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County report: Monterey County agriculture contributes about $11.7 billion and supports roughly 81,000 full-time-equivalent jobs
Summary
The county's assistant agricultural commissioner presented a new economic-contributions report May 29 estimating $11.7 billion in total agricultural contributions for 2023 and approximately 81,000 full-time-equivalent jobs; the committee pressed for wage, seasonal-worker and category-definition details.
Monterey County's assistant agricultural commissioner presented the county's fourth economic contributions report to the Economic Development Committee on May 29, estimating agriculture's total contribution at about $11.7 billion for 2023 and supporting roughly 81,000 full-time-equivalent (FTE) jobs.
Richard Ordonez (assistant agricultural commissioner) told the committee the figure combines three components: $4.77 billion in farm production, $3.13 billion in local processing and $3.81 billion in multiplier effects that capture business-to-business spending and household spending by employees. The report estimated approximately 56,000 direct jobs in production and processing and another 24,000 jobs from multiplier effects, totaling about 81,000 FTEs.
The presentation stressed economic diversification: using a Shannon-Weaver index, the county's agricultural sector scored 0.57, which the presenter described as "above average" for diversification. Ordonez said the report draws on the county's 2023 crop-report data and work by two local economists. He recommended refreshing the study roughly every five years.
Committee members asked follow-up questions about how the report counts seasonal labor and H-2A workers, how median wages and livable-wage shares are represented, and why a "manufacturing" category ranks ahead of some expectations in the county industry list. Ordonez said the report presents FTE figures that convert seasonal hours into full-time-equivalent jobs and that some clarifications (such as H-2A inclusion and wage medians) would require additional data review.
Members highlighted threats to agricultural revenue that the report flags or that committee members noted in discussion: water availability, labor supply, and pests (including a recent winged sharpshooter/Pierce's disease concern affecting vineyards). The committee asked staff to consider adding seasonal-worker counts, median wage figures and a clearer definition of the manufacturing/processing category in future updates.
The report will inform county discussions about economic resilience, water policy impact and workforce strategies.
