Agricultural development in California: what you need to know

California is called the “agricultural engine” of the United States; the mild climate and fertile lands of the state are conducive to agriculture.

The center of agricultural production in Northern California is the Central Valley, in Southern California – the Imperial and Coachella Valleys.

Dairy farming is well developed in the state, and California also breeds cattle for meat, pigs, sheep, and poultry. In terms of livestock production, California ranks second (after Texas) in the United States.

California farms grow wheat, rice, corn, sugar beets, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, strawberries, grapes, apricots, peaches, plums, dates, figs, kiwi, nectarines, olives, walnuts, pistachios, avocados, lemons, melons, and flowers.

California produces almost all the almonds in the country, ranks second in the United States in the amount of oranges grown (after Florida) and cotton (after Texas). In total, the state grows more than two hundred different crops, some of which grow nowhere else in the United States.

California has a well-developed wine industry; if it were a separate state, it would rank fourth in the world list of the largest wine producers. The state produces 90% of all wine produced in the United States, and California wines have repeatedly won prestigious international competitions.