Organic dairy farming was Marin's top ag commodity in 2022. Above, a West Marin dairy farm near Abbotts Lagoon. (Shutterstock)
Marin County is separating the wheat from chaff a little less these days—as the countywide agricultural output dipped 3% in 2022, according to the latest Marin County Crop & Livestock Report. That follows a previous down year in 2021 when production fell by 5%.
County agriculture officials are largely blaming the recent regression on the drought, which forced farmers to fallow more of their land the past four years.
Agricultural Commissioner Stefan Parnay and Inspector Allison Klein presented the report last month before the Marin County Board of Supervisors—the report showed an estimated gross total production value of local products of $94.1 million, down about $2.5 million from 2021. It was only eight years ago, in 2015, when Marin set its local production value record at $111 million.
“Despite extraordinary challenges, agricultural producers have shown remarkable resiliency and steadfastness in adapting to the unpredictability of the times,” Parnay said. “Their resourcefulness, hopefulness, patience and fortitude are commendable as they continue to work toward a brighter future.”
The crop and livestock report covers a span of time before the 2022-23 winter arrived with relatively consistent and heavy rains.
According to the report, during the drought, ponds and wells on local ranches ran dry and many farmers and ranchers resorted to an expensive step: hauling in water to support their ag operations. Fallowing fields and selling off animals were among other measures that ranchers had been forced to consider. Exacerbating the problem, the lingering COVID-19 pandemic required agricultural producers to deal with labor shortages, high fuel and feed costs, and the need to find new markets for products.
2022 wasn’t a hard row to hoe for all products in the report, however. Fruit and vegetable production was up by 28%, with a 30% boost in acres of fruits and vegetables planted compared to 2021.
For the fifth consecutive year, Marin’s top three commodities were organic milk, poultry and cattle with a combined value of $70 million, or roughly 75% of the total gross value of all agricultural production.
The annual report also includes updates on pest prevention programs, sudden oak death, invasive weed management and the certification program for organics—another bright spot last year for county farms, which produced over $39 million worth of organic agricultural products and farmed over 51,000 acres organically.
The report can be viewed online at marincounty.org.
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