Mixed results in grape crops

Mixed results in grape crops
2007 harvest was off in Mendocino County, up in Lake County

The value of wine grape crops in Mendocino and Lake Counties went in opposite directions in 2007, with Mendocino's crop dropping 16 percent and Lake climbing 13.4 percent, according to newly released reports.

The crop in Lake County was worth $43.2 million in '07 compared with $38.1 million the year before. Mendocino County's dropped from $87.6 million to $75.3 million.

"We're growing slowly but surely," said Shannon Gunier, Lake County Winegrape Commission executive director. She said the increase in the county's wine grape value is related to its increasing popularity and reputation as a wine region.

Sixteen years ago, there were just four wineries. Now there are 22, Gunier said.

Mendocino County Agricultural Commissioner Dave Bengston said the decline in grape value was largely the result of a drop in the amount of grapes produced per acre, from 3.8 tons per acre to 3.5 tons, both below the 10-year average of 4.2 tons per acre.

Lake County's per-acre production increased from 4.3 tons in '06 to 4.6 tons in '07.

Grapes remain the top revenue-generating crop in both counties.

Timber production, once king in Mendocino County but now relegated to second place, earned $74.6 million in 2007, a 13 percent decline brought on by a drop in demand as the housing market took a tumble.

Pears, with a gross value of almost $14 million in 2007, are Lake County's second most valuable crop.

The trend in wine grapes in the two counties was reflected in overall agriculture sales in the area.

The gross agricultural value of Mendocino County crops in 2007 was $202.8 million, a 9.4 percent decrease from 2006 while Lake County's crops increased by 5 percent, from $68.8 million to $72.7 million.

Fruit and nut crops were largely responsible for higher crop yields in Lake County, said Steve Hajik, county agricultural commissioner. They increased overall from $59.3 million in 2006 to $61.6 million in 2007, primarily reflecting price increases.

In Mendocino County, both the tonnage and price of pears increased between 2006 and 2007. Mendocino County pears brought $447 per ton in 2007 compared with $370 in Lake County.

But fresh red pears in Lake County brought $1,248 a ton compared with $790 a ton in Mendocino County, according to the reports.

Also bucking the downward trend in Mendocino County was milk, reflecting a 63 percent price increase statewide, Bengston said. Soaring milk prices and a production increase resulted in its gross value growing from $3.4 million in 2006 to $6.2 million in 2007, a record for the county, Bengston said.

Crop values in 2008 are expected to be considerably lower than in 2007, he note, estimating that severe frosts will end up costing Mendocino County farmers $25 million.

"We really got hurt," he said.