesy of Solano Countgy Ag Department)
The 2025 growing season marked the first time in over a decade that field corn has landed on the top 10 list. Corn in Solano County is grown for grain and animal feed. Despite not having the largest impact of the top commodities, there was a time when corn was the number one crop. In 1982 and 1983, corn was planted on approximately 55,000 acres in Solano County and was the top crop by value, whereas today field corn is grown on roughly 5,700 acres, King said on Tuesday.
The annual Crop and Livestock Report also highlights the work of the Agriculture/Weights and Measures staff. This includes pest prevention and a pesticide regulation program. The Ag department also certifies commodities for export to 32 countries and issues certified farmers’ market certificates that allow farmers to sell fresh fruit, nuts, vegetables, and more at 9 local-and many regional-certified farmers’ markets.
Glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS). This invasive pest poses a threat to a number of high value crops-most notably wine grapes. (Photo courtesy of Solano Countgy Ag Department)
Pest prevention and pest exclusion is a critical function of the Solano County Ag Department that ensures harmful pests are identified before they become established. This allows staff to perform eradication measures and keep agriculture in Solano County viable. The Ag department placed 2,373 traps in 2025 in order to detect the presence of harmful pests. This resulted in more than 21,000 trap inspections performed by staff last year.
In 2021, the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) was detected in a residential neighborhood in north Vacaville. This invasive pest poses a threat to a number of high value crops, including wine grapes.
The Ag department has made great progress containing the pest to this area, however, a new threat of GWSS arrived in Solano County this year when 10,000 grape plants, many of which were infested with GWSS, were shipped to Costco stores this spring. The Ag department has been able to account for roughly 75 percent of the potentially infested plants purchased in Solano County, but work continues to notify consumers and track down the remaining plants that were purchased. Enhanced pest surveillance will continue through the summer and into the fall, according to King.
The Solano County Division of Weights & Measures conducted the first field inspections of EV chargers throughout the county last fall. When you see the seal above on a commercial EV charger, you can trust that device has been tested and verified to meet all required specifications and tolerances. (Photo courtesy of Solano Countgy Ag Department)
Another aspect of the Ag department’s work that the public may not be aware of is that of the Weights and Measures Division. The Ag Commissioner is also the Sealer of Weights and Measures and since 1850 the department has been at the forefront of making sure Solano County residents are getting what they pay for. In 2025, the department tested and inspected more than 8,000 commercial measuring devices. These include electric vehicle charging stations, gas and propane pumps, as well as electric and water sub-meters. The weights and measures staff are also regularly inspecting retail locations for accurate pricing as well as verifying the accuracy of scales, such as those found at check-out stations in grocery stores.
As always, I would like to thank Solano County’s Agriculture/Weights and Measures staff for their hard work to ensure the sustainability of agriculture in Solano County. I am also appreciative of the farmers and ranchers who work with the department to make the annual Crop and Livestock Report possible. To view the report online, click here.
 The Solano County Agricultural Commissioner is urgently asking residents to take immediate action after invasive glassy-winged sharpshooters were detected on plant shipments delivered to Costco stores.
Residents who purchased grapevines or citrus plants from any Costco store since April 21 are strongly urged to follow the instructions below immediately to help prevent the spread of this destructive agricultural pest:
FOR GRAPEVINES
Place two garbage bags over plants and secure them tightly
FOR CITRUS PLANTS
Contact the Agriculture Department immediately to schedule an inspection
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS / CONTACT
Do not return, transport, relocate, share, or give away plants, and do not place plants in trash bins or compost containers. Contact the Solano County Agriculture Department at (707) 784-1310 or email AGcomm48@SolanoCounty.gov to schedule pickup of grapevines and/or inspection of citrus plants and receive guidance on preventing further spread of the glassy-winged sharpshooter
In addition to threatening California agriculture, glassy-winged sharpshooters can damage a wide range of plants in residential landscapes. Since 2021, the Agriculture Department has worked successfully with residents in Vacaville’s Browns Valley neighborhood to eradicate localized infestations. However, recent detections in plant shipments delivered to Vacaville and Fairfield now threaten to reverse that progress and increase the risk of wider regional spread if immediate action is not taken.
“Glassy-winged sharpshooters pose a serious and immediate threat to vineyards, agriculture, and backyard plants throughout Solano County and surrounding regions,” said Ed King, Solano County Agricultural Commissioner. “These insects spread the bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease, which can kill grapevines and severely impact vineyards. Community cooperation is critical right now. If you recently purchased grapevines or citrus plants from Costco, we are asking you to contact the Agriculture Department immediately so we can safely contain and eliminate this threat.”
 Come and join our team! Click on the image above to explore job opportunities with Solano County.
 Navigating government agencies can be daunting at times. If you need help accessing services or have a question and don't know where to turn, my office stands ready to assist you.
Contact my District Representatives:
Jennifer Hamilton, 707-784-3034, JLHamilton@SolanoCounty.gov
Ryan Chalk, 707-784-6128, RLChalk@SolanoCounty.gov.
 |
|
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. He can be reached at (707) 784-6129 or JMVasquez@SolanoCounty.gov. |
|
