Riverside County Agriculture Production Report 2020

Despite the many challenges that 2020 brought to life as we know it, agriculture in Riverside County proved to be an industry of growth and prosperity. The Gross value of agricultural cops produced during 2020 in Riverside County is $1,418,220,000. This total represents an increase of $97 million (7.3%) from 2019 total value. The largest increase (21%) was seen in nursery production followed by livestock and poultry production (18.5%) while vegetable crops saw a 5.6% drop in value

Riverside County has a diverse variety of agriculture with over 55 commodities that generate over one million dollars of revenue. Above are the top 25 million-dollar-plus producing commodities in Riverside County.

Each district has seen an increase in their total valuation from 2016 to 2020. With the largest percentage increase in the Palo Verde Valley District from 2016 to 2020 of about 73%. Coachella Valley is the  second largest agricultural region  in the state and had a 10% increase from 2016 to 2020.

The City of Riverside area has a rich history of agriculture and includes the introduction of the new seedless oranges by Eliza Tibbets in 1873. The Riverside/Corona Agricultural District while a fast growing urban area, still saw a 47% increase in the crop valuations from 2016 to 2020.

Agriculture in the Palo Verde Valley is it's most important industry with its water source being from the Palo Verde Diversion Dam. Due to the regions long, hot growing season a large variety of crops are grown and harvested year round. Agriculture in the Palo Verde Valley District has seen the largest increase crop valuation of 73% from 2016 to 2020 in all of Riverside County.

Coming from two generations of agricultural workers, Luis Alonzo Jr himself began working in the agricultural industry in Imperial, Monterey, and Riverside Counties. Farming for his family was a vocation that had been passed down to him from his parents that worked in the agricultural fields of Michoacan, Mexico. In 2008, Luis took his family knowledge and pride and started his own business, Junior Enterprises, in Coachella Valley. His business operates over 800 acres of agricultural land, growing commodities like, bell peppers, potatoes, corn, green beans, and artichokes. In 2015, continuing the family tradition, Luis’s twin children Luis and Celeste joined the ranks, and last year his youngest child Andres joined as well.

For Junior Enterprises, farming is a thing of pride, “knowing that we are feeding our people, our nation. Farmers and farmworkers take great pride in their work. We need food to live. I am glad the pandemic opened the eyes of our nation to see how essential farm workers are” Celeste Alonzo stated. This pride and basis on family values is evident by the support provided to the 25 year-round employees, and up to 200 contracted workers during harvest season. Through financial grants from the United States Department of Agriculture and personal protective equipment allocations from the Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner’s office, including N95 respirators, face masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer, equipment that could not be found on the shelves at the time, employees had a better sense of security and comfort. The support provided by the governmental agencies allowed Jr. Enterprises to extend employees paid sick time above and beyond the two-week allotment given by the state, a promise vowed to employees by the business, to ensure that employees livelihood remained intact.

The Palo Verde District has become a major region for growing cotton. Cotton fields are clustered at the eastern most edge of the County boundary, around the city of Blythe. This area is one of two growing areas in Southern California for cotton. Cotton  grows best on fertile, well drained soils  that have a good water holding capacity. From 2016 to 2020 cotton field acreage has more than doubled from about 5,097 acres in 2016 to about 15,298 acres in 2020.

This report is our yearly opportunity to recognize the growers, shippers, rangers and other businesses instrumental to and supportive of agriculture in Riverside County. As such, I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the industry for their continued efforts in providing the vital information that enables the compilation of this report. Special recognition goes to the Agricultural Commissioner's staff for their efforts in the production of this year's report. -- Ruben J Arroyo, Agricultural Commissioner