Berries Been Berry Good for Santa Cruz County

Strawberries were king, as Santa Cruz crops brought in $566 million in 2012, up $474,000 from 2011, according to the county's Agricultural Commissioner Mary Lou Nicoletti.

Increases in the costs of fruits and vegetables helped push up the values of the county's top industry, as did a doubling of the grape crops, which were hurt in 2011 by cold, wet weather during the spring.

Taking into account all of the things the crops bring in, including jobs, equipment and money spent in the county, agriculture brought in $1.46 billion last year, according to the report.
 
Strawberries led the way, bringing in $191 million, followed by raspberries at $142 million.  You can see all the totals here.  Throw in blackberries and olallieberries, boysenberries, blueberries and currants and the total was $368 million, up from $363 million in 2011.

Apples brought in $12.5 million, down from $12.7 million the previous year. Wine grapes, however, soared from $1.6 million in 2011 to $5 million in 2012.

Vegetables, including Brussels Sprouts, lettuce, kale, leeks, mushrooms, peas, pumpkins, spinach, radicchio, herbs, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chicory, collards and cucumbers, brought in $58 million, up from $56 million in 2011.

"Exceptionally fertile soil, a climate that allows for year around production of some crops, and consumer demand for high value, quality crops contribute to high values for agricultural production," said Nicoletti, in a press release.  "In addition, many value-added and organically produced commodities are grown in our county."

Nursery crops, including flowers and greens, potted plants and landscape plants, dropped to $114 million from $122 million as the amount of acres planted dropped from 1,306 in 2011 to 1,159 in 2012.