Marin's agricultural production valued at $56.2 million, up $3.6 million

Herb Rowland and his dog Vineyard walks through his Pacheco Ranch Winery on

Wednesday, June 15.

Veteran Marin vintner Deborah Rowland has her fingers crossed.

The cabernet sauvignon vines at her seven-acre Pacheco Ranch Winery in Ignacio have just bloomed, fortuitously missing the late-season rain and raising hopes for a bumper crop retailing at about $24 a bottle.

"We'll see how the bloom sets," Rowland said. "It's looking good because it bloomed after the late rain ... but Mother Nature does what it does."

Deborah and Herb Rowland, who launched their winery three decades ago, are now among a dozen county commercial grape growers, most of whom have set up shop in West Marin. "It was nice to see so many vintners" at a recent wine tasting, she said.

Marin winery operations produced 186 acres of wine grapes or 207 tons

valued at $1 million last year, up from 182 acres or 246 tons valued at $784,000 in 2009, according to county agricultural officials.

The value of Marin's crop in 2005 was $265,000.

At the same time, farmers produced field products, fruits and vegetables on 300 acres in 2010 for a value calculated at $2.5 million, down from 384 acres tilled in 2009 when production was valued at $2 million.

Overall, the value of the county's agricultural bounty including livestock and crop production totaled $56.2 million last year, with 19.6 million gallons of milk representing just under half the value.

The total value is up from $52.6 million the year before, but down from 2007's record $67.1 million, when 23.9 million gallons of milk fetched $39 million alone, thanks to elevated prices.

"Milk is the longstanding, premier commodity for Marin, and this year accounts for 47.1 percent of the crop report's total value," noted Stacy Carlsen, county agricultural commissioner. Last year "was the second year milk value was not at least 50 percent of Marin County's total agricultural production value, the only other year being 2009."

Although field crop values plummeted 38 percent from 2009 due to the "reported value of (hay and silage) pasture decreasing," the situation may reflect a "lack of participation" among ranchers who participate voluntarily in an annual crop reporting program, Carlsen said in a report to county supervisors.

He added that aquaculture production increased 30 percent, and wine grapes 35 percent — even though farmers harvested 15 percent fewer tons of grapes.

Carlsen's crop report breaks down agricultural production into broad categories, noting that livestock products in 2010 were valued at $26.5 million, up from $22.4 million in 2009. Other categories: livestock and miscellaneous, $15.3 million, up from $14.3 million; field crops, $5.5 million, down from $8.9 million; grape, fruit and vegetable crops, $3.5 million, up from $2.8 million; aquaculture, $4.3 million, up from $3.3 million, and nursery crops, $992,000, down slightly from $1 million.

In the livestock category, Marin ranchers had 14,563 head of cattle last year, up from 13,792; 15,326 sheep and lambs, up from 12,133; 6,604 miscellaneous animals including goats and rabbits, up from 3,893, and 278,833 chickens, up from 245,127.

Local products included 82,652 pounds of wool valued at $40,463, up from 74,341 pounds.

Supervisor Steve Kinsey, whose sprawling district includes West Marin, noted that there are now 68 registered organic growers in Marin farming 19,609 acres, producing a gross value of $17.8 million.

"From a sustainability perspective, it is exciting to see that our organic farming is up," he said.

Over at Marin Organic, though school is out for the summer, Chester Densmore of the nonprofit's organic school lunch program said he had plenty to do.

"We're as busy as ever," he said, citing a growing interest in organic, locally-grown foods, as well as his own program in which leftover produce is gleaned from the fields and delivered to school, day care and related programs.