Ag, winegrapes dropped 13 percent in 2006

Latest Napa County crop report shows merlot production rising

By NATALIE HOFFMAN
Register Staff Writer

The overall value of ag crops in Napa County for 2006 took a nearly 13 percent drop from the previous year, but local officials said there is no reason for concern.

Locally-raised crops and livestock brought in $477.7 million last year, while the total for 2005 was $548.6 million, according to the county Department of Agriculture’s 2006 agricultural crop report. An ebb in last year’s winegrape yields caused the decrease and the value of the 2006 winegrape crop is down about 13 percent from the preceding year.

David Whitmer, Napa County agricultural commissioner, said these numbers merely reflect the cyclical nature of agriculture, an industry that relies heavily on the moods of Mother Nature.

“In 2005, the stars aligned. There are some years when the conditions just happen and there are an awful lot of things that go into creating a banner year. You don’t get those levels back to back. ... In 2005, you had lots of available moisture, the climatic conditions cooperating during the season and during bloom and the grapes put on the maximum amount of bunches,” he said.

The current report showed a winegrape production at $469.1 million — more than 98 percent of the value of all 2006 Napa County crops and livestock combined. Last year, Napa Valley winegrapes sold for an average of $3,071 per ton, about 2.8 percent more than in 2005.



Roussanne winegrapes yielded $6,500 per ton, more than any other white Napa County winegrape. Petit verdot led the red grape varieties, selling for an average of $5,092 per ton. According to the report, Napa County winegrapes have brought in higher prices than those from any other county in California for the last 31 years.

As in previous years, cabernet sauvignon was the most locally-planted variety in 2006 and represented 49.3 percent of all 2006 Napa Valley winegrape acreage. Last year, cabernet sauvignon accounted for 56,247 tons of Napa Valley’s winegrape harvest, which totaled 152,776 tons. Cabernet sauvignon grapes sold for $4,126 per ton in 2006.

Merlot, with a production of 27,042 tons and selling for an average of $2,691 per ton, surpassed chardonnay for the second-most planted variety. This surprised Whitmer, who was pleased that merlot sales — which suffered in previous years — are on the rebound. “It’s amazing how much the movie industry can influence the wine industry,” said Whitmer, referring to the 2004 movie “Sideways,” that had a less-than-positive spin on drinking merlot. 

Napa Valley is known for its wine and much of the agricultural report reflects this, but it also contains surprising information about other area enterprises, such as the valley’s timber industry. Local timber revenue dropped by approximately 95 percent from 2005 to 2006, according to the report.

“The California Division of Forestry sent the numbers. Producers of timber have up to three years to report their numbers. ... The drop isn’t necessarily a one-year drop,” Whitmer said, adding the 2005 report might contain timber industry data accumulated from as far back as 2002. “It could (also) be that we had some locations in the county that were converted from timber to other land uses, like planting vineyards.”

Whitmer said it remains to be seen how the dry winter of 2007 will affect the next agricultural crop report. “The next few weeks are going to be critical in that regard.”

Like Whitmer, Sandy Elles, executive director of the Napa County Farm Bureau, said future crop report figures will greatly depend on this year’s rainfall and impending weather conditions. “The dry weather (this year) will challenge people with their irrigation needs,” she added.

On the whole, Elles said, the 2006 report reflects Napa Valley’s robust agricultural economy and it shows strong prices for Napa Valley’s premium winegrapes.

“We also saw healthy and robust figures for our ag products here. While the 2006 nut crop was less than the one in 2005, people were expecting that. Livestock and poultry are up and those are all good indicators,” she said.

While winegrapes are the valley’s agricultural lifeblood, Whitmer said he is also appreciative of Napa County’s agricultural variety. “I think the report continues to show the strength and importance of agriculture to our local economy. Even though we can look at the report and see that winegrapes represent over 98 percent of (the total agricultural value), we still have other agricultural diversity in the county, such as the livestock industry, floral and nursery crops and field and vegetable crops.”

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