New Record For California Ag

Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that California’s 80,500 farms and ranches had revenues in 2012 of $44.7 billion, a 3% increase from the previous year and a new record.

The highest revenue gain was seen in pistachios, which increased in value by 27%. California remains the nation’s largest agricultural state in terms of revenues, representing 11.3% of the U.S. total. It’s followed by Iowa and Nebraska.

The state is also the number one dairy state in the nation. It produced a fifth of the nation’s milk supply last year, though revenues slipped due to a drop in the number of herds and sliding milk prices.