A worker at the Fowler Packing Co. places bags of oranges into boxes to be sent to stores in this 2017 file photo.

Fresno County farms reported a record-breaking $8.08 billion in gross receipts for 2021, up nearly 1.5% from 2020’s crop production value.

That puts Fresno County as the third-top agricultural producer in California, with Tulare County barely edging out Fresno by $4.05 million for the No. 2 spot.

In terms of crop value, Kern County was No. 1 in California for 2021 — the position that Fresno County held in 2020 — bringing in $8.34 billion.

For the ninth year in a row, almonds were Fresno County’s leading farm commodity, commanding a gross value of $1.44 billion. Grapes remained in the No. 2 spot generating $1.34 billion, followed by pistachios at $722.06 million.

“Fresno County’s agricultural strength is based on the diversity of crops produced,” according to a Fresno County news release. “Included in this year’s report are over 170 different commodities, 76 of which have a gross value in excess of one million dollars.”

Fresno County’s top ten crops by value are:

No. 1 Almonds
No. 2 Grapes
No. 3 Pistachios
No. 4 Poultry
No. 5 Milk
No. 6 Tomatoes
No. 7 Cattle & Calves
No. 8 Garlic
No. 9 Oranges
No. 10 Peaches

Fresno County’s record-breaking crop receipts came as the pandemic precipitated a global supply chain crisis. Fresno County exports 89 different commodities for markets in 96 countries around the globe.

Again cementing the region’s status as among the richest global farm economies, the Central Valley’s combined gross farm receipts for 2021 — including Fresno County, Tulare County ($8.08 billion), Madera County ($2.05 billion) and Kings County ($2.34 billion) — was more than $20.55 billion.