AREA GROWERS SET NEW RECORD IN CROP VALUE; VENTURA COUNTY'S LEMONS LEAD.

Byline: Don Holland Daily News Staff Writer

Led by lemons, strawberries and nursery stock, Ventura County produced a record $942.3 million in crops last year, as growing conditions and markets smiled on farmers, agriculture officials said Friday.

County crop values for 1997 were up 10.6 percent from the previous year's total of $851.9 million, the result of a series of lucky conditions and healthy markets. While El Nino could have an impact on this year's crops, it didn't harm yields in the fall and early winter.

``I think 1997, actually in a lot of respects, was a very benign year even though it was up almost 10 percent,'' said county Agricultural Commissioner W. Earl McPhail, in releasing the annual crop report. ``We just didn't have any major things go wrong, and perhaps that's why we did go up. So '97 was just a nice, average, ordinary year in a lot of respects.''

In the top-10 list of the county's top-dollar crops, lemons remained planted at No. 1, with a value $217.4 million.

Strawberries, nursery stock and celery followed, maintaining their standing from the previous year. Valencia oranges and avocados switched places, followed by cut flowers, lettuce, broccoli and peppers, which pushed tomatoes out of the top-10 list.

McPhail said Ventura County's crop values will probably rank 10th or 11th in the state in overall value when other counties report their figures. Ventura County currently ranks 11th.

In 1997, the county saw more cut flower growers relocate from Los Angeles and Orange counties. And local growers began cultivating Asian vegetables on a large scale for the first time, McPhail said.

Another trend in local agriculture, he said, is the switch over to new varieties of oranges.

Lemon growers, who once dominated the summer lemon market, can expect to face increasing competition from Argentina.

McPhail said thousands of hectares of high-quality lemons are coming into production. ``And they can do things cheaper, obviously, than we can,'' he said.

Although El Nino pounded the county this year with record rainfall amounts, McPhail said every time he gazes into his crystal ball, it's always muddy. He noted that this year's production of strawberries - one of the crops hardest hit by El Nino-spawned rains - is 200 flats ahead of last year, though much of the increase is in the lower-priced processing berries.

The crop report also noted that Ventura County has lost between 700 and 1,000 acres of agricultural land in the past two or three years.

TOP CROPS

Here are Ventura County's top 10 agricultural products for 1997 and their value:

Lemons - $217.4 million.

Strawberries - $143.5 million.

Nursery stock - $94.9 million.

Celery - $94.3 million.

Valencia oranges - $69.8 million.

Avocados - $61.4 million.

Cut flowers - $43.5 million.

Lettuce - $25.9 million.

Broccoli - $25.9 million.

Peppers - $17.4 million.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

PHOTO Ventura County farms, like this one near Moorpark, reaped a record-setting crop value in 1997, despite losing up to 1,000 acres.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

BOX: (ran in Conejo Edition only) TOP CROPS (see text)