Several top Central Valley crops see revenue decline in latest report
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY - In the Central Valley where agriculture and crops conquer, some growers took a big hit in the latest crop report.
San Joaquin County saw four of their top five crops decline in revenue.
The county's farm bureau says there's not one problem impacting crops, but for grape and almond growers, it boils down to supply and demand.
"It's complex and frustrating," Stuart Spencer said.
Spencer and his family have been in the wine industry for decades in Lodi but this year is shaping up to be one of the tougher ones.
"We have a flood of imports coming in. Our largest wineries are bringing cheap imports from overseas," Spencer said. "Farmers aren't like Tesla we can't move to Texas, we have to stay where our land is."
In San Joaquin County's recently released 2023 crop report, grapes were hit hard compared to 2022, losing nearly $28 million in revenue.
"The yields were better last year, more than we thought, but we're paying for the consequences now, there's a lot of grapes that will go unharvested," Spencer said.
"We have over production and unfortunately the larger wineries are going to take care of themselves and they're just not giving contracts to a lot of these smaller growers," said Andrew Genasci, the Executive Director of the San Joaquin County Farm Bureau.
Genasci echoes what Spencer is going through, but it's not just grapes.
"Our top four commodities are all down from the year previously," he said.
Milk, grapes, cherries, and almonds are all down compared to the last crop report.
Almonds taking the biggest hit out of any crop in the county, with $53 million lost.
Too many almonds are in the market, causing less of a demand for them.
Almonds could bounce back in 2024 because they're easier to store, where grapes either go into wine, or raisins or go bad.
"Unfortunately, it's really tough on the wine industry especially if you're producing red wine," Genasci said.
"When you go into your local stores, buy local wines, local produce, and that's going to support us the best," Spencer said.
The farm bureau says stronger taxes on imported grapes could help to bring more focus back to the ones grown locally.