By Jon Chown
After a slowdown in 2023, Santa Cruz County’s agriculture bounced back in 2024, with a 13% increase in gross production for a total value of $741,917,000, according to the County Agricultural Commissioner’s annual crop report released Oct. 8.
Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner David Sanford said the good numbers represent a combination of a really good growing season, and a good market price. “The season was kind of shortened in 2023 because of the storms,” he said.
John E. Eiskamp earns Farmer of the Year in 2014.
Strawberries, blackberries and raspberries make up 60% of the county’s total gross agricultural production — more than $446 million. The price per ton for berries was up, mostly for blackberries, which saw an 18% increase from $6,622 to $7,840 per ton. Raspberries climbed from $8,600 to $9,560 per ton, and strawberries had an $11 increase to end at an even $2,500 per ton.
Local farmers, however, will tell you that higher prices in the supermarket don’t translate into higher profits on the farm. John Eiskamp has grown berries in the county for decades and said, overall, it’s a difficult business in these times. Labor is hard to find and prices for everything have gone up.
“It’s a tough business as always,” he said. “We’re in a state and a country, with a lot of regulations and competing with countries that don’t, and costs are always going up for us.”
Strawberries have been the county’s top crop for at least 60 years and remain on top. In 2024, the strawberry crop had an estimated value of nearly $219 million from 2,640 planted acres. That’s about an 18% increase in value and production over 2023, with a 10.5% increase in acreage. While production has increased, the total acreage planted has generally declined. In 2001, 4,418 acres of strawberries produced 109,000 tons — a little more than 24 tons per acre. In 2024, each acre produced more than 33 tons.
Eiskamp said new varieties of strawberries are more productive. Sanford agreed.
“There are varieties of berries now that really push the tonnage,” Sanford said. “And patented varieties will be coming in the next few years that will push that farther.”
That’s important because farmland is slowly disappearing. As development spreads in south Santa Cruz County, it is often on former agricultural property. Sanford said he hopes any further loss of agricultural land will be offset by increased production from new science.
“The hope is that as more urban infrastructure develops, the quality of ag land is looked at,” he said. “The land around the Pajaro River is one of the prime places in the world to grow berries.”
There’s more to county agriculture than berries. Nursery crops were up 12% for a gross total value of $162,448,000, and vegetable production rose 8% for a total value of $97,869,000. The difference in price per ton between 2023 and 2024 was stark. The price for broccoli jumped nearly 20%, from $839 per ton to $1,010 per ton. Brussels sprouts rose nearly 25%, from $1,380 per ton to $1,720 per ton.
Apples saw both a price jump and a production bump, reaching a value of $13,321,000. Wine grapes held fairly steady at 600 acres in production and were valued at $5,737,000. Wine grapes are another crop that saw a dramatic price increase, rising about 20% from $3,345 per ton to $4,012.
Sanford said agriculture is a tough, volatile industry, but its impact on Santa Cruz County’s economy is massive.
“After tourism, ag is right there with over $1.5 billion in economic contributions,” he said.