Leafy greens from Super Tuber Farm grow off of Highway 174 on a tract of land being leased from the Bierwagen family, who has farmed the area for 120 years.
Leafy greens from Super Tuber Farm grow off of Highway 174 on a tract of land being leased from the Bierwagen family, who has farmed the area for 120 years.
In 2021, the total gross value of agricultural products in Nevada County was valued at $21,222,300, according to the Nevada County 2021 Crop and Livestock Report. This represents an increase of approximately 8 percent from the year 2020, and an increase of 15 percent with stats from the timber industry removed.
Much of this new agricultural growth can be seen in the vegetable, fruit, and nut crop industry that has grown from an overall value of $2.75 million in 2020, to just over $4 million in 2021. Vegetables grown here have increased by 33 percent while other fruits grown here have increased by 14 percent.
“It is said that you only need three things to grow something: soil, weather, and water,” Nevada County Agricultural Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and Measures Chris de Nijs said. “While Nevada County may not have the best soils or the best weather, our talented farmers and ranchers continue to produce a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and proteins.”
According to de Nijs, some of these successes can also be attributed to the increase in overall available farming acreage.
“More acreage is coming in and farmers are getting much more efficient in their farming practices. A lot of our farmers are doing the direct to consumer business model, and our residents are really becoming aware of where they’re buying their food,” de Nijs said, referencing the growing local farmer’s market options. “I always encourage folks to shop at farmer’s markets, they’re the freshest.”
Though the county saw good yields for fruits and vegetables in 2021, this year’s fruit market may show a hit when all is said and done after a late April freeze completely decimated the local apple growing market.
At the Bierwagen’s Donner Trail Fruit barn off of Highway 174, the fridge that would usually hold gallons of its famous hand-pressed apple cider, sits empty.
“No fruit this year,” workers at the barn said. “The fruit was on the tree one day, on the ground the next.”
Chris Bierwagen — whose family has been farming apples in the Peardale-Chicago Park area of Nevada County for 120 years — said that’s the story for other area fruit farmers as well.
“In the spring, after the storm goes by at night it gets really clear and cold. Had a rain storm and the temperature dropped really cold after,” Bierwagen said of the late April freeze. “The storm killed all apple crops in California.”
While Bierwagen no longer relies on the apple crop to sustain his income, and he is down to growing only three acres of apples, he does recognize that it is part of the fall time feels in Nevada County.
“It’s part of the whole ordeal, taking the school children out there, it’s always a crowd pleaser showing that thing off,” Bierwagen said of the cider pressing production.
Farmers from Super Tuber Farm are now leasing some of the Bierwagen’s historic farmland across from the Happy Apple Kitchen, and Bierwagen couldn’t be happier to see the land become fertile and productive.
“They’ve got it looking real beautiful,” Bierwagen said.
Nevada County’s livestock production continues to rebound from 2020’s $7.8 million value that plummeted from $11.3 million in 2019.
In 2021, all livestock products were valued at $9,446,800.
“Livestock is definitely a difficult one. The drought plays an impact on that,” de Nijs said. “If they don’t have feed they have to supplement, that value can exceed the value of the livestock themselves.”
According to de Nijs, a huge backlog of animals to be slaughtered occurred during the beginning of COVID-19 impacts in 2020, which had an affect on slaughter facilities on a national level.
Timber products
Nevada County timber production showed the lowest numbers within a 10-year time frame at $813,800 this year.
In 2018, that number was over $5.2 million. According to de Nijs, that number is related to timber harvesting following large wildfires.
“When you have these massive wildfires come through, you have a limited window to harvest the timber,” de Nijs said. “Time is of the essence with stuff that has burned. Luckily in Nevada County, we have not experienced many massive wildfires come through. We’re seeing focus outside of the county.”
Cannabis products
For the first time ever, the Nevada County Department of Agriculture prepared and presented a Cannabis Supplemental Report and has estimated that the legally produced commercial cannabis crop is valued at $12.4 million, roughly half the intake of the county’s traditional ag products.
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