Inyo and Mono County Agriculture Commissioner Nathan Reade has released the annual crop and livestock report.  Here is Reade’s introducution to the report:

I am pleased to present the 2014 Inyo and Mono Counties’ Annual Crop and Livestock Report. This report is prepared pursuant to California Food and Agriculture Code 2279, and is a statistical compilation of agriculture production in Inyo and Mono Counties. These values reflect gross agricultural production within the two counties, and do not represent net profit or loss.  The gross combined agricultural production values for Inyo and Mono Counties in 2014 totaled $58,606,000, representing a decrease of nearly 21% from 2013 production values. Drought conditions continue to significantly impact area agricultural businesses, and are the reason for the majority of decrease in value over last year. Livestock herd reductions began in 2011 with the drought and have continued each year thereafter. Herd sizes are now so small that rising beef prices no longer mask production losses when viewed in terms of dollars. Feeder cattle gain is also in sharp decline due to unavailability of pasture. Field crops continue to suffer as water supply diminishes. This year does not look to be the end of this downward trend as we enter another year with even lower runoff projections.  This report features both wool production as well as fruit and nut statistics for the first time for Inyo and Mono Counties. Additionally, Inyo county is now reporting nursery stock production.

The link to the report: