San Mateo County's farm output hit $116 million in 2025, a 9.3 percent jump from 2024 and the county's strongest agricultural year since 2019.

Flowers and potted plants drove the gains. Floral and nursery crops were valued at nearly $71 million, up from $60.8 million in 2024, according to the 2025 Agricultural Crop Report released by the county. That single category accounted for roughly 61 percent of all agricultural production value.

The Board of Supervisors accepted the report Tuesday, Sept. 15.

"Many people don't realize just how important nursery crops are to agriculture in San Mateo County," Agricultural Commissioner Koren Widdel said. "They're a big part of our economy."

Vegetables ranked second, valued at $28.1 million. Brussels sprouts were the most valuable individual vegetable crop at $6.3 million, though production per acre fell 21 percent due in part to the diamondback moth, a pest that attacks members of the cabbage family.

Pumpkin production climbed to 1,058 tons, up from 913 tons in 2024, with value rising from $1.4 million to $1.8 million. The county's 171 acres of wine grapes produced about $2.1 million worth of red and white varieties. Beekeepers harvested 45,000 pounds of honey worth just over half a million dollars.

Organic farming posted the sharpest percentage gain of any category. Eighteen registered producers farmed about 470 acres and generated $18.3 million in organic production, a 33 percent increase over 2024.

Overall agricultural value has climbed about 26 percent since bottoming out at $92 million in 2022, rising each of the three years since. The $116 million total still sits well below the $196 million the county reported in 1995.

Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose District 3 covers much of the county's coast and farmland, called farming and ranching in an urban county "never an easy way to make a living" and said the numbers speak to the resilience of local growers.

A separate 2024 county study estimated agriculture contributes about $223 million to the local economy and supports more than 1,900 jobs. That analysis relied on 2022 data, when production was valued at $92 million.

Commercial fishing saw wild swings. Boats landed more than 4 million pounds of market squid at Princeton Harbor in Half Moon Bay, worth just over $2 million, after zero squid landings in 2024.

Dungeness crab landings dropped from 2.3 million pounds to 693,000 pounds. Chinook salmon fishing stayed closed for a second consecutive year because of low population levels tied to past droughts. Fishing totals are not counted in the county's agricultural production figure.