Why Agave Might Grow up to Be the Next Cash Crop in California
September 14, 2022 Agriculture in California continues to be in the pressure cooker as drought, wildfires, and other climate extremes become the norm. But a new industry focused on growing and distilling agave plants — the main component used to produce tequila and mezcal in Mexico — could be the Golden State’s answer to fallowed fields and a lack of water.
Earlier this year, a group of growers, distillers, and retailers formed the California Agave Council to foster collaboration and offer a chance to share knowledge among members who previously had no formal network.
Now, the University of California, Davis, has established the Stuart & Lisa Woolf Fund for Agave Research to focus on outreach and research into the plants and their viability as a low-water crop in the state.
“The rainfall patterns and growing conditions in California are different from those where tequila is made,” says Ron Runnebaum, an Assistant Professor of viticulture and enology. “It is exciting to begin to harness the capabilities at UC, Davis to determine which agave varieties can be grown commercially in California and what flavors can be captured by distillation to make unique California agave spirits.”
According to UC, Davis, the fund was created with a $100,000 seed gift from Stuart and Lisa Woolf, who are Central Valley farmers and have a test plot of about 900 agave plants on 1.5 acres. The gift is focused primarily on optimizing production in California relative to Mexico, where labor costs are lower, and the farmers rely on rain rather than irrigation for water. Stuart Woolf believes California producers could grow larger plants with higher sugar content.
“I really believe we could be very competitive with Mexico,” he says.
The research also offers a chance to better understand the impact of location on the growth of the plant, which can be a source of fiber and alternative sweetener as well as the distilled spirits it can produce.
“As a drought-tolerant plant, agave holds great potential in water-stressed California,” Woolf adds. “It’s a crop that could get by with little to no water during periods of extreme drought.”
For more, continue reading at caes.ucdavis.edu.