Record milk checks to dairy producers in 2022 pushed Tulare County, Calif.’s gross agricultural value to a new high.

Buoyed primarily by milk prices that averaged over $26 per hundredweight (cwt) to Tulare County dairymen, the county’s gross agricultural output of over $8.6 billion could be the highest in the state, pending release of Fresno County’s annual crop and livestock report later this year.

The annual crop and livestock reports issued by California counties reflect only the gross value of commodities sold off the farms and ranches each year, and do not reflect net grower returns.

Tulare typically ranks among the top three agricultural counties in the state that gross the highest values each year. It can trade places each year with Kern and Fresno counties as the highest grossing agricultural county in the nation because of the high value of specialty crops produced in the state.

In Tulare’s case, a high milk value, as was seen in 2022, pushed it well above $8 billion again as tree nut prices continue to languish. Almost one-third of Tulare’s total agricultural value is generated from the region’s dairies. Last year the value of milk sold from the county’s dairy farms exceeded $2.67 billion.

“That was a surprise to us,” said Tom Tucker, Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and Measures on the 2022 milk price.

More than most states

Tulare County produces more milk from its dairy farms than most states. Though the number of permitted dairies has declined as producers have sold and the larger dairies were able to consolidate, cow numbers have reportedly remained much the same. So too has total milk output, which annually averages just over 10 billion pounds.

By comparison, Tulare County produces about the same amount of milk as Minnesota, and slightly more than Pennsylvania. About one-fourth of California’s total milk output comes from Tulare County. California annually produces over 41 billion pounds of milk. Wisconsin is the second leading producer of milk at just under 32 billion pounds.

Tulare County dairy producers weren’t the only ones to enjoy high milk prices in 2022. Neighboring Kern County saw its average exceed $26 under California’s Federal Milk Marketing Order, established several years ago after the state’s dairy farmers voted overwhelmingly to leave the state marketing order.

Last year’s average milk price to Tulare County dairy farms was up $7.20 per cwt over the previous year’s prices.

Local dairies also benefited from higher cattle prices when selling their livestock for beef. As a category, livestock and poultry values across the county were up 12% to over $829 million last year, according to the annual livestock and crop report.

Citrus production added another $1.7 billion to the county’s gross agricultural output in 2022. Most of that came from the sale of Navel and Valencia oranges.

Fresh market Navel production last year was down more than 14% from the previous year to about 878,000 tons. Harvested acreage slipped to just under 72,000 as yields were off nearly 24%. Grower prices rose more than 30% on the reduced supplies. Tulare County produces the most Navel oranges in the state. Most of them are sold as fresh market fruit, with a considerable amount exported to Asian countries.

Grape values across raisin, table, and wine varieties ranked third in gross value at over $841 million, a 23% increase in gross value over the previous year.

By acreage, pistachios and almonds and rank among the most popular crops produced in Tulare County. Bearing acreage for pistachios in 2022 topped 91,800, a 10,000 acre increase from the previous year. Harvested almond acreage was slightly behind that at 90,900 acres, a slight increase from the previous year.

Of the three main tree nuts produced in the county – pistachios, almonds, and walnuts – pistachios farmers grossed the highest returns at nearly $2 per pound for their crop. Almond growers in the county averaged about $1.50 per pound for their nuts, while walnut growers continued to language under prices below 50 cents per pound.

Just over two million pounds of pecans were harvested from about 1,000 acres across the county last year.

Exports

Oranges, pistachios, and grapes were among the three leading export commodities shipped to foreign markets last year, according to Tucker. As a category, citrus comprises about 30% of what is shipped from Tulare County.

“We ship commodities to about 90 different countries,” Tucker said. “That’s part of what puts Tulare County on the map.”

Popular exports from Tulare County include Navel oranges, pistachios, almonds, and table grapes. More than 4.7 million cartons of oranges were shipped last year from Tulare County to South Korea, China, and Japan. The three Asian countries are Tulare County’s top export destinations. Mexico, Tiawan and India rounding out the top six export destinations. Blueberries, mixed grains, plums, kiwi fruit, peaches and nectarines are also exported in large quantities from Tulare County.

Top tree nut destinations (primarily almonds and pistachios) include Korea, China, India, and Japan.