Sunflower, cattle, dried prunes among Solano’s agricultural hits of 2018
August 14 2019NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL
August 7, 2019
Solano County agriculture relied on a diversity of products to produce $363.9 million worth of crops in 2018 — a 2.7% increase over 2017, according to the county's new report on the industry.
Interim Agricultural Commissioner Jose A. Arriaga highlighted in the document a drop in the first-place crop of 2017 — walnuts — to eighth place, as production fell.
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Also no longer in the top 10 of county agricultural sectors — sheep and lambs. After a three-year run at that level, improved grazing conditions for cattle shifted livestock production away from sheep and lambs.
A notable entry into the top sectors, Arriaga stated, was dried prunes. At $5.8 million, that crop’s value jumped 34% year over year, pushed there by increased production.
The 910-square-mile county reported it 849 farms last year, part of 69,400 in the state as a whole. Average size of a Solano County farm is just over 400 acres, the report stated. And in value of crops produced, the county ranks 28th in California.