The annual California Agricultural Statistics Review has been released and is available on the following webpage: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Statistics/.  This publication provides comprehensive data and information on California’s diverse agricultural economy for the 2020 crop year, including agricultural exports and organic production.

In 2020, California’s farms, ranches and plant nurseries earned $49.1 billion in cash receipts, which was down 3.3 percent from the prior year.  California’s revenue was led by the dairy industry, followed by almonds, grapes and pistachios.

California agricultural exports totaled $20.8 billion in value, which was 2.8 percent lower than 2019. However, California continues to lead the nation in agricultural exports.  In 2020, California exported approximately 32 percent of its agricultural production by volume.  California is the nation’s sole exporter of many agricultural products, supplying 99 percent or more of almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, garlic, kiwifruit, olives and olive oil, pistachios, prunes, raisins, table grapes, tomatoes for processing, and walnuts.

California organic product sales totaled more than $11.9 billion in 2020, an increase of 14 percent from the prior year.  Organic production site acreage increased 6 percent to just under 2.2 million acres in the state.  California accounts for 36 percent of all organic production in the U.S.

California remained the leading state in cash farm receipts in 2020 with combined commodities representing 13.7 percent of the U.S. total.  Over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California.  California’s top-10 valued commodities for the 2020 crop year are:

1. Milk and Cream $7,466,612,000
2. Almonds $5,619,930,000
3. Grapes $4,481,297,000
4. Pistachios $2,873,750,000
5. Cattle and Calves $2,737,342,000
6. Lettuce, all $2,275,284,000
7. Berries, all Strawberries $1,989,170,000
8. Tomatoes, all $1,197,026,000
9. Floriculture $967,206,000
10. Walnuts $957,700,000

Note: A comprehensive report for the 2021 crop year will be assembled in late 2022. Data on California’s Top 10 Agricultural Commodities are reported and updated each August.

Agricultural producers and handlers who are certified organic, along with producers and handlers who are transitioning to organic production, can now apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic and Transitional Education Certification Program (OTECP) and Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which help producers and handlers cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses. Applications for OTECP and OCCSP are both due October 31, 2022. 

“By helping with organic certification costs – long identified as a barrier to certification – USDA has helped producers participate in new markets while investing in the long-term health of their operations,” said Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “We launched the Organic and Transitional Education Certification Program to build on the support offered through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program and provide additional assistance to organic and transitioning producers weathering the continued market impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, in response to stakeholder feedback, we have aligned the signup dates for these two organic programs and encourage producers to work with the local USDA Service Centers and State agencies to complete the applications. The FSA, and the USDA broadly, are committed to making sure our Nation’s organic producers and handlers have the tools they need to continue positively shaping our local and regional food systems.” 

How to Apply 

To apply, producers and handlers should contact the Farm Service Agency (FSA) at their local USDA Service Center. As part of completing the OCCSP applications, producers and handlers will need to provide documentation of their organic certification and eligible expenses. Organic producers and handlers may also apply for OCCSP through participating State agencies.   

Additional details can be found on the OTECP and OCCSP webpages. 

Read more here

USDA News Release

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2020 and 2021 will soon begin receiving emergency relief payments totaling approximately $6 billion through the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) new Emergency Relief Program (ERP) to offset crop yield and value losses.

“For over two years, farmers and ranchers across the country have been hard hit by an ongoing pandemic coupled with more frequent and catastrophic natural disasters,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “As the agriculture industry deals with new challenges and stressors, we at USDA look for opportunities to inject financial support back into the rural economy through direct payments to producers who bear the brunt of circumstances beyond their control. These emergency relief payments will help offset the significant crop losses due to major weather events in 2020 and 2021 and help ensure farming operations are viable this crop year, into the next growing season and beyond.”

Background

On September 30, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 117-43), which includes $10 billion in assistance to agricultural producers impacted by wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, winter storms, and other eligible disasters experienced during calendar years 2020 and 2021. FSA recently made payments to ranchers impacted by drought and wildfire through the first phase of the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP). ERP is another relief component of the Act.

For impacted producers, existing Federal Crop Insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) data is the basis for calculating initial payments. USDA estimates that phase one ERP benefits will reach more than 220,000 producers who received indemnities for losses covered by federal crop insurance and more than 4,000 producers who obtained NAP coverage for 2020 and 2021 crop losses.

Read more here

Governor’s Office News Release

As global inflation and war in Europe drive up costs across the country, California Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing a $300.7 billion budget to provide relief from rising inflation, ensure public safety, address homelessness, transform public education, and combat climate change. The Governor’s California Blueprint includes an $18.1 billion inflation relief package to get money back into the pockets of Californians and bring down costs for families. 
 
“Backed by a robust surplus and grounded in our unshakable values, we’re paving the California Way forward to prosperity and progress for all. With historic investments, we’re doubling down on our formula for success and making sure no one is left behind – supporting working families and businesses, tackling climate change, expanding health care access, making our communities safer, and more,” said Governor Newsom. “While gridlock persists in Congress and right-wing fanatics turn statehouses across the country into laboratories of hate and oppression, here in California, we’re putting in the work to grow our economy and implement real, inclusive policy change to create a brighter future for all.”

• $18.1 Billion Inflation Relief in direct payments to help address inflation, help people pay their utility bills and rent, and reduce costs like health care and child care. 
• $47.1 billion climate commitment – an increase of $32 billion this year – to tackle pollution, build climate resilient water supplies, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, ensure grid reliability and accelerate clean energy solutions, and protect communities from extreme heat. 
• $660 million to ensure public safety with funding for new officers and mental health support for law enforcement, support for victims of sex trafficking, cracking down on internet crimes against children, and tackling the opioid crisis. 
• $14.7 million to confront homelessness and the mental health crisis with investments to help get people off our streets and into the services and care they need, focusing particularly on Californians who suffer from mental health and substance use disorders.
• $37 billion to rebuild California with money for infrastructure including broadband and new housing, as well as a historic investment of $128.3 billion to transform public education.
• Billions of dollars to invest in Californians and the Governor’s pro-life agenda, including funding to: 
  • Improve our education systems with universal preschool, after school and school meals; and expanded, more affordable child care
  • Make health care more accessible and affordable through Medi-Cal expansion and subsidies, increased reproductive health care access, home visiting, and support for black infant health, youth mental health and suicide prevention, and addressing adverse childhood experiences. 
  • Clean up our environment by tackling pollution, particularly in disadvantaged communities that bear the brunt of its impacts.  
  • Ensure our communities are safe with violence prevention programs, expansive gun buyback programs and getting fentanyl and other opioids off our streets. 

Led by GDP growth of 7.8 percent, the Blueprint includes a $97.5 billion surplus. The Governor’s proposal ensures that this year’s spending will not hamstring future budgets, calling for $37.1 billion in reserves including $23.3 billion for the state’s Rainy Day Fund, and spends 94 percent of surplus revenues on one-time expenditures.  

For further information on these and other items in the California Blueprint, visit www.ebudget.ca.gov.

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross appeared this week at the first-ever Sonoma County Farm Bureau Water Summit.  She joined California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot for a discussion centering on this historic drought and the new normal with climate change.  

The two-day meeting hosted presentations on all aspects of water management, water quality, the water rights system, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, local water issues, and other topics including new technologies and financing mechanisms.    

The secretaries fielded a wide variety of questions from the audience, including questions related to the $5.2 billion in Governor Newsom’s 2021 California Comeback Plan to support drought response and long-term water resiliency.  It was noted that just last week the Department of Water Resources announced $150 million of funding awards to support local community water projects, including $40 million for the Sonoma County Water Agency for ten water recycling projects. 

Questions about the 2014 water bond, Proposition 1, which included $2.7 billion for storage projects, provided an opportunity to explain requirements for the California Water Commission as it administers the Water Storage Investment Program for public benefit. Seven projects are being funded, and they will create 2.77-million-acre feet of additional water storage space, both above and below ground.

All this comes in addition to the $120 million invested in CDFA’s State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program (SWEEP) since 2014. The department’s Healthy Soils Program also plays a crucial role in mitigating the challenges brought by drought and climate change by building soil carbon to increase water-holding capacity.  CDFA has just completed a funding round of $75 million in Healthy Soils grants to farmers, with another $85 million included in next year’s budget. 

Secretary Ross added to the discussion by highlighting a new paradigm the Governor set for collaborating on voluntary agreements to reduce water demand, enhance water flows, and invest in habitat restoration for species.  This is an approach modeled in 2014-2015, when Sonoma County growers, vintners, NGOs, and fish agencies voluntarily undertook actions to benefit fish and the ecosystem. These were an alternative to state-imposed curtailments. 

Late last month, state and federal water officials joined with a number of California water agencies to announce voluntary agreements to update and implement the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, and discussions continue to have more water agencies join.