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REDWOOD CITY – San Mateo County may be better known for software than sunflowers, but flowers and potted plants are big business.

The estimated value of agricultural production in San Mateo County reached $116 million in 2025, up 9.3 percent from the previous year and the highest total since 2019, according to the 2025 Agricultural Crop Report.

The report, prepared by San Mateo County Agricultural Commissioner Koren Widdel and her staff, was accepted Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.

“Many people don’t realize just how important nursery crops are to agriculture in San Mateo County,” Widdel said. “They’re a big part of our economy.”

Floral and nursery crops were valued at nearly $71 million, up from $60.8 million in 2024. They accounted for roughly 61 percent of the value of all agricultural production in the county. Vegetables, the next-largest category, came in at $28.1 million.

The value of agricultural production has climbed about 26 percent since falling to $92 million in 2022. Production has risen each year since, although the $116 million total remains well below the $196 million reported in 1995.

“It’s encouraging to see the industry continue to grow for the second year in a row,” said San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose District 3 encompasses much of the county’s coast and agricultural land. “Farming, ranching and growing flowers and other plants in greenhouses is never an easy way to make a living. The numbers say a lot about the resilience of San Mateo County’s agricultural community.”

“For visitors to the coast, it can be easy to look at the farms and fields and think of them as scenery, but this is a legacy of love for the land that supports jobs and families,” Mueller said.

 The report provides a look at the variety of agriculture across the county — from Brussels sprouts and pumpkins to wine grapes, cattle, apples and honey:

• $18.3 million in organic agricultural production from 18 registered organic producers farming about 470 acres. Organic acreage increased by 4 percent, and total organic production value jumped 33 percent between 2024 and 2025.
• 3,179 tons of Brussels sprouts, the county’s most valuable individually reported vegetable crop at $6.3 million, despite a difficult year. Production per acre fell 21 percent due in part to the diamondback moth, a pest that attacks Brussels sprouts and other members of the cabbage family.
• 1,058 tons of pumpkins, up from 913 tons in 2024. The value climbed from $1.4 million to $1.8 million.
• 45,000 pounds of honey, worth just over half a million dollars.
• 171 acres of red and white wine grapes, with a combined value of about $2.1 million.

And don’t forget the calamari.

Commercial fishing operations landed more than 4 million pounds of market squid at Princeton Harbor in Half Moon Bay in 2025, worth just over $2 million. Squid landings can fluctuate dramatically due to ocean conditions; the reported catch was zero in the prior year.

Dungeness crab landings fell sharply, from 2.3 million pounds in 2024 to 693,000 pounds in 2025. Commercial Chinook salmon fishing remained closed for a second consecutive year due to low population levels and the impacts of previous droughts on spawning runs.

Commercial fishing figures are included in the crop report for informational purposes and are not counted toward the county’s agricultural production total.

A separate County study released in 2024 estimated that agriculture contributes about $223 million to the San Mateo County economy and supports more than 1,900 jobs in agricultural production, locally sourced food processing and related economic activity. The analysis was based primarily on 2022 economic data, when the value of agriculture production was valued at about $92 million, compared with $116.4 million in 2025.

“We’ve seen the value of agricultural production grow for three years in a row,” Widdel said. “That’s encouraging news. We’re an urban county, but we still have growers producing everything from Brussels sprouts and pumpkins to poinsettias. We have a bit of everything right here.”

About San Mateo County
Established in 1856, the County of San Mateo stretches from the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay and includes 20 cities and rural communities. Home to more than 750,000 residents, it is one of California’s most diverse counties with an economy driven by innovation, life sciences, agriculture and international trade and travel. In addition to serving unincorporated communities, the County provides countywide services that support the health, safety and quality of life of residents. Learn more at smcgov.org.