Marin County's Agricultural Production Dipped Further Last Year

SAN RAFAEL, CA — While the historic winter has alleviated drought conditions in Marin County, a new report charts the continued impact on agricultural output through last year.

The report provided Tuesday to the Board of Supervisors found Marin County's agricultural production dipped 3 percent in 2022, adding on to a 5 percent drop the year before as the prolonged drought forced farmers to leave more of their land unsown.

"During the drought, ponds and wells on local ranches ran dry and many farmers and ranchers reported to an expensive step: hauling in water to support their ag operations," officials noted Wednesday. "Fallowing fields and selling off animals were among other drastic measures that ranchers had been forced to consider."

Other challenges last year included lingering pandemic impacts, labor shortages and higher costs for fuel and feed.

Related: Marin, Sonoma Craft Plan For Future Droughts

Outlining their findings to supervisors Wednesday, agricultural officials estimated the total production value of local products slid by close to $2.5 million last year. However, there were a few bright spots in the report, including a 28 percent boost in value for fruits and vegetables and spring rains that helped growers retake land followed the year before.

For the fifth year running, the county's top commodities were organic milk, poultry and cattle, together comprising three-quarters of all agricultural production. Livestock values improved by a few percentage points and many ranchers were able to keep herds the same size as in 2021.

"Despite extraordinary challenges, agricultural produces have shown remarkable resiliency and steadfastness in adapting to the unpredictability of the times," said Stefan Parnay, the agricultural commissioner. "Their resourcefulness, hopefulness, patients, and fortitude are commendable as they continue to work forward a brighter future."

Readers can find full crop reports on the county's website.