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Impact 4.3-3 Reduction in Agricultural.Production •`. All Quarry Excavation Alternatives (1 2, and.31 The proposed project would result in the disturbance of the entire 142-acre project site. At present, approximately fit acres of the project site contain apricot orchards. These trees are not currently used for active fruit production. The remaining approximately 81 acres were formerly apricot orchard, however, the trees were recently removed due to their age and reduced production. Implementation of Alternatives 1, 2, and 3 would result in the temporary disturbance of the entire 942-acre project site, and the permanent loss of 54 acres of potentially productive agricultural land as the acreage would be converted to quarry slopes (the 88-acre balance of the project site is proposed for post-reclamation agricultural uses). As proposed, the reclamation plan call for the use of fines from the settling basins as topsoil for the pit floor. The use of such materials, and the ability to create sustainable agricultural uses on the pit floor, are questionable. In order to evaluate the project's effects on farmland production, it was assumed that the entire 142-acre project site would be permanently removed from agricultural production. This is a conservative assumption since the site is not currently under active agricultural production (although the potential exists); and the proponent is proposing 88 acres be returned to agricultural production following reclamation. The loss in production is assessed based on a regional level (i.e., the County), -in accordance with the methodology recommended by the California Department of Conservation for the proposed project in their comment letter on the Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the EIR. (Refer to Section 7.1 for a copy of the NOP and comment letters.) To analyze the loss of agricultural production, crop production and values for the entire County were examined including the contribution of apricots as.a crop. The total gross value of agricultural production in San Joaquin County for 1995 (the most recent year for which data is available)was estimated in excess of$1.2 billion which represents an all time record for the County. Of that total, "Fruit and Nut Crops" contributed approximately $546 million, and represented the single greatest increase in crop value from the prior year (a 23% increase from the 1994 contribution of$428 million) (San Joaquin County Agricultural Commissioner's Office, 1996). Apricots contributed approximately $3.5 million to total County production, down from $9.6 million in 1994. Total acreage harvested in the County was 3,330 in 1995, also down from the 1994 total of 3,380 acres. The decrease in total fiscal contribution of apricots, appears to be related to a reduction in yield per acre and crop value (market price). The 1995 yield per acre was down approximately 50% from the 1994 rates (4.11 tons/acre versus 8.40 tons/acre, respectively). The cost per ton was $259 in 1995 versus $338 in 1994 (San Joaquin County Agricultural Commissioner's Office, 1996). Draft Environmental Impact Report 4-32, ER-96-3