The amount of tomatoes processed in Fresno County has been declining in recent years, but still accounts for more than a quarter of California's total production. Processing tomato acreage was up 20% in 2023. Over the last four tomato seasons, Fresno County's annual average production (3.1 million t) has been higher than that of Spain (2.7 million t).
Annual crop production in Fresno County last year surpassed a record USD 8.5 billion in a year that saw ample irrigation supplies from record rain and snow the previous winter.
Over half of California’s cotton crop came from Fresno County last year due in part to flooding in the neighboring Kings county where cotton acreage can be double that of Fresno County’s. About 44,000 acres (17,800 ha) of cotton was harvested there last year. Most of that was Pima, or ELS cotton worth USD 130 million. That is about 55% of the state’s total cotton crop, which last year fell under 100,000 acres (40,500 ha) for the first time since before the Great Depression.
Hidden beneath Fresno County’s record crop value of USD 8.59 billion last year is cotton. Its total value fell far below that of the 10-most valuable crops produced last year, which independently ranged in value from about USD 250 million for nectarines, to over USD 1.3 billion for grapes.
Cotton wasn’t the only minor crops among Fresno’s cornucopia of commodities to do well in 2023. Cherries likewise posted a noteworthy story last year as Fresno County yields may have hit a record high.
Canning tomatoes likewise saw a positive year for those who grew them last year in Fresno County. Processing tomato acreage was up 20% on a year that saw the canneries boost contract prices by nearly 50% to $133 per ton. Because farmers will rotate tomatoes with cotton, the adjusted price due to a reported shortage of tomato paste at the canneries made it more lucrative for some growers to plant tomatoes over cotton.
The higher supply of tomatoes, coupled with higher contract prices to farmers, pushed the value of processing tomatoes to over $601 million on the year, good enough to boost the category’s ranking to fourth place, up three spots from the previous year. “That was a pretty remarkable move,” said Ryan Jacobsen, CEO, Fresno County Farm Bureau.
Jacobsen cited several years of drought and limited production of canning tomatoes for the boosted contracts and willingness by farmers to plant tomatoes over cotton.
Some complementary data
The Fresno County Crop Report is available online at http://bit.ly/4cAkKGZ
Source: farmprogress.com
