Marin County’s agricultural production fell 3 percent last year as farmers and ranchers continued to feel the impact of the historic drought. For most, the winter’s heavy rains came too late to restore parched lands and boost their bottom line.
Total agricultural production was about $94 million, according to the 2022 Marin County Crop and Livestock Report, down from $96.6 million the previous year, when output fell by 5 percent.
Drought took an especially steep toll on the production of silage and hay, which fell by about 20 percent and 19 percent, respectively. That increased expenses for the county’s 17 dairies, whose feed costs doubled, said Albert Straus, C.E.O. of Straus Family Creamery.
Sixteen of those dairies produce organic milk, and they typically spend 50 percent of their income on feed for their cows. “Last year, probably 65 to 70 percent of their income went to feed,” Mr. Straus said. “Everything else went up as well—utilities, fuel—but feed was the biggest burden.”
California’s 106 organic diaries lost an average of $400,000 last year, Mr. Straus said.
Congress has approved $100 million in aid that could help them cover about 10 percent of those losses, he added. Depending on the size of the farm, they could receive up to $40,000.
One of the 12 dairies that supplies Straus Family Creamery went out of business last year, a casualty of the drought. “They didn’t feel that they could lose money and try to recover,” Mr. Staus said. “That wasn’t something they were willing to do.”
During the worst of the drought, farmers and ranchers had to pay to haul in water to support their operations. In addition to fallowing fields, some sold off cattle.
“Many of our family ranchers and farmers, especially organic dairies, continue to struggle to remain in business, with many in debt,” said Stefan Parnay, the Marin agriculture commissioner. “Most are definitely toughing it out and looking toward a brighter future.”
Heavy rains at the end of 2021 boosted production of fruits and vegetables, which rose by 28 percent. Unlike pasturelands, which rely on a steady supply of rainwater, fruit and vegetable crops rely on water from ponds, which were replenished by the late-fall rains.
In 2021, when their reservoirs ran dry or nearly dry, fruit and vegetable producers left much of their land fallow.
“The number of acres that were fallowed went way down in 2022, and so a lot more fruit and vegetables were able to be planted,” Mr. Parnay said. “There was a huge rainfall we got and that replenished their stocks.”
Half of the 2021 rainfall came in the fall, ahead of the usual rainy season.
“If it hadn’t been for that big chunk of rain, we would have still been in a complete drought,” said Mickey Murch, who owns Gospel Flat Farm in Bolinas. “That allowed us to fill up our pond. We got blessed with too much rain in the immediate moment, but in end, it was good. We were still feeling the effects 12 months later. It was necessary.”
Mr. Murch farms two five-acre lots where he grows a wide variety of crops, including lettuce, kale, chard, broccoli, onions, squash, zucchini and artichokes. He began leasing one of the parcels after the previous tenant went out of business during the drought.
This year, the cold and foggy spring has gotten farmers off to a late start. “It has not been sunny, and we’re selling sunlight,” Mr. Murch explained. “When it’s cold and foggy for two months when it’s supposed to be warm and sunny, things are planted but they’re not growing. We didn’t have that problem in 2022. It was really hot and nice. Tomatoes grew very well. Strawberries grew really well. Everything that loves heat was doing great last year.”
Still, this year’s prospects look better for pasturelands, which received a boost from the winter’s series of atmospheric rivers. “Fortunately, we had an incredible rain year and a healthy forage crop,” Mr. Parnay said.
Overall, agriculture accounts for roughly 6 to 7 percent of the county’s economy. Marin’s top three commodities are organic milk, poultry and cattle, which together account for 75 percent of agricultural production.
The county’s production peaked in 2015, when it totaled $111 million.