Agricultural Economic Development Opportunities
The Sierra Nevada foothills support a wide range of crops. Orchard fruits that require cooler weather can be found on mostly non-irrigated land just above 1,000 feet. Unfortunately pear orchards in the central Sierra counties (Placer, El Dorado, Nevada, and others) suffered from an outbreak of disease in 1960 wiping out a good portion of the pear industry in those counties. Areas like Peardale, in Nevada County, no longer grow their namesake fruit; they grow apples or peaches instead.
Those counties located close to Sacramento or the Bay Area have also begun focusing on direct farm sales and U-pick sales, as well as on value-added processes such as bottling wine, drying fruit, pies, jams, and preserves made from local fruit, etc. Cut flowers, specialty plants, and Christmas trees are other specialty products found on Sierra farms.
Apple Hill in El Dorado County may have been the first area to take advantage of this type of on-farm marketing. Beginning in 1964, a group of local ranchers formed the Apple Hill Growers Association
in Camino, California, as a way of helping ranchers survive the pear blight, which devastated production from 52,000 tons in 1958 to 8,435 tons in 1965. Association growers opened their grounds and encouraged tourists to come enjoy an old-fashioned day on the farm with picking, picnics, homemade foods and crafts, and even apple recipes. The Growers Association has since blossomed to encompass more than 50 farms and ranches, adding Christmas tree growers, wineries, and vineyards to the original apple farms. “Apple Hill was the first ranch marketing effort in Northern California,” says Ed Delfino, former El Dorado County Agricultural Commissioner. Mimicry is a sure sign of success and numerous agriculture marketing groups have sprung up all over. Apple Hill is a great example of government, farmers, and media working together for everyone’s good.
In 1992, according to Census figures, 14% of farms in the Sierra Nevada employed some sort of direct sales or on-farm marketing – more than double the state average. The grape growers are utilizing this idea, with many wineries and tasting rooms cropping up in Nevada, El Dorado, Amador, and other foothill counties. Christmas trees are another major specialty item. Christmas tree farms are prevalent in the northern part of El Dorado County and portions of Sierra, Plumas, Calaveras, Nevada, and other forested counties in the region
Economic Development Opportunities
Sierra Nevada agriculture cannot compete with traditional commodity crops on a cost basis. The climate, soils, topography and water access, coupled with transportation costs and relatively small local markets, make competing on a grand scale in traditional commodity crops unfeasible.
However, there are successful agricultural ventures in the Sierra Nevada. A number of farmers and entrepreneurs have found financially viable ways to keep land in agriculture and some of those individuals are leading the development of new products and business sectors.
When an entity is unable to compete on a cost basis, there are alternative ways to build a successful business venture:
1. Create a unique or value-added product, niche products;
2. Develop direct-to-market channels;
3. Encourage agricultural tourism.
