TIJUANA RIVER VALLEY — The value of San Diego County’s agriculture industry grew by 4 percent in 2012 to $1.75 billion, and for the first time since 2008 the number of acres farmed in the county has increased.
The annual crop report was unveiled Friday at a 70-acre organic farm in the Tijuana River Valley during a news conference that could be described as decidedly rosy.
“When people think of San Diego County probably one of the last things they think of is agricultural production and yet it is the fifth-largest sector of our economy, a sector that continues to grow,” said county Board of Supervisor’s Chairman Greg Cox.
The leading four sectors? Defense, manufacturing, tourism and biotechnology.
As has been the case for a number of years, the 2012 crop report showed nursery and cut-flower products account for the majority of the regions agricultural output, followed by avocados.
There are more farms in the county, according to the report, than in any other county in the United States — 6,687 farms with 68 percent of them being small farms of 1 to 9 acres.
The $1.75 billion figure represents actual sales and is subject to varying market rates. For instance, avocados were grown on 22,419 acres in 2012, up considerably from the previous years’ total of 17,673, yet the value of the crop dropped by more than $50 million because of lower prices.
Nevertheless, Cox said, San Diego County continues to be the greatest producer of avocados of any county in the nation.
The report, prepared by the county’s Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures, points out that more than 200 types of crops are produced in the area because of the almost perfect growing climate.
“From strawberries on the coast, to apples in the mountains, to palm trees in the desert, San Diego County certainly has it all,” Cox said.
County Agricultural Commissioner Ha Dang said the robust numbers in the report “are a testimony to the determination and resourcefulness of our growers, ranchers, farmers, and nursery men and women.”
One statistic dealt with wine grape production, which increased an astonishing 512 percent over 2011.
The number of vineyards have increased dramatically in the past few years and between 2011 and 2012 the amount of vineyard acreage rose by 81 percent from 416 acres to 752.
Although the crop is not on the county’s Top 10 list, total sales went from less than $1 million in 2011 to $5.5 million in 2012.
The local wine industry also got good news this week when a state appellate court Tuesday upheld the legality of a 2010 county ordinance that makes it easier and less expensive for smaller wineries to open on-site retail outlets and tasting rooms.
Since the ordinance went into effect, 19 wine tasting rooms have opened in the Ramona area.
“This is a great victory for vintners, wine lovers and the region’s farm economy,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob said in a news release. “By reducing costly and burdensome regulations, the ordinance has uncorked a new collection of boutique businesses.”
The majority of local farms are located in the northern part of the county, but the news conference was held at Suzie’s Farms, just a short distance from the Mexican Border.
“It’s an honor for me today to be down in the Tijuana River Valley because sometimes you don’t think of agricultural production (here),” said Cox. “But we do have it throughout all parts of San Diego County — north, south, east and west.”
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