There are many regions in the United States that produce food. Some of the most important producers are even given special names. Wisconsin is known as America’s Dairyland, while the Midwest is often called America’s Breadbasket, because so much food is grown there. Surprisingly, despite this reputation, none of these are the largest food producers in the U.S. Though it has a reputation as being a star in the software and movie industries, the United States’ largest food producer is California.
Based on reporting listed on the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s website, California sold $59.4 billion worth of food in 2023, including over 400 different commodities. The top three products in sales were dairy products and milk at $8.13 billion, grapes at $6.52 billion, and cattle and calves at $4.76 billion.
Interestingly, there are some USA-made products that are solely grown for sale in the Golden State. Because of its Mediterranean climate, 100% of the almonds grown commercially in the U.S. come from California, though there are some small-scale and family farms in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. In fact, $3.88 billion worth of almonds were produced in California. If you happen to like almond butter, one of the products that uses almonds, you may enjoy learning how to make homemade nut butters.
Numerous food products are grown in California
There is a lot to learn about olives, and in the U.S., California’s Mediterranean climate is ideal for producing them. Olives were originally grown in Greece and Rome, though Spain is currently the largest producer. California is an ideal olive region, selling 99% of olives that originate in the U.S.
Grapes are a large part of California’s agricultural economy too. They are available in abundance because of this, and there are tricks for buying the best quality grapes and avoiding bad ones. Of course, when thinking about grapes, you might consider that they’re the prime ingredient in wine! The Golden State is home to about 1,200 wineries, and if it was a country, it would be the fourth largest winemaking economy. Though California has the most American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), in the country, which are areas recognized for their wine-grape growing potential, other states in the U.S. have AVAs as well.
There are 19 U.S. crops that are solely grown in California, including figs. Of the fresh figs grown in the U.S., 98% come from California, while it makes 100% of U.S. dried figs. This Golden State is a powerhouse of food production.
