California
Agriculture
AGST 3000
Agriculture, Society and the Natural World
Size of California
A. 158,693 sq. mi. (exceeded in size
only by Texas)
B. Largest agricultural area =
Central Valley (400 mi. long and
50 mi. wide)
Early California Agriculture
Native American Cultures
A.
Primitive compared to Aztecs of Mexico or Iroquois of
Northeast
B.
Primarily all hunter-gatherers
-Miwok
-Yokut
C.
Miwok cultural development:
-Harvest celebrations
-No weapons
-Changing seasons
-No political hierarchy
-Marriage and divorce
-No warfare
D.
By 1852 this peaceful population was wiped out due to
typhoid, diphtheria, small pox, bounty hunters,
enslavement, and starvation
-50 years to destroy a population that had existed for
untold generations
The Spanish Regime
A. CA. was discovered by a Portuguese-born navigator,
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, San Diego Harbor in 1542
B. Sir Francis Drake camped at Point Reyes on the northern
coast in 1579
C. The “Franciscans” a roman Catholic religious order led
by “Father Serra” established missions from San Diego
to Sonoma, 36 miles apart (1 day horseback ride) 17691824 Built by Indians that were converted by the Spanish
fathers
D. Many of CA fruit and nut crops were established at the
missions: oranges, and other citrus, almonds, cherries,
apricots, pears, plums, etc.
E. The Russian Presence – fur traders in the northern most
part of CA established Fort Ross.
The Mexican Regime: (1821-1848)
A. Provided large tracts of land to anyone accepting the
Catholic faith and becoming a Mexican citizen. These
areas were called “Ranchos”
B. Hides and tallow were the principle products exported
from California during this time. San Diego was the
primary port.
C. Influx of foreigners – 1840’s, California was becoming
difficult to control as more pioneer settlers began to
appear via the overland routes.
D. John Bidwell led the first group of immigrants to
California via the California Trail.
E. 1846 Mexican – American War separated California from
Mexican rule (Bear Flag Rebellion)
Statehood and the Gold Rush continued…
Jan. 24, 1848, James William Marshall
discovered gold at Coloma on the American
River.
California received its statehood in September, 1850
-Population of San Francisco in 1847 was 462 and
4 ships had visited the port.
-In 1848 695 ships arrived bringing 100,000 new
immigrants
Statehood and the Gold Rush continued…
The industry behind the Gold Rush
-Levi Strauss outfitted gold miners in denim jeans
-“Market hunters”- Tule elk, deer, ducks, geese all were
commercially hunted to provide food for hungry miners.
-Miller and Lux Cattle Company – demand for beef, started as a
butcher and ended as a cattle baron.
– 750,000 acres of land in CA., OR., NV.
-Citrus industry – “gold nuggets on trees” Anaheim
-Petaluma Poultry Industry - $1.00 each for eggs
-Grain industry – near large cities, counties bordering San
Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Sacramento, highest yields in
the U.S., short lived because of insects and disease (mild
winters allowed these pests to survive)
Statehood and the Gold Rush continued…
Ethnic diversity
-1870 50% of all men in CA had been born abroad
-Germans owned the most farmland, Italians 2nd,
Portuguese 3rd
-Chinese were indentured slaves for gold mining and
weren’t allowed to own property, important cultural
influence
-Japanese largest group of tenant farmers
-French in the 1830’s brought the first grape vines (wine)
-Armenians introduced new crops: asparagus, raisins,
figs
California Continues
to Grow
Desirable climate, shipping ports and
healthy economy encouraged continued
growth in CA long after the Gold Rush
ended (35-40th latitude)
What geographic, climatic, socioeconomic
conditions supported this continued
growth…?
Is it the same today?
Latitudes and Longitudes of the Earth
California Continues to Grow…continued
Markets changed to reflect increasing land values
-Southern California lost hundreds of acres of orange groves
due to urban growth, growth of military industry (Navy, Air
Force, NASA, and Intelligence Agencies began during the Cold War
1950’s and continued through the 1970’s)
-The dairy industry shifted from Chino to Tulare
-Hewlett and Packard worked in their garage to manufacture a
transistor that led to the development of the “silicon chip”.
Atari, Apple Computers, IBM
-San Jose (Santa Clara Valley) was once an important fruit
production area, canneries and agriculture provided
income and has since transformed into the “Silicon Valley”
-Urban growth throughout the Central Valley competes with
farmland -- causes concern for farmland preservation
California Continues to Grow…continued
Efforts for Ag Land Preservation
Williamson Act = California Land Conservation Act of
1965
-Designed to prevent the loss of valuable farmland
-Provides a tax break to property owners if they
agree to restrict land to agricultural use for 10
years
-Voluntary program
We also know that historically:
1-CA is most populated state in the US since 1963
Today…36.8 million
2-Ca has been leading Ag in US since 1948(most
productive
1. CA (incl. nursery)
San Joaquin Valley
2. Texas
3. Iowa
4. Nebraska
5. Minnesota
31.8 billion
20.1
16.5
14.7
11.8
9.8
USDA, NASS, California Field Office, 2004
13.2% of US Total is from California
San Joaquin Valley accounts for 63.2% or 8.34% of US
Top 10 Ag counties in CA. (2004)
1. Fresno
2. Tulare
3. Monterey
4. Kern
5. Merced
6. Stanislaus
7. San Joaquin
8. San Diego
9. Ventura
10. Kings
13. Madera
$4.688 B
$4.037 B
$3.398 B
$3.142 B
$2.365 B
$1.978 B
$1.613 B
$1.462 B
$1.387 B
$1.197 B
$1.070 B
San Joaquin Valley Market value of Ag products
State(04) Nation(02)
Fresno
Tulare
Kern
Merced
Stanislaus
San Joaquin
Kings
Madera
Billion $
USDA, NASS 2004
1
2
4
5
6
7
10
13
31.8
1
2
4
5
6
7
18
23
State%04
Nation%
14.7
1.4
12.7
1.2
9.9
7.4
6.2
5.1
3.8
3.4
1.0
.70
.61
.61
.40
.35
6.27
What types of crops are grown
in California?
For the top 10 Agricultural Counties
in California, list the major crops
grown in each.
California's Top 20 Commodities - 2004 (CDFA)
Millions
Billions
1.Milk and Cream
$5.366
11.Cotton, All
$ 808
2.Grapes, All
$2.757
12.Chickens, All
$ 714
3.Nursery
$2.649
4.Almonds
$2.200
13.Broccoli
$ 625
5.Cattle and Calves
$1.634
14.Oranges, All
$ 557
6.Lettuce, All
$1.462
15.Carrots
$ 448
7.Strawberries
$1.219
16.Pistachios
$ 444
8.Tomatoes, All
$1.091
17.Walnuts
$ 439
9.Hay, All
$1.010
18.Avocados
$ 380
10.Flowers
$1.002
19. Rice
$ 353
20. Peppers, All
$ 332
National Rankings
http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/rankings/tablist.htm
Irrigated land
Dairy Products
Fresno
1 Tulare
1
Kern
2 Merced
2
Tulare
3 Stanislaus
4
San Joaquin
4 San Joaquin
9
Merced
5 2/3 of valley 11.4% of nation
Stanislaus
11
California…17 % of nation
California…15.8 %
California’s No. 1 Ag Product
of nation
Fruits, nuts and berries
23 % of nation
Specialty Crops Commercially Produced
Only in California
(99% or more of total U.S. production)*
Almonds
Artichokes
Clingstone Peaches
Figs
Seed, Ladino Clover
Sweet Rice
Olives
Persimmons
Pomegranates
Plums, Dried (Prunes)
Raisins
Walnuts
Important trends
1-decline in farms (144,000 in 1950 to 77,000 in 2004)
There was a large decline, but more productivity/
more value per acre.
What about family farms?
2- decrease in total land in farms
(37,500,000 acres in 1950 to 26,700,000 in 2004)
Loss of acreage because of urbanization and
environmental issues causes expansion to lesser
quality soils, less access to water
3-increase in acres per farm, economies of size
(260 A in 1950 to 347 in 2004)
California's Top 10
Agricultural Export Markets - 2002*
1
Canada $1,199
Lettuce, Processed Tomatoes, Table Grapes
2
European Union $1,128
Almonds, Wine, Walnuts
3
Japan $ 905
4
China/Hong Kong $ 345
Table Grapes, Oranges, Cotton
5
Mexico $ 293
Dairy, Table Grapes, Processed Tomatoes
6
Korea $ 274
Oranges, Beef, Cotton
7
Taiwan $ 212
Cotton, Peaches and Nectarines, Rice
8
Indonesia $ 101
Cotton, Table Grapes, Dairy
9
India $
Almonds, Cotton, Table Grapes
10
Malaysia $
Rice, Almonds, Hay
94
60
Table Grapes, Oranges, Almonds*
Source: CDFA Resource Directory 2003
Assignment
…
Access the National Agricultural Statistics Service
and California Department of Food and Agriculture
– look at the CDFA and NASS Statistical Review and Ag
Commissioners Reports
What are the top 10 commodities in 2002 and 2005 for
Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced Counties?
Using the CDFA Statistical Review, what are the Top 10
Agricultural Export markets for 2005 and what products are
exported to each.
http://www.nass.usda.gov
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/