California Agriculture Sector

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Diana Marcum, California Farms Are Looking Greener Than Ever: With prices for many crops near all-time highs, farm income is expected to post strong gains this year. That makes the agriculture sector a rare bright spot in the state's economy. Los Angeles Times, Nov 23, 2011.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-california-ag-boom-20111124,0,7022738.story

Quote:

"In contrast with the grain-and-livestock focused Midwest, California farmers cultivate more than 400 commodities, including more than half of the nation's fruits and vegetables.

"Looking for artichokes? Dates? Kiwi? Pomegranates? California accounts for more than 99% of the U.S. production of each of those crops, according to the California Food and Agriculture Department.

"'You ask the average person what California does better than any other place in the world, where we have the most innovation and natural advantage and they'll probably say Hollywood or high-tech. But, it's farming,' said Stuart Woolf, president of Woolf Farming & Processing, with cotton and tomato fields near Huron.

"Pistachios are a perfect example of such entrepreneurial farming. California is now the world's top producer, knocking off longtime leader Iran three years ago. This year the state's crop is expected to be more than 460 million pounds, but 30 years ago the crop barely existed here. Then came the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, which led to a ban on imports from Iran, a major supplier to the U.S. market. Some Central Valley farmers saw an opportunity. They gambled on planting pistachio trees. Innovation followed. Iranian pistachios traditionally are dyed a distinctive red to cover blemishes left by bits of the hull sticking to the outer shell. California researchers found a way to remove the outer hulls, leaving the tan shells smooth and flawless. Soon California pistachios were favored by consumers worldwide. The 2010 crop — a record 522 million pounds — was worth $1.16 billion.

Note:
(a) Bakersfield, California
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakersfield,_California
(near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley; At its founding ceremony in 1869, it was named Bakersfield to honor Colonel Thomas Baker--the California Gold Rush brought him to California)
(b) Central Valley (California)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Central_Valley
(Its northern half is referred to as the Sacramento Valley, and its southern half as the San Joaquin Valley. The Sacramento valley receives about 20 inches of rain annually, but the San Joaquin is very dry, often semi-arid desert in many places. The two halves meet at the huge Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers)

Compared with Taiwan's annual 2.5-meter rainfall at least(which concentratesin Taiphoon season), "20 inches of rain" (0.5m) is not much.