County ag department releases annual report

Wendy Alexander/Madera Tribune File Photo

Almonds are on the ground and are ready to get harvested. Almonds are Madera County’s top crop for the 11th year in a row, according to the 2020 Crop Report released by the Madera County Ag Commissioner’s office last week.

Madera County Agricultural Commissioner Rusty Lantsberger released the county’s annual crop report last week and it indicated a drop in production.

According to the report, the gross value of all production was $1,949,532,000, a decrease of $52 million or 3.6 percent as compared to the 2019 crop report.

Lantsberger indicated that the decrease could be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing drought conditions, water deliveries, labor shortages, export markets and decreased commodity values.

Madera County is currently ranked No. 10 of 58 counties in California. This is an improvement of one spot from last year’s report.

For the 11th year in a row, almond is the top crop in the county while milk was

No. 2. Pistachios continued a move to the top and ranked No. 3 while grapes fell to No. 4. Figs, which didn’t appear in the top 10 last year, is seventh.

In the state, Madera County is tops in fig production and third in raisin grape production. The county is fourth in pistachios and almond production and fifth in table tabbies. In all, the county is in the top 10 in nine commodity production.

In addition, the county ranks 18th among all counties in the united states in ag production.

The following are the county's top produts, by rank, commodity and dollar value.