2020 AG report released in Monterey County, strawberries number one crop

CENTRAL COAST Calif. (KION) Lettuce gives the Salinas Valley its nickname as the “Salad Bowl of the World,” but that leafy green is now the runner-up to a popular fruit found in fields across the Central Coast. Strawberries are now the number one crop.

“It does reflect what we are seeing in our fields and in our communities,” Javier Zamora, JSM Organic Farms.

Other items making the list of the top ten, spinach, celery, and livestock. The Monterey County AG Report was released on July 20th, providing a deeper look at the AG industry. The County’s AG Commissioner announced the industry took a hit last year, with $500 million not generated. A big reason, cancellation of events due to the COVID pandemic,

“The food service that would be applying the food for those events they canceled their contracts, caused farmers to dissuader crops they were growing and a large part of the losses were because of the loss of foodservice sector of the market,” Henry Gonzales, Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner.

Impacts also included smoke and ask from the wildfires last August, and disease which continues to impact leaf lettuce this year.

“Every year there are different challenges for farmers. Every day there are different challenges for farmers when a tractor breaks down or an irrigation pump gives out. There is always something a farmer has to overcome. Every day, every year,” said Gonzales.

The report states, The Fruits and Nuts category in which strawberries fall, increased more than 9%. While leaf lettuce saw a little more than a 15% decrease from 2019, and head lettuce which remains the third most valuable crop, also saw a decrease of 16.6%. Strawberries were also slightly impacted by smoke and ash, but Gonzales said they were still able to make a comeback and local farmers, like Zamora, are noticing.

“When you sell a lot the revenue increases, maybe not necessarily the bottom line because the inputs are very expensive like packaging and stuff. But I think definitely the revenue shows that there has been an increase in the amount of berries that are consumed.” Zamora also mentioned he’s also seen less waste from previous years.

Though there was a loss in the gross production value of Monterey County Agriculture, AG remains a multi-billion dollar industry.