Walnut prices soar, balance rice decline in Yuba-Sutter, crop reports show
The rising prices of walnuts and almonds helped to offset the declining value of rice in what amounted to a downturn for the agricultural economy of Sutter County, and a slight bump for neighboring Yuba County.
Sutter County, with a significantly larger agricultural economy than Yuba County, saw an 11.4% drop in the total value of its farming output in 2024 compared to the previous year, when considering gross value without expenses.
Farmers and producers in Sutter County reported about $683.5 million of production between all varieties of crops and livestock, down from about $771.8 million in 2023, according to the latest Sutter County crop report.
Meanwhile, their counterparts in Yuba County reported a stable overall output year-over-year, with the county’s $262 million agricultural value up about 2%.
The distribution of crops and their corresponding prices changed between years for both counties, led by a resurgence in walnut prices.
Walnuts on the rise
The price of walnuts grown and sold by Yuba-Sutter farmers rebounded sharply last year after plummeting in 2022 and 2023, a trend that carried statewide.
California English walnuts went for $600 per ton in 2022 and nearly tripled to $1,720 in 2024, according to a recent USDA report.
The acreage and total yield of walnuts in Sutter County last year dipped slightly from the year before, but the value of the crop more than doubled, spiking from about $51.6 million to $106.5 million, according to the latest Sutter County crop report. The price per ton in Sutter County more than doubled from $802 to $1,682.
The haul of walnuts from Yuba County also fell slightly last year, but the value of what was harvested surged to $51.3 million, almost doubling the previous year’s value. The price per ton rose from $733 to $1,761, according to the crop report.
After a couple of down years for walnut farming, which made it difficult to cover expenses and break even, farmers last year anticipated the renewed value of walnuts, which proved true.
The 603,000 tons of walnuts harvested throughout California last year were the fewest since 2014, according to the USDA report. Walnut production rose to 710,000 tons this year, although pricing information for this year’s harvest is not yet available.
Almond prices also saw an uptick, jumping from $38.5 million in 2023 to $70.4 million last year in Sutter County, and from $6.7 million to $9.2 million in Yuba County, where a less efficient yield per acre cut into the upswing.
The total output of almonds throughout California is expected to increase this year, according to a recent USDA report, despite concerns from growers about beehive theft and a honeybee shortage in the late winter and spring.
Rice ebbs and flows
Rice prices dipped again after rebounding the previous year, causing a drop from $272 million to $201.4 million of value for Sutter County, according to the crop report.
Still, that was enough for rice to maintain its hold as the county’s most valuable crop, if not necessarily its most lucrative.
The value of rice dropped from $488 per ton to $370, but the total decline also included a slight decrease of acreage, with 6,000 fewer acres harvested in the county.
The county’s rice seed numbers, a much smaller portion of the overall rice production, improved slightly last year.
Rice farming also led Yuba County’s agricultural industries at $52 million, narrowly eclipsing walnuts ($51 million) and kiwi ($48 million).
The weakened value of rice puts it at less than half of its value to the county in 2022, when it fetched almost $114 million.
Processing tomatoes in Sutter County also took a hit, with a decrease in acreage, yield and price contributing to a decline of nearly $43 million, or 36%, according to the crop report.
