What's a Crop Report PLUS?

Crop Report PLUS  is a general term for our flagship research reports. These reports supplement a county's traditional Crop Report in three important ways:

• They calculate not just the value of food and fiber production, but also the dollar value of any locally-sourced, value-added processing;
• They determine the number of local jobs attributable to agriculture;
  
• They quantify economic "multiplier effects" of agricultural production and employment; 
  

Our Crop Report PLUS provides critical analysis and context. More than a bunch of facts and figures, it highlights agriculture's role in sustaining a healthy local economy.  

The Legal Mandate

When it comes to reporting the "value" of agriculture, the Crop Report PLUS is a new tool for long-existing mandate.

Section 2279 of the California Food and Agriculture Code requires every county Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer to "compile reports of the condition, acreage, production, and value of the agricultural products in his county."

Traditional crop reports narrowly define "value" as dollar value of production. Our Crop Report PLUS takes the definition an important step farther.

We use 21st century economic analysis tools to capture the fuller value of agriculture to a given county. This includes not just production, but also processing, employment, and multiplier effects.