New Study Shows Agriculture’s Impact On This Bay Area County

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Marin County agriculture pumped $257.2 million into the local economy, providing 1,081 jobs in 2023, according to a new study.

Agricultural Commissioner Joe Deviney released the report “Economic Contribution of Marin County Agriculture” Tuesday at the Marin County Board of Supervisors meeting.

“Instead of stopping at raw farm-gate commodity production values, this study also quantifies local food processing, employment and economic ripple effects,” Deviney told Patch. “The findings offer vital information for anyone who is trying to determine if Ag is a vibrant and resilient local economy.”

Agricultural Impact Associates, a consulting firm specializing in agricultural economics, conducted the study led by Dr. Fernando DePaolis and Dr. Jeff Langholz.

Marin County agriculture pumped over $700,000 per day into the county economy, or $29,360 per hour, according to the study.

“We always knew agriculture contributed much more to Marin County than people realize,” Martin Pozzi, president of the Marin County Farm Bureau, told Patch. “Now, thanks to this study, we have a fuller sense of agriculture’s contributions. We appreciate the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office having this report developed.”

Of the $257.2 million in total economic contribution, $191.3 million came from direct economic output via production and processing. An additional Multiplier effects from agricultural supply purchases and employee spending generated $65.9 million. Agriculture supported 1,081 jobs: 750 direct in production/processing, 331 through company/supplier/employee expenditures.Agricultural lands provided an estimated $464.8 million to $2.081 billion in nonmarket services like scenic beauty, habitat and flood prevention, according to the study.

“The new study reminds us that a thriving, economically viable agricultural community truly exists here in Marin. The estimated values of the multitude of “ecosystem services” that our agricultural working lands provide to the entire community, potentially reaching over $2 billion in dollar values, are especially important to call out,” Lily Verdone, executive director of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, told Patch.