Winegrapes hike Sonoma County ag value to record in 2016

Winegrapes helped boost the value of agricultural products from Sonoma County, California, last year jumping 17.2 percent to $898.1 million, setting a record, according to a new report.

The total was boosted by a 23.9 percent bounce back in winegrape tonnage, to 226,442, from the weather-dampened 2015 season. Grapes accounted for almost two-thirds of the 2016 county ag value. There was also been strong price growth for top varieties of grapes.

The previous high point for the crop was $879.7 million in 2014, followed by $848.3 million in 2013 and $766.5 million in 2015.

Following is a synopsis of the report, released by Tony Linegar, Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights & Measures:

“It is my pleasure to present the 2016 Sonoma County Crop Report as prepared pursuant to Section 2279 of the California Food and Agricultural Code. The reported total value for 2016 was $898,125,200, which represents a 17 percent increase from our 2015 value of $766,271,000.

This report reflects only gross production values and does not represent or reflect net profit or loss experienced by individual growers or by the industry, or the costs associated with production and marketing. Crop values are affected by market and weather conditions. In 2016, the drought conditions of the previous four years had lessened. Over six inches of rain in December 2015 combined with another 14 inches of rain in January and March 2016 significantly helped crop yields.

Winegrapes, Sonoma County’s primary crop, saw an increase in both tons crushed and price per ton, leading to an overall winegrape value increase of nearly $140 million, or 24 percent from 2015.

The 2016 apple yield increased significantly over 2015 which had been the worst apple crop in recent history. Prices for processing apple held steady which is attributed to the continued consumer demand for organic apple products. Organic apple production accounts for 85 percent of Sonoma County apple acres. Overall, apple values increased 46 percent from 2015.”

The annual crop report from the county of Sonoma, released this week, draws from federal grape-crush statistics first released in February.

Agricultural product group	2015	2016	Change
Fruit and nut crops (winegrapes, apples, olives, etc.)	$451,142,200	$593,285,000	31.5%
Livestock and poultry products	$182,665,600	$178,014,400	-2.5%
Livestock and poultry	$74,876,700	$70,136,300	-6.3%
Nursery products	$32,585,000	$32,699,100	0.4%
Field crops	$12,514,000	$13,765,900	10.0%
Vegetable crops	$12,390,100	$9,961,300	-19.6%
Apiary products (honey, wax, rented hives)	$97,400	$263,200	170.2%
Total value	$766,271,000	$898,125,200	17.2%
The livestock and poultry products total for 2015 was revised, based on milk prices.

Source: County of Sonoma, California