Agricultural Commissioner
Bill Gillette chalked up the strength of county agricultural production, which
ranked 14th in the state, to the area’s mild climate and diversity of
agricultural products.
“Agriculture also continues
to provide a strong base for our local economy, and through the multiplier
effect, agriculture and related activities had a total contribution in 2008 of
more than $2 billion to the economy,” he said earlier this year after issuing
last year’s report on agriculture.
The top five agricultural
commodities produced in 2008 were strawberries at $309 million; broccoli,
despite a $29 million dollar gain, came in second for a value of roughly $160
million; wine grapes came in third place, yielding $86 million; and head
lettuce raked in $83 million.
To give the industry an
extra boost, the county this past year formed an Agriculture Awareness and
Promotion Committee, helmed by 4th District Supervisor Joni Gray, to develop
strategies and implement projects to raise public awareness of the benefits of
arguably the county’s top industry.
Efforts included presenting
special resolutions at board hearings and producing broadcasts for the county’s
Channel 20 focusing on agriculture, farming, ranching, and the Santa Barbara
County Fair and Four-H Club organizations.
The county’s state fair
exhibit, which harked back to the area’s history with a Spanish-style entrance,
highlighted local agricultural products such as grapes, strawberries,
avocadoes, artichokes, lemons and activities including cattle ranching.
The county has focused its
energy on cross-breeding crops to develop heartier and
healthier varieties, Gillette said.
“You take two parents with
desirable traits and breed them, either animals or plants, and hope that the
offspring have all the desirable traits of both parents,” Gillette said. “We’re
seeing yields that are record breaking and it has to do with the varieties that
are available.”
Longer growing seasons are
another contributing factor to the success of crop production, Gillette added.
“Strawberry production, for
example, had run from mid-February to June, and then we were out of fresh
strawberries. Now the season starts in mid-February and goes until we get hard
freezes in November and December.”
Slight pinch
But despite the growth of
agriculture, challenges linger.
Although agriculture has not
been recession proof, it has felt a slight pinch, Gillette told the Journal.
“I don’t think it’s been a
great year for prices, but demand still remains there,” he said. “People may be
buying more raw products than processed crops, but ultimately people still have
to eat.
“Government regulation is
always an issue, whether we’re talking about pesticide issues or food safety.
Also, the net values to the growers are just allowing them to survive. Their
expenses for such things as fertilizer, fuel and insurance have gone up.
“Farmers are at the whims of
the market at the moment.”
jfoster@syvjournal.com