Stanislaus reports $3.37 billion in ag income in 2023. Do farm workers get enough credit?
Advocates for farm workers urged Tuesday that they be better rewarded for helping make Stanislaus County so bountiful.
It happened as the county released a report estimating $3.37 billion in gross farm income in 2023. It was down 10% from the previous year primarily because of low milk prices. Nuts, tomatoes, beef and poultry gained.
In past years, the county Board of Supervisors received the report with general comments about the ups and downs for farm owners. This time, members heard from the Latino Community Roundtable about low pay and tough conditions for the hired hands.
President Karlha Arias said workers can suffer from heat stress, cancer-linked pesticides and other hazards, and have poor access to medical care.
“The people who harvest our crops and maintain our orchards are paying with their health and in some cases with their own lives,” she said, “yet these workers remain invisible, their health needs unmet and their own contributions unrecognized.”
Arias read her prepared statement at the podium soon after the report was unveiled. She noted that she grew up with farm worker parents in a crowded home in Hughson.
Longtime activist Miguel Donoso said many workers are undocumented immigrants, so they do not want to lodge complaints. He said the situation is especially bad on dairy farms.
Supervisor Channce Condit said he, too, would like to see more about the laborers in future reports. The latest does have a short article on one: Salvador Anaya of Stewart & Jasper Orchards, an almond business. He won the county’s latest Farm Worker of the Year award in March.
Report tallies crop prices, total volume
The 21-page report was compiled by county Agricultural Commissioner Linda Pinfold and her staff. It lists total volume and average prices for about 50 crops and livestock products. Dozens of other items are lumped together as “miscellaneous.”
The report does not account for farmers’ costs, such as labor, tractors, fertilizer and water. They can exceed the gross income in some years. Farmers can get by if they have diverse crops or access to credit.
“Everything cycles, right,” said Supervisor Terry Withrow, an accountant and almond and grape grower. “It’s just part of the deal, and ag will get through this as it always has.”
The report also does not detail the ripple effect from the raw farm products. Thousands of local people work at canneries, wineries, dairy plants, nut processors and the like. Others get the goods to market by truck and rail. Still others work in ag lending, tractor sales and more.
The 2023 gross income was 16% below the record $4.4 billion in 2014, when both milk and almond prices were high. Even with the decline, Stanislaus is No. 8 among the 3,078 counties in the nation that have farms.
What’s in the Stanislaus top 10?
The report has these details on the top 10 farm products:
1. Almonds: $813.4 million in gross income in 2023, up from $753 million the year before. Prices improved but still were depressed by a glut in the global market.
2. Milk: $761.5 million, down from $1.13 billion. Volume dipped and prices were down from the especially high levels of 2022.
3. Poultry: $399.9 million, up from $383.2 million. Prices and total animals both increased slightly. Chicken and turkey are both big business here.
4. Cattle: $208.7 million, up from $192.8 million. The category includes animals sent to beef processors and young cows sold to dairy farmers.
5. Fruit and nut nurseries: $146.3 million, down from $175 million. These businesses sell young trees and vines to farmers.
6. Silage: $121.4 million, down from $173 million. This high-quality dairy feed is made by fermenting corn, oats and other crops under massive tarps. Prices had spiked due to drought in 2022.
7: Tomatoes: $107.1 million, up from $53.5 million. Acreage and prices both jumped. Most of the crop goes to local canneries rather than produce aisles.
8. Almond pollination: $83.6 million, down from $87.4 million. The income goes to beekeepers who rent their colonies to nut growers each winter. Honey brought another $13.8 million last year.
9. Walnuts: $55.5 million, up from $42.7 million. Prices and tonnage both rose for this crop, which has struggled even more than almonds in recent years.
10. Eggs: $54.3 million, down from $84.2 million. Prices shot up in 2022 due to avian influenza in other states.
The report details other ag commissioner functions besides crop statistics. The staff monitors the county for pests and issues spraying permits. It assesses damage from floods, wildfires and other emergencies. It certifies measuring devices used by the public, such as grocery scales and gasoline pumps.
The Farm Worker of the Year award began in 2020. It is sponsored by the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, the Modesto Rotary Club and AgSafe, a nonprofit involved in employee training.
Anaya has worked 54 years at Stewart & Jasper, which grows and processes almonds near Newman.
“If we ever have a question of what we’ve done in the past, I just ask Salvador,” Manager Ray Henriques said.
This story was originally published August 29, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
