US (CA): Nursery stock ranks third, cut flowers eight

Ventura County’s top 10 crops in 2016 were the same as in 2015. Strawberries continue to dominate local agriculture with a total gross value of $654,902,000, followed by lemons, $266,977,000; nursery stock, $206,840,000; celery, $202,363,000; raspberries, $171,163,000; avocados, $129,000,000; peppers, $61,078,000; cut flowers, $48,042,000; tomatoes, $47,987,000; and kale, $29,498,000.

The overall gross value of crops in 2016 was $2,110,187,000, according to the 2016 Ventura County Crop & Livestock Report.

Although the county’s top 10 crops remained the same, raspberries saw a 25 percent decrease in year-to-year value. The crop, which was the third most-valued in 2015, fell to fifth in 2016. The crop lost about 5,000 acres in 2016, which was likely the cause for its lowered value.

While several crops, including strawberries and lemons, saw minor increases in value, raspberries were not the only crop to suffer in 2016. According to an article on vcstar.com, avocados and kale saw roughly 32 percent and 23 percent decreases in value from 2015 to 2016, respectively. Tomatoes and cut flowers also saw their year-to-year values decrease by about 5 percent and 1 percent, respectively.