CDFA - Statistics (2024)

FAQs

What is the #1 commodity in California? ›

Milk is California's No. 1 farm commodity and the Golden State is the leading dairy producer by a wide margin. California produces 21 percent of the U.S. milk supply, 23 percent of the cheese, 31 percent of the butter, 50 percent of the nonfat dry milk, and 15 percent of the ice cream.

farms and ranches, California produces over 13 % percent of the nation's agricultural production value.

In 2020, there were 1.25 million acres (5,100 km²) devoted to almond farming in California, producing 2.8 billion pounds (1.3 Mt). Almonds are the state's most valuable export crop.

That amount is higher than farm sales generated by 23 states, the California Department of Food and Agriculture noted. After Fresno County, the remaining top-10 California counties for ag production in the U.S. are: Tulare, Monterey, Kern, Merced, Imperial, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Santa Barbara, and Kings.

The 10 largest sources of cash receipts from the sale of U.S.-produced farm commodities in calendar year 2022 are (in descending order): corn, cattle/calves, soybeans, dairy products/milk, broilers, hogs, miscellaneous crops, chicken eggs, wheat, and hay.

In 2021, that meant $51.3 billion in cash receipts from agriculture poured into California. In fact, California is the fifth-largest supplier of food and other agricultural products in the world.

Tejon Ranch is the largest expanse of private land in California. It's a working ranch, raising cattle and crops. But mostly, our mountains, valleys, canyons and high desert country — yes, it's that big — lie untouched.

When you total the cash receipts for all ag commodities, California is the leader, raking first with a total of more than $58 billion, according to USDA data. Rounding out the top 10 are: California, $58 billion.

Many of California's specialty crops (such as almonds, artichokes, and broccoli) are grown almost nowhere else in the country. Specialty crops face a variety of climate-related challenges.

What fruit is CA known for? ›

The summers are long and dry, allowing the grapes to ripen to perfection. That's the reason why the Golden State produces 99% of the country's table grapes.

Boser found that the usual suspects topped the list of the most water-intensive crops in California, including almonds and alfalfa as well as dates, kiwis and cotton. Grain and other hay crops, turf farms, wheat and sunflowers were among the thriftiest.

The San Joaquin Valley is one of the best places for farming in California. Why? It's surrounded on each side by hundreds of miles of contiguous mountain ranges. Over the last several thousand years, erosion from those mountains has enriched the valley's soils creating very fertile farmland.

“Nine of the 10 counties with populations over 1 million saw increases in population, comprising 72% of the state's total population,” California's report states. “Riverside County led with an increase of 13,800.” The five counties that had population growth above 1% are Sutter, Imperial, Glenn, Yuba and San Benito.

Over a third of the country's vegetables and nearly three-quarters of the country's fruits and nuts are grown in California. California's top 10 valued commodities for the 2022 crop year are: ¹. Dairy Products, Milk — $10.40 billion. Grapes — $5.54 billion. Cattle and Calves — $3.63 billion.

California Industry Sectors

The state's three largest industry sectors in terms of GDP – finance and insurance; trade, transportation, and utilities; and professional and business services – also provide a foundation to other industry sectors, including manufacturing and information.

California's top valued agricultural export commodity continues to be almonds, with more than $4.6 billion in foreign sales in 2021.