California Agriculture
What is a specialty crop and how many California specialty crops are grown at the farm?
- California Specialty crops are fruits and tree nuts, vegetables, herbs and spices, nursery, floriculture, and horticulture crops.
- California produces more than 400 different commodities, many of which are specialty crops.
- We grow an average of 130-150 specialty crops at the farm each year.
California Agriculture
- In 2014, the most recent year for which a full crop-year report is available, California’s 76,400 farms and ranches received $54 billion for their output.
- California’s agricultural abundance includes more than 400 commodities.
- The state produces nearly half of US-grown fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
- Across the nation, US consumers regularly purchase several crops produced solely in California.
- California produces 99% or more of 14 commodities that are enjoyed throughout the United States, including artichokes, dates, kiwifruit, olives, pomegranates, and pistachios.
- Specialty crop categories:
- Fruit and Tree Nuts (Almonds, blackberries, figs, grapes, lemons, oranges, pears, pecans, pistachios, walnuts.)
- Vegetables (Asparagus, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, carrots, celery, eggplant, garlic, lettuce, mushrooms, squash, tomatoes.)
- Culinary Herbs and Species (Basil, cilantro, cloves, ginger, lavender, nutmeg, oregano, sage, thyme, vanilla.)
- Medicinal Herbs (Baldo, foxglove, marshmallow, passionflower, pennyroyal, pokeweed, senna, tansy, witch hazel, yarrow.)
- Nursery, Floriculture, and Horticulture Crops (Christmas trees, ferns, holly, magnolia trees, marigolds, oak trees, pansies, poinsettias, roses, tulips.)
California’s top-ten valued commodities for 2014 are:
- Milk — $9.4 billion
- Almonds — $5.9 billion
- Grapes — $5.2 billion
- Cattle, Calves — $3.7 billion
- Strawberries — $2.5 billion
- Lettuce — $2 billion
- Walnuts — $1.8 billion
- Tomatoes — $1.6 billion
- Pistachios — $1.6 billion
- Hay — $1.3 billion
Irrigation at The Farm. This is what is used at the LA County Fair Farm.
- The farm uses a drip irrigation system called T-tape; t-tape is a commercial drip tape that will last approximately 5 months to 6 years depending on the type selected. Our tape is rated for 5 years.
- The brand of T-tape used is John Deer, compression fitting (no glue, snaps together) in a .67 gph size. The pressure through the irrigation tape is 20-30 psi.
- The size of tape we use at the farm provides approximately 2/3 gal per hour at each hole, each hole is spaced 8” apart.
- Our system runs off a weather-based irrigation timer that allows for four different programs. As the weather changes, it will automatically adjust accordingly. Each program is set according to what is planted in certain areas.
- The timer is a computer-based 2 wire system.
Pesticides, Insecticides, and Herbicides
- Because the farm is organic all pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, composts and other products used at the farm are organic and must be approved by OMRI (Organic Material Review Institute).
- Pesticides are pyganic (plant-based) which are less toxic to humans.
- Spinosad fungus that acts as a natural insecticide
- Detergents like insecticidal soaps
- Bacteria compounds
- Desicants (dehydrate insect)
- Neem creates oil which insects by odor, oil clogging pores, cuts through cuticle layer, and acts as a growth regulator.
- Phosphorus based fertilizer and fungicides
- Fungal problems require a higher level of phosphoric acid.
- Herbicides used on the farm are based on citrus oils and other desiccants.
- Traps for aphids and mice are used.
Soil
- There are 5 different soil types that gardeners and growers usually work with. All five is a combination of just three types of weathered rock particles that make up the soil: sand, silt, and clay. How these three particles are combined defines your soil’s type—how it feels to the touch, how it holds water, and how it’s managed, among other things.
- The type of soil that gardens and gardeners love is loamy soil. It contains a balance of all three soil materials—silt, sand, and clay—plus humus. It has a higher pH and calcium levels because of its previous organic matter content.
- Loam is dark in color and is mealy—soft, dry, and crumbly—in your hands. It has a tight hold on water and plant food but it drains well, and air moves freely between soil particles down to the roots.
- The feel test for loam yields a smooth, partly gritty, partly sticky ball that crumbles easy.
- Native soils are used in the planter boxes here at the farm; decomposed granite was used for walkway areas.
- Calcium is added to the soil at the farm due to a deficiency caused by the types of plants that we grow.
- The only imported soil at the farm is near where the squash is grown.
Careers in Agriculture
- The most obvious careers are directly related to the farm or ranch. Only 10% of Americans are involved in traditional farming.
- There are approximately 22 million people who work in agriculture-related fields.
- Today’s agriculture offers over 200 rewarding and challenging careers.
- Agricultural careers may be divided into various categories.
- These include:
- Agribusiness Management
- Agricultural and Natural Resources Communications,
- Building Construction Management
- Agriscience
- Resource Development and Management
- Parks and Recreations
- Tourism Resources
- Packaging
- Horticulture
- Forestry
- Food Science
- Fisheries/Wildlife
