6.4: California's Other Farming Products
California’s agricultural abundance includes more than 400 commodities. Over a third of the country’s vegetables and three-quarters of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California. California’s top 10 valued commodities for the 2023 crop/production year are:
- Dairy Products, Milk — $10.4 billion
- Grapes — $5.54 billion
- Cattle and Calves — $3.63 billion
- Almonds — $3.52 billion
- Lettuce — $3.15 billion
- Strawberries — $2.68 billion
- Pistachios — $1.86 billion
- Broilers (Chicken) — $1.59 billion
- Tomatoes — $1.46 billion
- Carrots — $1.11 billion
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, our state produces nearly half of US-grown fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Several crops enjoyed across the country are produced exclusively in California. To learn more about the crops that grown in California, check out https://learnaboutag.org/resources/fact/ .
Floriculture
Nursery and floral production are an important component of California’s overall agricultural output and annual farm income. California’s nursery and flower crops returned average cash revenues of over $3.73 billion annually for the five crop years 2013 through 2017. Only three California crops exceeded this annual average for the 5-year period: dairy and milk, $7.18 billion; almonds, $6.08 billion; and, all grapes, $5.51 billion. Overall, the annual nursery and floral share of total agricultural sales ranged between 6.2 to 7.5 percent from 2013 to 2017, with a 5-year average of 6.9 percent. Nursery and flower production is located throughout California, with at least one farm operation reported in 56 of 58 counties. The industry has a definite urban orientation, with most production taking place in the most populated counties. The following table provides an overview of the wholesale value of California s floral and nursery products in 2001, 2008 and 2017 (Figure 6.5).