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I thought most avocado production was moved to Mexico. But after a little research, Rosie is right as usual. San Diego county (specifically Fallbrook) is still #1 in avocado production.
Great information but you can also find decent homes in other areas for under 500k. National City, Chula Vista, imperial beach, Otay mesa, spring valley and el cajon.
Agree. That's why I referred the OP to this thread:
Of course, the OP specified that they wanted a home "half the price of the median". The median price right now for a single family home in SD County is about $600,000 , which puts the budget at roughly $300,000. That budget is much trickier. You're not going to find many SF houses in El Cajon or Chula Vista (or Spring Valley) at that price. You will find some condos though and a few major fixer uppers.
Many thanks to all, especially RosieSD, for all this very helpful information, which is going to take me awhile to absorb and digest.
I had no idea San Diego County was #1 out of 3007 in part-time farmers, and #2 in farms with women as principal operator.
Is it possible that there are significant tax advantages and/or real estate advantages, to be being a part-time farmer?
Have you ever heard stories about persons or families becoming part-time farmers for reasons other than they like farming and/or want to make money farming?
What percent of the agricultural water needs to come from irrigation?
Where might I read a bit about the overall water picture -- water sources, water useage, water budgets, water quality, aquifers, etc -- in San Diego County?
Many thanks to all, especially RosieSD, for all this very helpful information, which is going to take me awhile to absorb and digest.
I had no idea San Diego County was #1 out of 3007 in part-time farmers, and #2 in farms with women as principal operator.
Is it possible that there are significant tax advantages and/or real estate advantages, to be being a part-time farmer?
Have you ever heard stories about persons or families becoming part-time farmers for reasons other than they like farming and/or want to make money farming?
Yes, there can be some tax incentives for being a farmer (not just part-time) IF you are actually making money from your farm.
There in lies the rub; you can't declare a "loss" year after year, and it is not as easy as some believe to sell crops and animals for a profit if you are a small operator.
To learn more about farming in San Diego County, I suggest you visit the San Diego Farm Bureau's website and give them a call. The University of California cooperative extension office is also a good source of information.
One major cost here is, of course the price of cultivatable land. I'm just guessing, but part of the reason that there may be so many small farms here is that, due to the terrain here, there just isn't a lot of flat land that isn't being used for other purposes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldWings
What percent of the agricultural water needs to come from irrigation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldWings
=
What percent of the agricultural water needs to come from irrigation?
Where might I read a bit about the overall water picture -- water sources, water useage, water budgets, water quality, aquifers, etc -- in San Diego County?
Have you ever heard stories about persons or families becoming part-time farmers for reasons other than they like farming and/or want to make money farming?
Water here is a major issue and cost for everyone, not just farmers.
We get about 9-10 inches of rain TOTAL over a "normal" year, and, as I'm sure you are aware, California has been in the throws of a major drought for sometime. Most of our rain happens during the winter months -- many (if not most) years, there is no real measurable rain from April - November.
So, it's impossible to even grow a backyard vegetable garden here with just rainwater. You will have to irrigate.
Water costs are VERY expensive here (even for agricultural purposes) compared to other places, and in some years we have had water rationing in place where you were not allowed to even water your lawn.
If you live in certain rural and semi-rural areas, you can put in a well, but underground acquirers here are spotty.
For instance, we have a little over three acres. We raise some small livestock, fruit trees, and vegetables on our property for our own use, so I guess we qualify as "small farmers not doing it for the money." Our house is attached to a water district, so we use that water for our daily needs in the house. However, about 20 years ago when there was water rationing from a "different" drought (in reality, we are always in drought here), we decided to put in a well for outside irrigation and for our livestock watering needs.
We had to go down 1200 feet to hit water, so it was not an inexpensive proposition to put in a well. We are very lucky in that we get at 30-35 gpm (gallons per minute) from our well, which makes it possible to meet most of our irrigation needs. Note, however, that we have very drought tolerant landscaping and much of our property is kept clear of vegetation for wild fire protection.
Just up the road from us, the properties are NOT attached to the water district. They are totally reliant on wells for all of their water use. The problem is that the underground aquifers for many of those properties are extremely limited.
We know of homes that get 1-5 gallons per minute from their wells -- that means they basically have water just for household use; they don't have water to "waste" on other purposes.
Even worse, we know folks whose wells have run dry during periods of extreme drought. They then have to truck in water at times, which gets to be very costly. Obviously, they are not going to be doing any farming in those conditions.
So, if the idea of buying property for growing crops or fruit trees appeals to you, or you are considering buying in a more rural or semi-rural area here, this is important to understand and research. There's available land for sale in Eastern San Diego County, but not all of it is going to be viable to build on (or farm on) because of water issues. (And, as I mentioned, available FLAT land that is totally usable is rare here; the County is very hilly and mountainous).
Obviously, you'll also want to research what types of crops CAN be grown here -- due to the heat and water conditions, some things are not realistic to grow on a large scale here. As an aside, farmers in Imperial County are able to grow more crops and do larger scale agriculture because they were assigned water rights way back when that give them more imported water than we get here. In fact, some IC farmers have sold their water to San Diego County and let their fields go fallow. But if you're looking for a lot of flat land, that is certainly the place, as long as your property has water rights.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldWings
Where might I read a bit about the overall water picture -- water sources, water useage, water budgets, water quality, aquifers, etc -- in San Diego County?
The San Diego County Water Authority would be a good starting point: https://www.sdcwa.org/
I would suggest that you get a subscription to the San Diego Union Tribune and read about this issue there. Some searches on google news will also turn up lots of information about the water situation in California in general, and in San Diego County in particular. Both are good ways to learn about life in the San Diego area in general as well. (You can also, of course, read through the archives here).
Once you have identified where you wish to buy a home, if the property is in a water district, you can contact the water district for information about specific water costs for that district.
If you are considering buying a property that relies on a well, I can't stress enough the importance of talking to an experienced local well driller about the water situation in the local area and on that property. If you're buying property where you'll be installing a well, plan on spending $10,000 and up to put in a well IF your property has a good water table. If you are buying a home with an existing well, be sure to ask a lot of questions about the well's output and age (there are some areas where well water is not drinkable for various reasons).
If you're thinking of buying property for agricultural use, the Farm Bureau and UC Cooperative Extension would probably be very good resources, as would your local water district if you're buying land in a district.
Many thanks to all, especially RosieSD, for all this very helpful information, which is going to take me awhile to absorb and digest.
I had no idea San Diego County was #1 out of 3007 in part-time farmers, and #2 in farms with women as principal operator.
Is it possible that there are significant tax advantages and/or real estate advantages, to be being a part-time farmer?
Have you ever heard stories about persons or families becoming part-time farmers for reasons other than they like farming and/or want to make money farming?
What percent of the agricultural water needs to come from irrigation?
Where might I read a bit about the overall water picture -- water sources, water useage, water budgets, water quality, aquifers, etc -- in San Diego County?
Many in Fallbrook have Avocados growing on their property and use a property management company to handle everything and it impacts their taxes as they are "agricultural". A friend ran such a company for years taking care and harvesting a lot of such properties and may still do so.
I thought most avocado production was moved to Mexico. But after a little research, Rosie is right as usual. San Diego county (specifically Fallbrook) is still #1 in avocado production.
You're also right though, cruitr. Because of rising water prices and other water related issues, many avocado growers here have scaled back production, sold part of their land, or started moving towards growing other more drought tolerant crops. As a result, imported avocados are making up a bigger share of avocados in the U.S. than they used to, even if SD County is still the number 1 producer in the U.S.
As an aside, while people with land used to slap avocado trees up and call themselves "gentlemen farmers" now the hot crop in the back country is now wine grapes. Just drive around Ramona; there are vineyards and wineries all over the place that didn't exist just a few years ago. It's happening in my area too. We've had three wineries open here in the last year. I have a "tasting room" within walking distance of my house (very convenient! ) and we have many friends who either already have or are in the process of planting vines on their property with the idea of some day starting "a small winery." It gives us a good chuckle; we joke that we now live in "Napa South."
You're also right though, cruitr. Because of rising water prices and other water related issues, many avocado growers here have scaled back production, sold part of their land, or started moving towards growing other more drought tolerant crops. As a result, imported avocados are making up a bigger share of avocados in the U.S. than they used to, even if SD County is still the number 1 producer in the U.S.
As of 2021, three-quarters of the avocados that Americans consume are imported from Mexico. Nearly 90% of our avocado imports come from a single state in Mexico — Michoacan — a region that is the new epicenter of Mexico's drug war. Because U.S. consumption of avocados has doubled over the past decade, we have unwittingly complicated the situation for our neighbors south of the border.
Great information but you can also find decent homes in other areas for under 500k. National City, Chula Vista, imperial beach, Otay mesa, spring valley and el cajon.
LOL, the "good old days!" (This post is 3 years old, btw.)
As of 2021, three-quarters of the avocados that Americans consume are imported from Mexico. Nearly 90% of our avocado imports come from a single state in Mexico — Michoacan — a region that is the new epicenter of Mexico's drug war. Because U.S. consumption of avocados has doubled over the past decade, we have unwittingly complicated the situation for our neighbors south of the border.
I buy avocados at the farmer's market from a grower in Riverside. His main crops are citrus, but he told me that because there is a serious citrus disease spreading towards his area, he might proactively take out all his oranges and lemons and replace them with more avocados. They are a major cash crop for him and only becoming more desirable.
Several years ago, during the long drought, he mentioned that a lot of his farming friends/neighbors had removed their avocados and replaced them with table grapes, which need less water. The reduced competition has also made his avocados more profitable.
This. Hell there is some super cheap property out in Salton City.
That said, there is a reason It is so cheap.
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