Despite strong growth in the agriculture industry last year, wine grape production saw a 28% decrease in value, according to Santa Barbara County’s latest Crop and Livestock Report.

County agriculture brought in more than $2 billion in gross production value in 2024, an increase of 7.1% compared with last year. The growth was attributed to increased rain during the past few years and an increase in the number of acres used to grow crops.

Once again, strawberries easily took the top spot with $869.4 million in revenue, according to the report. The crop saw a 2.1% increase in production value over the previous year.

This year’s revenues show a return to form for the fruit, which was hit hard by storms in 2023. Strawberries brought in $775 million for that year, which was a drop of $65 million compared with 2022.

For 2024, the county report found that wine grape production struggled despite strong prices for local grapes and high-quality fruit. One of the reasons given was a low harvest yield, which dropped 27% compared with the previous year.

In 2023, grape production brought in about $98.5 million in gross value, but that number dropped to about $70.8 million in 2024. The most popular varieties harvested were chardonnay, pinot noir and sauvignon blanc.

Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann asked during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting why grape production has fallen so much and what the county could expect in the future.

Agricultural Commissioner Jose Chang stated that Santa Barbara County’s grape production is doing well compared with other counties.

“It was not unique to Santa Barbara County,” Chang said. “Statewide, in fact, we learned that the … wine grape industry in California hasn’t seen this decline in 20 years.”

Chang added that, in his experience, crops and sales tend to move in cycles, and he believes the grape industry will go through a correction period and improve over time.

Supervisor Bob Nelson praised the report and staff for their work in compiling it. He noted how much produce Santa Barbara County produces for the country.

“We are a big deal, and it’s in part because of this board’s commitment to agriculture, as well as our (Agriculture) Commissioner’s Office. And most importantly, it’s our farmers and our landowners and our workers that make this possible. This is really an opportunity to celebrate,” Nelson said.

The top crops after strawberries were nursery items, including flowers and plants, with $124 million in revenue. Broccoli came in third at a little more than $93 million.

Vegetable crops saw an increase of 2.1% in value because of favorable weather conditions and rising prices. The value grew despite less acreage for vegetable crops.

The value of fruit crops increased 14.2%, but fruit prices fell, and the cost of producing fruit rose.

Supervisor Laura Capps also asked Chang about how agricultural workers are doing in the current political climate. Many industries and communities are affected by the increased immigration raids on undocumented migrants.

Chang said his department is working to educate workers and their families to be aware of the situation, but he said that most people are still showing up for work.

He added that absenteeism is worse in Ventura County, where about half of the local farmworkers reportedly do not show up for their shifts.