CHAPTER 9
NATURAL RESOURCES
9.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents background information on Sutter County's natural resources, including agricultural, mineral, water, biological and air quality resources. The primary resource related industries within the County are in agricultural production and processing and natural gas production. Other resource extraction activities within Sutter County include several surface mines located around the Sutter Buttes and occasionally at other locations in the rural area. Other resource issues relating to surface and groundwater, vegetation and wildlife, and air pollution and quality are addressed in this chapter.
9.2 AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES
Overview
Sutter County is an agricultural county. The 1992 Census of Agriculture classifies 81.9 percent of the County's acreage as being in farms. This is the third highest percentage of land area of all counties in the State, behind only San Joaquin County at 98.4 and Merced County at 93.5 percent. Table 9.2-1, from the 1992 Census of Agriculture, summarizes agricultural land use in Sutter County.
TABLE 9.2-1
SUTTER COUNTY FARMLANDS
Land in County 388,358 Acres Wheat for Grain 25,746 Acres
Land in Farms 318,158 Acres Barley for Grain 622 Acres
Total Cropland 270,897 Acres Rice 76,130 Acres
Harvested Cropland 232,014 Acres Hay 9,627 Acres
Irrigated Land 200,646 Acres Vegetables 22,829 Acres
Woodland 15,856 Acres Orchards 57,479 Acres
Source: United States Census of Agriculture, 1992
The County's valley floor location between two major rivers has created over geological time a broad area of deep, rich agricultural soils with abundant surface and subsurface water. Together with an inland climate that provides for a long growing season, these factors have lead to a productive agricultural environment. Table 9.2-2 lists the total gross value of the County's agricultural commodity production from 1945 to 1992 as compiled by the Sutter County Agricultural Commissioner.
As can be seen from Table 9.2-2, the value of agricultural commodities produced in the County varies greatly from year to year. The reason for this price variation has to do with the fluxation of farm commodity prices, both nationally and internationally. Production value hit a high in 1981 at $316,465,000 while 1988 showed a "bottoming-out" of agricultural gross value during the 1980's. The first five years of the 1990's show continual upward movement in gross value and values are expected to continue upward, in part, due to potential overseas rice sales in Japan and Korea.
Agricultural activities within the County can generally be placed into one of two classes, either intensive agriculture, which includes field crops, seed crops, vegetable crops, fruit and nut crops, nursery stock, and apiary products (bee keeping), or extensive agriculture, which involves animal husbandry forms of agriculture. Table 9.2-3 summarizes the value of agricultural production by production groups from 1991 to 1994.
TABLE 9.2-2
GROSS VALUE OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
| YEAR | VALUE | YEAR | VALUE |
| 1945 | $33,381,000 | 1970 | $77,238,000 |
| 1946 | $41,347,000 | 1971 | $82,209,000 |
| 1947 | $41,291,000 | 1972 | $95,118,000 |
| 1948 | $39,684,000 | 1973 | $159,204,000 |
| 1949 | $36,731,000 | 1974 | $179,719,000 |
| 1950 | $41,930,000 | 1975 | $187,517,000 |
| 1951 | $52,003,000 | 1976 | $178,554,000 |
| 1952 | $49,494,000 | 1977 | $200,787,000 |
| 1953 | $44,815,000 | 1978 | $220,502,000 |
| 1954 | $38,783,000 | 1979 | $258,666,900 |
| 1955 | $43,224,000 | 1980 | $299,014,700 |
| 1956 | $49,381,000 | 1981 | $316,465,900 |
| 1957 | $41,313,000 | 1982 | $247,784,100 |
| 1958 | $38,786,000 | 1983 | $205,335,300 |
| 1959 | $50,707,000 | 1984 | $262,285,500 |
| 1960 | $50,536,000 | 1985 | $255,449,600 |
| 1961 | $55,585,000 | 1986 | $229,364,800 |
| 1962 | $57,322,000 | 1987 | $216,183,600 |
| 1963 | $55,155,000 | 1988 | $201,345,800 |
| 1964 | $66,740,000 | 1989 | $243,940,200 |
| 1965 | $64,564,000 | 1990 | $217,400,000 |
| 1966 | $71,627,000 | 1991 | $268,941,900 |
| 1967 | $69,313,000 | 1992 | $285,622,700 |
| 1968 | $80,275,000 | 1993 | $292,108,300 |
| 1969 |
$74,006,000 | 1994 | $343,203,000 |
Source: Sutter County Crop Report, 1994
TABLE 9.2-3
SUMMARY OF AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTION FARM VALUE
| 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | |
| Fruit and Nut Crops | $113,030,600 | $115,187,800 | $119,990,900 | $127,468,300 |
| Field Crops | $78,606,100 | $94,164,000 | $101,450,200 | $136,287,100 |
| Seed Crops | $5,920,500 | $9,468,800 | $8,673,700 | $8,377,700 |
| Vegetable Crops | $49,890,700 | $45,942,400 | $39,563,000 | $50,438,300 |
| Nursery Crops | $4,634,400 | $6,150,600 | $8,888,400 | $9,116,400 |
| Apiary Products | $1,624,000 | $725,500 | $701,400 | $530,800 |
| Livestock and Poultry | $14,224,800 | $13,731,100 | $12,647,400 | $10,789,100 |
| Livestock and Poultry Products | $1,010,700 | $252,500 | $193,300 | $195,300 |
| Total | $268,941,800 | $285,622,700 | $292,108,300 | $343,203,000 |
Source: Sutter County Crop Reports, 1992 and 1994.
Table 9.2-4 lists the ten leading crops by value from 1991 to 1994.
TABLE 9.2-4
LEADING CROPS BY VALUE
| 1991 | 1992 | ||
| RICE, all ** | $54,266,300 | RICE, all** | $68,046,100 |
| PRUNES, Dried | $49,134,500 | PRUNES, Dried | $44,364,700 |
| TOMATOES, all** | $37,100,100 | PEACHES, all | $34,965,400 |
| PEACHES, all | $32,619,300 | TOMATOES, all** | $30,694,900 |
| WALNUTS, all | $22,756,100 | WALNUTS, all | $22,336,100 |
| CATTLE & CALVES | $10,866,400 | MELONS, all** | $15,350,400 |
| MELONS, all** | $10,050,100 | CATTLE & CALVES | $11,174,500 |
| BEANS, dry, all** | $7,609,000 | NURSERY PRODUCTS, all | $6,026,000 |
| NURSERY PRODUCTS, all | $4,634,400 | WHEAT, GRAIN, all** | $5,995,800 |
| WHEAT, GRAIN, all** | $4,469,800 | BEANS, dry, all** | $5,309,800 |
TABLE 9.2-4 CON'T.
| 1993 | 1994 | ||
| RICE, all ** | $71,751,500 | RICE, all** | $103,435,500 |
| PRUNES, Dried | $29,210,600 | PRUNES, Dried | $58,224,200 |
| TOMATOES, all** | $27,306,900 | PEACHES, all | $29,857,100 |
| PEACHES, all | $31,928,900 | TOMATOES, all** | $36,138,900 |
| WALNUTS, all | $40,821,300 | WALNUTS, all | $25,628,800 |
| CATTLE & CALVES | $10,373,400 | MELONS, all** | $13,581,200 |
| MELONS, all** | $10,660,200 | CATTLE & CALVES | $8,650,900 |
| BEANS, dry, all** | $8,665,000 | NURSERY PRODUCTS, all | $9,116,400 |
| NURSERY PRODUCTS, all | $8,888,400 | BEANS, dry, all** | $7,513,400 |
| ALMONDS, all |
$8,148,000 | ALFALFA HAY, all | $6,978,200 |
* Acreage from Cling Peach Advisory Board
** Include Seed - Rice does not include Wild Rice
Source: Sutter County Crop Reports, 1992 and 1994
Soil Quality and Evaluation System
The soils of Sutter County vary in productivity. This variation is based upon different qualities of the soils found in the County. In 1986, the U.S. Soils Conservation Service (SCS) published the "Soil Survey of Sutter County, California". That survey classified each of the soil groups in Sutter County based upon the SCS Land Capability Classification System. The SCS system, which is based on effective soil depth, texture, water retention characteristics, slope, erosion potential, drainage and alkalinity-salinity factors as they relate to climate and precipitation, is the most universally recognized agricultural soil classification system. As shown in Table 9.2-5, soils are divided into eight classes indicated by Roman numerals based on these characteristics. Soils in Classes I through IV are considered suitable for cultivation, while soils in Classes V through VIII are generally unsuited for agriculture, although these soils may be used for range, watershed, wildlife and other non-intensive agricultural uses. Class I and II soils are considered "prime" agricultural land, Class III soils are considered "good", and Class IV soils are considered "fairly good" for agricultural use.
TABLE 9.2-5
SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE
LAND CAPABILITY CLASSIFICATION
| CLASS | LIMITATIONS |
| I | Soils have few limitations that restrict their use. |
| II | Soils have moderate limitations that reduce the choice of plants or that require moderate conservation practices. |
| III | Soils have severe limitations that reduce the choice of plants or that require special conservation practices, or both. |
| IV | Soils have severe limitations that reduce the choice of plants or that require very careful management, or both. |
| V | Soils are not likely to erode but have other limitations, impractical to remove that limit their use. |
| VI | Soils have severe limitations that make them generally unsuitable for cultivation. |
| VII | Soils have very severe limitations that make them unsuitable for cultivation. |
| VIII | Soils and miscellaneous areas have limitations that nearly preclude their use for commercial crop production. |
TABLE 9.2-6
SUTTER COUNTY AREA CLASSIFICATION
BY SCS LAND CAPABILITY CLASSIFICATION
| SOIL CLASS | ACRES |
| I | 70,445 |
| II | 114,333 |
| III | 91,220 |
| IV | 73,850 |
| V | 0 |
| VI | 30,445 |
| VII | 2,055 |
| VIII | 1,670 |
| Water Area | 4,340 |
| Total | 388,358 |
FIGURE 9.2-1
SOIL CLASSIFICATIONS
Based on the SCS classification, 47.6 percent (184,800 acres) of the area of Sutter County would be classified as prime agricultural soils if an adequate and dependable source of irrigation were available. Under the 1989 State Farmland Mapping Project, another 23.5 percent (91,220 acres) has soils of statewide importance. Together, these two soil groups, prime agricultural soils and soils of statewide importance, compose over 71 percent (275,998 acres) of the total area of Sutter County and comprise the most important agricultural lands of the County.
Intensive Agriculture
Intensive agriculture is defined as all agricultural practices involving cultivation of the land for the production of field crops, seed crops, vegetable crops, fruit and nut crops, nursery stock, and apiary (bee keeping) products. Figure 9.2-2 depicts the general area of these activities in Sutter County. This map is based upon the generalization of agricultural activities within the specific areas.
An important point to note is the location of the County's two incorporated cities and the Yuba City Urban Area. These areas are located on soil types that are classified as either prime or of Statewide importance. Of the 275,998 acres that are designated prime or of Statewide importance, approximately 10,500 acres are currently designated for urban uses. As expansion of these urban areas occurs, they will remove more of the best agricultural lands from production.
Extensive Agriculture
Extensive agriculture is defined as animal husbandry forms of agriculture. While this form of agriculture occurs throughout the County, the primary areas where it occurs are depicted in Table 9.2-7.
TABLE 9.2-7
MAJOR ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
ACTIVITY BY AREA
| AREA | LOCATION AND TYPE OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY ACTIVITY |
| Area 1 | That area west of the Yuba City Urban Area generally bounded by State Route 20 on the north, Bogue Road on the south, Township Road on the east and the Sutter Bypass on the west; used for dairies. |
| Area 2 | That area in the southeastern portion of the County adjacent to the Placer County line; used for dairies, horse ranches, game birds and cattle ranches. |
| Area 3 | That area in and around the Sutter Buttes; used primarily for cattle and sheep ranches, dairies and horse stables. |
| Area 4 | A small area west of the City of Live Oak along Pennington Road near Schroeder Road; used for dairies. |
Agricultural Commodity Values
Tables 9.2-8 through 9.2-12 lists individual, intensive agricultural crop gross production values for 1985, 1990 and 1994. These tables also list acreages for each crop and gross production value for each crop per acre. Table 9.2-13 list the same data by crop groups. Table 9.2-14 notes production values of apiary products for 1985, 1990 and 1994.