The previous post, dated Nov 19th, was on agriculture-related changes to Napa Valley over time. This one is on Sonoma County. Just like Napa, the wine grape crop has exploded in the past 60 years, figuratively, not literally. :)
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| Workers processing chickens in Petaluma, Sonoma County, 1960 image from Sonoma County Library |
This graph below shows average temperatures for Santa Rosa, in the middle of the county, physically and climate-wise. No, I don't know why a few years of recent data are missing but there's definitely been a jump in temps in the recent past -- something I've experienced personally. Graph from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Click on the image to enlarge for readability.
From the 1960 Sonoma County Agricultural Report
Total ag value $75 million.- Livestock and poultry were valued at $36 million, about half of the
total value of the county's agriculture, mostly milk and eggs.
- Fruit & nut crops:
- There were 11,000 acres of grape vines in production with a value of just over $2 million.
- The apple crop was valued at $4.5 million
- Prunes valued at $8.5 million.
- There was about the same number of fruit and nut trees vs. grape vines sold by nurseries.
From the 2023 Sonoma County Crop Report
Total ag value $945 million. Top crops:- Wine grapes $717 million from nearly 60,000 acres of vines
- Red grapes crop value $480 million, 142,000 tons crushed, from 39,000 acres of vines
- White grape crop value $245 million, 100,000 tons crushed, from 20,000 acres of vines
- Milk products $58 million
- Livestock and poultry products $40 million
Changes in wine production from 1960 to today:
- In 1960 there were 270 wineries in all of California. Today there are at least 425 just in Sonoma County.
- Wine grapes in the county went from 11,000 to 60,000 acres of vineyards.
- Value of the grape crop went from $2 million ($21 m in today's dollars) to $717 million!
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| The Crush, Sept 2022 At Sugarloaf Wine Co, a co-op used by small wineries image from Santa Rosa Press Democrat |
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