County’s record crop values describe ‘only half the story’
“You could have a banner year and still lose money,” she said. Ventura County farmer Will Terry, who grows strawberries and other crops, said the inclusion of production costs rep- resents “the most important change to the crop report in years,” as the informa- tion “adds a dose of reality” to a false per- ception that Ventura County agriculture is thriving just because gross revenues continue to rise. “As farmers know all too well, capi- tal-intensive, low-margin businesses get
hit particularly hard by cost inflation,” he said. “I expect the 2026 crop report to look even worse as costs continue to outpace revenues.” The county reported that avocado grow- ers earned about 5 cents for every dollar in sales last year. Celery growers retained about 1 cent per dollar of revenue after esti- mated production expenses, while pepper revenue also slightly exceeded production costs, with growers earning about 3 cents for every dollar generated.
By Ching Lee Ventura County farmers and ranchers generated a record $2.41 billion in gross production value in 2025, but cost esti- mates in the county’s annual crop report indicate that growers of some major com- modities earned little or nothing after pro- duction expenses. The report, titled “Making Cents of Ag- ricultural Production,” found that produc- tion costs consumed an estimated $1.01 for every dollar in strawberry revenue, leaving growers with no return. Lemon growers faced an even larger shortfall, spending an estimated $1.12 for every dollar earned. The county’s record crop value—which rose 4% from 2024’s $2.3 billion—masks mounting financial pressures on growers, warned Louise Lampara, CEO of Farm Bu- reau of Ventura County. “We’re always fighting that perception that farmers are rich because the gross (revenue) is so high,” she said. “That’s only half the story. That’s not even the real story.” By including the cost estimates asso- ciated with producing a crop and the net return to growers, the 2025 Ventura Coun- ty crop and livestock report represents a departure from traditional crop reports, which typically provide only the gross rev- enue of agricultural commodities. But gross crop values alone do not provide a detailed picture of agricultural economics, Lampara said, as gross value measures the value of production before expenses and does not represent grow- ers’ profits. Ventura County Agricultural Commis- sioner Korinne Bell said growers have complained for years that publishing a crop’s gross revenue does nothing to illu- minate how much it costs to farm. “It gives a false picture of what’s going on,” she said, adding that the inclusion of production costs and growers’ estimat- ed net return in the crop report “became an opportunity to tell a story that hadn’t been told.” Using the report’s production-cost data, Farm Bureau of Ventura County estimat- ed that real net returns across major com- modity groups have declined about 80% since 2015. Strawberries remained the county’s leading commodity, with a gross value of about $808 million, up 14% from the pre- vious year. Nursery stock rose 21% to $225 million, while raspberry value climbed 36% to $220 million. Lemon value in- creased 54% to nearly $182 million. But higher production values did not necessarily translate into stronger returns for growers, analysis by Farm Bureau of Ventura County found. Strawberry production costs exceed- ed the crop’s gross revenue by about $8 million in 2025. Lemon production costs totaled an estimated $203.5 million, com- pared with $181.7 million in gross revenue. Bell said she knew lemons have not
been profitable for growers, but she was still surprised to see that they lost 12 cents for every dollar generated. The data for strawberries were more shocking, she said, because the crop posted its highest value on record, yet growers still lost an estimat- ed 1 cent for every dollar in revenue after production costs.
See COSTS, Page 12
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November 4, 2026 Ag Alert 3
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