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Wine grapes pass strawberries as SLO County’s top crop

September 25, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

After four years of strawberries being San Luis Obispo County’s most valuable crop, wine grapes moved back into the top slot in 2023 based on excellent growing conditions and steady prices. Combined, wine grapes and strawberries continue to account for more than half of the county’s overall crop value.

San Luis Obispo County crop values reached another record high in 2023, as overall farmgate value edged past $1.1 billion for the first time. Despite significant storm related damage early in the year, crops thrived under ideal growing conditions that led to strong yields across multiple crop sectors.

The top ten commodities by value in 2023 were:

1. Wine grapes
2. Strawberries
3. Cattle and calves
4. Broccoli
5. Avocados
6. Vegetable and ornamental transplants
7. Brussels sprouts
8. Cauliflower
9. Cut flowers
10. Celery

 


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Holy molasses. Wine over strawberry? Bougie winos in for the win.


3

Maybe Boone’s farm strawberry apple wine will catch on again… the top even twists off for your convivence if I recall correctly…


3

My family was farming before they came from the old country. It’s a hard life. Grapes take 36″ of rain a year, North county has an annual rainfall that is half that. Eventually they’ll use all the groundwater and people will be drinking the heavy metal at the bottom of the aquifer, already happening east of Paso. Being a successful farmer is about managing the land to provide and sustain the business. This wine grape thing is a scheme to get rich selling legal drugs to drunk tourists. I like a bit of wine but geez too much wine SLO County.


17

“I like a bit of wine.” You can’t have your cake and eat it, sir.


-2

Over the last 10 years watching the golden hillsides of Paso Robles get destroyed and grape vines put in their place is beyond horrifying. FORGET your wine!


14

This land has been farmed long before and after we’ll be here. It’s fertile land in the best growing state in the Country.


-2

Won’t be the top this year with all the overpriced grapes that are unsold. Growers got greedy and wineries are letting them eat the fruit this year. Plenty of calls of unsold fruit coming in daily.


11