Spinach Facts

California produces 74 percent of the fresh spinach grown in the United States. It grows 67 percent of the processing spinach, which is sold frozen or canned.

Other spinach-growing states include Arizona, New Jersey, Texas, Colorado and Maryland.

California farmers sold 263,000 tons of spinach in 2005, roughly 527 million pounds.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture lists the value of the state’s total 2005 spinach crop at $258.3 million. Its figure includes the table-ready value of spinach after it leaves the farm for further processing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists the on-farm value of fresh spinach at $106.5 million; that figure includes only what farmers were paid, not the added value included in the CDFA figure.

Spinach ranks No. 27 among all California crops and commodities.

Of the spinach grown in California, 73 percent comes from Monterey County. Other spinach-growing counties include Imperial, San Benito, Riverside and Ventura.

Spinach acreage has grown rapidly during the past five years, according to the state Department of Food and Agriculture. Here are the recent totals for acreage of fresh spinach in California:
2005 31,000
2004 28,000
2003 26,000
2002 21,000
2001 15,000

According to the most recent U.S. Census of Agriculture, there were 232 spinach farmers in California in 2002.

On average, each American eats 3 pounds of spinach a year, according to the USDA: 2 pounds of fresh spinach and 1 pound of processing spinach. Consumption has risen steadily, especially for fresh spinach.

Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, California Department of Food and Agriculture