Thread: California ranks as the top food production state for a number of crops

California ranks as the top food production state for a number of crops.

Though tourists hardly consider the agricultural significance of California as afood growing region, the temperate year-round climate and expanses of land provide foods the nation and world have grown to enjoy and count on. Below are some of the top crops and percentage of the nation's supply produced inCalifornia.

CaliforniaFoodFacts

California has been the number one food and agricultural producer in the United States for more than 50 consecutive years.

More than half the nation's fruit, nuts, and vegetables come from here.

California is the nation's number one dairy state.

California's leading commodity is milk and cream. Grapes are second.

California's leading export crop is almonds.

Nationally, products exclusively grown (99% or more) in California include almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwifruit, olives, persimmons, pistachios, prunes, raisins, clovers, and walnuts.

From 70 to 80% of all ripe olives are grown in California.

California is the nation's leading producer of strawberries, averaging 1.4 billion pounds of strawberries or 83% of the country's total fresh and frozen strawberry production. Approximately 12% of the crop is exported to Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Japan primarily. The value of the Californiastrawberry crop is approximately $700 million with related employment of more than 48,000 people.

California produces 25% of the nation's onions and 43% of the nation's green onions.

Gilroy, California, "Garlic Capitol of the World," has hosted 2 million at the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/calif...ood-facts.html




Approximately 59,000 acres of avocados are grown in California.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado

California Economy

California supports a large and diverse economy with the highest economic production among the states. If California were a country, it would rank around sixth in the value of goods and services produced.

California's service industries, as a group, make up the largest part of the state's gross product.

Agriculture

California leads all of the other states in farm income. It's positioned as the agricultural powerhouse of the United States. About 73% of the state's agricultural revenues are derived from crops while the other 27% of revenues are generated by livestock commodities.

In terms of revenue generated, California's top five agricultural products are dairy products, greenhouse and nursery products, grapes, almonds, and cattle and calves.

Crops

California grows over 200 different crops, some grown nowhere else in the nation.

Crops include grapes, almonds, strawberries, oranges and walnuts.

California produces almost all of the country's almonds, apricots, dates, figs, kiwi fruit, nectarines, olives, pistachios, prunes, and walnuts. It leads in the production of avocados, grapes, lemons, melons, peaches, plums, and strawberries.

Only Florida produces more oranges.

The most important vegetable crops grown in the state are lettuce and tomatoes. Again, California leads the way.

Broccoli and carrots rank second followed by asparagus, cauliflower, celery, garlic, mushrooms, onions, and peppers.

Only Texas grows more cotton than California.

Hay, rice, corn, sugar beets, and wheat are also grown in large quantities.

Livestock

Livestock and livestock products include milk, beef cattle, eggs, sheep, turkeys, hogs and horses. Dairy products are California's most valuable products followed by cattle and calves and chicken eggs.

California is the second ranked producer of livestock products behind Texas.

http://www.netstate.com/economy/ca_economy.htm

California Crops

California Agricultural Commodities:

Items below produced or grown in California rank #1 in the US.

California Crops

California % of US production is shown.

Artichokes - 99%
Asparagus-55%
Broccoli-93%
Cabbage-22%
Carrots-89%
Celery-94%
Garlic-86%
Lettuce-78%
Cantaloupe-54%
Honeydew-73%
Onions-27%
Bell Peppers-47%
Spinach-18%
Tomatoes -94%
Almond-99%
Apricots-95%
Avocados-84%
Strawberries-90%
Dates-82%
Figs-98%
Grapes-88%
Kiwi-97%
Lemons-89%
Nectarines-93%
Olives-100%
Peaches-76%
Pistachios-96%
Plums-93%
Walnuts-99%
Honey-18%
Milk & Cream-21%

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/calif...ood-facts.html

The California artichoke growers are pleased that artichokes are receiving their just recognition.


99.99% of all commercially grown artichokes are grown in California and no other commodity can claim such exclusivity to the state. Artichokes are truly California's vegetable.


http://artichokes.org/

9/13/15

Immigrants to U.S. find opportunities amid strawberries

http://www.alipac.us/f12/immigrants-...erries-323250/

California Wineries

Vineyards dot Central Coast hillsides & valleys. Stop to taste local offerings such as the Muscat Canelli, available at Edna Vineyards. A demonstration center (above) shows the progression of grape and vine growth as applied to wine production. A beautiful, new tasting room with a gift shop and special seasonal events keep guests returning. There are over 400 California wineries and many of them export to 165 markets worldwide. The U.S. ranks as the fourth leading wine producer in the world with the United Kingdom #1 consumer of California wines internationally. See full list of California Wineries Increased winery marketing efforts and consistent vintages have generated interest in California's growth industry. Annual wine consumption in gallons, per capita: 1. France.............15.85 2. Italy.................15.68 3. Portugal............15.44 4. Luxembourg.....13.31 30. United States.....1.9

Photos ©Debbie Stock

The posted sign (right) directs travelers to wineries located off California Highway 101 near the cities of Arroyo Grande and San Luis Obispo.

As you travel north a few miles beyond Santa Maria, you'll see Laetetia Vineyard on the right hand side of the road. Turn in the gate which is open during business hours and drive up the hill to the wine tasting room. Picnic tables allow guests to sit outside and enjoy a breathtaking view of the hills and highway.

There you can obtain maps and directions for the rest of your tasting tour.

As for prices, you sometimes can find the same wines sold in local grocery stores for a similar price or even less. If you are a member of Costco, stop at the one visible off Highway 101 in Santa Maria to check out their local inventory and prices. Costco annual membership is around $40. BUT, if you like something and are just passing through, don't count on it being available outside the vineyard.

• The hillside tree above is located at Corbett Canyon Winery, a gorgeous place but not always open to the public, unfortunately.

• Be forewarned that California has stiff penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol. A designated driver system for wine tasting and touring is essential. There are numerous wine coach buses available, especially in Napa wine region.

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/wine.html

A State Transformed: Immigration and the New California

By Steven A. Camarota, Karen Zeigler June 2010

Steven A. Camarota is the Director of Research and Karen Jensenius is a demographer at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Between 1970 and 2008 the share of California’s population comprised of immigrants (legal and illegal) tripled, growing from 9 percent to 27 percent.1 This Memorandum examines some of the ways California has changed over the last four decades. Historically, California has not been a state with a disproportionately large unskilled population, like Appalachia or parts of the South. As a result of immigration, however, by 2008 California had the least-educated labor force in the nation in terms of the share its workers without a high school education. This change has important implications for the state.

Among the changes in California:

In 1970, California had the 7th most educated work force of the 50 states in terms of the share of its workers who had completed high school. By 2008 it ranked 50th, making it the least educated state. (Table 1a)

Education in California has declined relative to other states. The percentage of Californians who have completed high school has increased since 1970; however, all other states made much more progress in improving their education levels; as a result, California has fallen behind the rest of the country. (Table 1b)

The large relative decline in education in California is a direct result of immigration. Without immigrants, the share of California’s labor force that has completed high school would be above the national average.

There is no indication that California will soon close the educational gap. California ranks 35th in terms of the share of its 19-year-olds who have completed high school. Moreover, one-third (91,000) of the adult immigrants who arrived in the state in 2007 and 2008 had not completed high school.2

In 1970 California was right at the national average in terms of income inequality, ranking 25th in the nation. By 2008, it was the 6th most unequal state in the country based on the commonly used Gini coefficient, which measures how evenly income is distributed. (Tables 2a and 2b)

California’s income distribution in 2008 was more unequal than was Mississippi’s in 1970. (Tables 2a and 2b)

While historical data are not available, we can say that in 2008 California ranked 11th highest in terms of the share of its households accessing at least one major welfare program and 8th highest in terms of the share of the state’s population without health insurance. (Tables 3 and 4)

The large share of California adults who have very little education is likely to strain social services and make it challenging for the state to generate sufficient tax revenue to cover the demands for services made by its large unskilled population.

Introduction

California is home to the high-tech and entertainment industries, has one of the nation’s largest tourism industries, and has the most productive agricultural land in the country. Historically it was not a state with a disproportionately large unskilled population, unlike Appalachia, parts of the American South, or the Rio Grande valley. Over the last four decades, however, immigration has significantly increased the size of the unskilled population in the state relative to the rest of the country. California now has one of the most skewed income distributions of any state and has relatively high rates of welfare use and lack of health insurance.

Methodology

The information for this Memorandum is drawn from the public-use files of the 1970 Census, 2008 American Community Survey (ACS), and the 2007 to 2009 Current Population Surveys (CPS). These government surveys include what the Census Bureau describes as the native-born and foreign-born populations. The foreign-born are defined as persons living in the United States who were not U.S. citizens at birth. In this report we use the terms foreign-born and immigrant synonymously. Immigrants include naturalized American citizens, legal permanent residents (green card holders), illegal immigrants, and people on long-term temporary visas such as students or guest workers. They do not include those born abroad of American parents or those born in outlying territories of the United States, such as Puerto Rico, who are considered U.S.-born or native-born. In this report we use the terms native, native-born, and U.S.-born synonymously. Prior research indicates that Census Bureau data like the ACS and CPS capture the overwhelming majority of both legal and illegal immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Immigration Statistics estimates that the undercount of immigrants in Census Bureau is about 5.5 percent. Most of this undercount is of the illegal immigrant population. The undercount of illegal immigrants specifically is thought by DHS to be 10 percent.3

Educational attainment for those in the labor force is based on the highest grade completed from the 1970 Census and the 2008 ACS. Those in the labor force are either working or are looking for work. Household income inequality is measured based on the widely used Gini coefficient. The Gini coefficient can range from 0 to 1; the higher the coefficient, the greater the level of income inequality. If income was distributed perfectly evenly through society the Gini coefficient would equal 0, and if all the income was in the hands of one household it would equal 1.

To measure welfare use, we examine eight of the largest programs using the March CPS. The March CPS oversamples minorities and includes questions on health insurance and welfare use. The March CPS is also referred to as the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASES).4 We combine three years of data (2007, 2008, and 2009) to get more statistically robust estimates for smaller states that we compare to California. For health insurance coverage, we also use the same three years of the ASES. Persons are considered uninsured if they report that they had no health insurance during the calendar year prior to the survey.

The overwhelming majority of immigrants in California are in the country legally. In a 2007 study we estimated that 28 percent of California’s total foreign-born population in the CPS was comprised of illegal immigrants.5 Estimates by the Department of Homeland Security for January 2009 also indicate that about one-fourth of the state’s total immigrant population in the ACS was in the country illegally.6

Findings

Educational Attainment. Tables 1a and 1b report the share of persons in the labor force who had not completed high school in 1970 and 2008. Those in the labor force are either working or looking for work. The economy of a state will primarily reflect the productivity of its workers and educational attainment is an important indicator of productivity. Having a large share of workers with relatively little education may benefit specific employers, but it also has wide-ranging consequences for such things as income distribution, poverty, tax collection, and the need for social services.

The states at the top of Tables 1a and 1b are those with the smallest percentage of workers who had not graduated high school in 1970 and 2008. The table shows that all states, including California, made progress in reducing the share of their labor force that is comprised of those without high school education between 1970 and 2008. Nationally, the improvement was 29 percentage points. However, California made the least progress of any state. Some states, such as North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Kentucky, reduced their share of those without a high school education by more than 40 percentage points. The states that made the biggest gains in lowering the share of workers who are high school dropouts were generally those in which a very large share of workers had less than high school education in 1970. Several states that were similar to California in 1970 still made significant progress. These include Washington and Nebraska, where the improvement was 20 and 24 percentage points, respectively. But in California the improvement was just 13 percentage points, well below the national average and generally much less than other states that were similar to California in 1970.7

Immigration is the primary reason California has become the least-educated state measured in terms of the share of workers with less than a high school education.8 Tables 1a and 1b show that, if only native-born persons are considered, California would rank 25th in the nation in terms of the share of its labor force comprised of those with at least high school education, not last. In 2008, 5.6 percent of natives in the California labor force had not completed high school. When immigrants are counted, 16 percent of the state’s labor force is comprised of those who have not completed high school. Immigration has a very large impact on the education level of California’s labor force.

There is no indication that California will soon close the educational gap with other states. The state ranked 35th in terms of the share of its 19-year-olds who have graduated high school. Of 19-year-old immigrants in California, 28.1 percent have not graduated high school. Of those 19-year-olds who have not graduated high school, 63.4 percent are immigrants themselves or are the children of immigrant fathers or mothers.9 Immigration has thus played a significant role in shaping the next generation of California’s workers.

California also will not soon close the gap with the rest of the country because immigration (legal and illegal) continues to add large numbers of unskilled workers to the state. Of adult immigrants who arrived in California in 2007 and the first half of 2008, 30.8 percent (91,000) had not completed high school.10 Given the large number of unskilled immigrants being added to the state and the relatively low rate of high school completion among its 19-year-olds just entering the labor force, it seems very likely that California will remain one of the least-educated states in the country for some time.

Income Inequality. Tables 2a and 2b report household income inequality using the Gini coefficient. A lower Gini coefficient means the state has a more equal distribution, while a higher Gini coefficient indicates more unequal distribution. In 1970, California’s Gini coefficient of .3998 was very similar to the national average of .4016. In fact, the state had the 25th most uneven income distribution of the 50 states. But by 2008 it had the sixth most uneven distribution of income. Income inequality generally increased in the United States between 1970 and 2008. The national increase was .0408, or about 10 percent. In California the increase was .0721, or 18 percent. As a result, California has become a much more unequal state relative to most other states. Immigration can add to income inequality by adding to the lower income population directly and by increasing the supply of less-educated workers and thereby reducing wages for all persons who work at jobs that require relatively modest levels of education.

Welfare Use and Uninsured. Table 3 reports welfare use for major welfare programs. With 24.5 percent of all households using at least one major welfare program, California ranks as the 11th highest state in the country in terms of welfare use. Table 3 shows a very large difference between immigrant and native households.11 Table 4 examines the share of residents that lack health insurance by state. The table shows that 18.5 percent of California residents lack health insurance, the 5th highest rate of uninsurance in the country. Table 4 shows that a much larger share of immigrants and their young children in California are uninsured compared to natives and their children. Tables 3 and 4 show that in addition to having a relatively high level of income inequality, the state also ranks high in welfare use and lack of health insurance. The tables also show that if immigrants are not included then the state would not rank high in terms of welfare use or lack of health insurance.

Conclusion

Historically, California was not a state with disproportionately large unskilled and low-income populations. Relatively to other states it had one of the more educated labor forces in terms of the share of workers who had completed high school. But today it is the state with the largest share of its labor force that has not completed high school. This relative change is directly the result of immigration. It has also become a state with one of the most skewed income distributions and it is among the states with high rates of welfare use and lack of health insurance. While some employers argue that a continuing stream of unskilled immigrant workers is desirable, such a policy has consequences. This Memorandum has examined some of those consequences. The low level of educational attainment in the state is likely to create challenges in California for the foreseeable future.

Legal immigration is a far more important factor shaping California than is illegal immigration. Our research and that of the Department of Homeland Security indicate that about three-fourths of California’s immigrants are in the country legally. Absent a change in immigration policy, large numbers of less-educated immigrants (legal and illegal) will continue to settle in the Golden State, adding further to an already large unskilled work force.

http://cis.org/california-education

San Diego wine is starting to gain recognition

WRITTEN BY KERRY CARDOZA POSTED: 09/14/2015, 04:30PM

There are as many wineries in San Diego county as there are craft breweries, a fact that’s probably surprising as San Diego’s wine industry remains largely unknown.

The San Diego wine industry is gaining ground, however. Maurice DiMarino, wine and beverage manager for the Cohn Restaurant Group, told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the area is good for wine-making due to higher elevations, granite soil, microclimates and wind passages from the ocean.

The Union-Tribune also spoke with Linda McWilliams, president of the San Diego County Vintners Association about the industry changes:

In some areas, the growth has been dramatic. In 2010, for example, there was one boutique tasting room in Ramona; today there are about 25.

McWilliams said that sizable jump was the result of a county ordinance pushed by Supervisor Dianne Jacob that allowed rural wineries to, among other things, offer on-site sales and public tasting rooms.

In other areas, the increase has been steady. Between 2012 and 2014, the number of vineyard acres harvested rose 23 percent, from 752 to 923, according to preliminary figures from the San Diego County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures.

This year’s heat and lack of rain is leading to lower yields, which also means better quality wine. “The downside is that there aren’t enough grapes to meet the demand from all of the new and long-standing wineries,” according to the Union-Tribune.

Interested in checking out a local winery? San Diego Magazine recommends Hungry Hawk Vineyards & Winery, a “5.5-acre family-run winery with a peaceful and pretty setting to enjoy 15 varietals.”

http://sandiego.suntimes.com/sd-ente...o-wine-country

2/9/16

California farmers reap record sales in record drought

California’s Largest Garlic Grower Will Soon Pay Workers $15 an Hour