US (CA): Drastic reduction in Santa Barbara County flower production
Santa Barbara County agricultural commodities grossed $1,426,664,069 for 2016, which is a decrease of 3.7% or $52,428,493 from the previous year. Poor water quality and labor issues continue to impact most, if not all, commodity groups. It is always important to note that the figures provided in the annual crop report are gross values and do not represent or reflect net profit or loss experienced by individual growers or by the industry as a whole. Growers do not have control over most input costs, such as fuel, fertilizers, and packaging, nor can they significantly affect market prices. Agriculture is the number one contributor to the county’s economy and through the multiplier effect, contributes a total of $2.8 billion to the local economy and provides 25,370 jobs.
The cut flower industry experienced a drastic reduction in overall gross production value in 2016 of approximately $30 million. Many factors attribute to the reduction in value of cut flowers in the county however; cut flowers remain as the fifth overall most valued commodity at approximately $75 million. Santa Barbara County cut flowers are shipped throughout the world.
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