Santa Cruz County releases 2023 crop report highlighting sever weather impacts

SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. (KION-TV)- Santa Cruz County has just released their 2023 crop report showing the toll severe weather played on crops in the county last year.

Santa Cruz County's gross production value was below 2% with the weather making a difference.

Farmers felt the impact and it shows in the 2023 crop report.

Santa Cruz County released their 2023 crop report to find out what the growers are getting out of the field for what they're selling. 

Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner David Sanford announced that gross crop values decreased by 1.85 in 2023, which totals $654.7 million.

The report says this decline was caused by storms and flooding in late 2022 and early 2023.

"Some fields that had just been damaged too severely by the storm, so there were losses that kind of persisted throughout the season," Sanford said.

Brian Coltrin runs Opal Creek Farms up at Waddell, he says excessive rain could ruin his tomato crop.

"I'm preparing to lose crops, they're preparing for a potential rain in the middle of the season, which for me would ruin my crops, normally you think a farmer would want rain but for me, that would be damaging to the crop," Coltrin said.

For many growers like brian he is taking a financial impact.

"We're getting $2 a pound for the tomatoes, this year we're getting $1.30 a pound," Coltrin said. "I was near the getting half as much for my crop and that was really what's killing the farmers in the area and is just not getting paid enough for our crops."

Watsonville's strawberry crop was hit the hardest, seeing a 16% drop between 2022 and 2023.

Strawberries make up 60% of the county's AG economy.

"We are getting razor thin profit margins for our food and so when it's more difficult and it's the challenging weather year, which makes the farming business nearly impossible," Coltrin said.

According to the report, vegetable production also faced setbacks which has gone down about 10% compared to last year, but wine grapes and apples remained stable.