For commercial growers considering planting cilantro or parsley, the costs and returns of producing in Ventura County are outlined in a new study by the University of California Cooperative Extension, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Institute, and UC Davis Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics.
“These studies provide growers with a baseline to estimate their own costs, which can help if they need to apply for production loans, project labor costs or market their crop” said Etaferahu Takele, UC Cooperative Extension farm management advisor and agricultural economist and study co-author.
The UC Cooperative Extension cost and return estimates are based on cilantro and parsley grown in Ventura County. Each study describes the cultural practices used for establishing, producing and harvesting the herbs, including land preparation, soil fertility and pest management, irrigation and labor needs.
Ventura County produces a diverse mix of vegetables and herb crops. Lately, the acreage in cilantro production has been increasing. Between 2002 and 2022, the cilantro acreage almost quadrupled from 1,257 acres to 4,065 acres, reflecting increases in demand for the herb often used in Latin American and Asian recipes.
The total cost to produce cilantro in 2025, using a yield of 1,200 cartons per acre, is approximately $7,316 per acre. Sold for $9 per carton, profit for cilantro before paying management is estimated at $3,480 per acre.
The total cost to produce parsley in 2025, using a yield of 2,200 cartons per acre, is approximately $14,759 per acre. Using a price received of $8.60 per carton, profit for parsley before paying management, is estimated at $4,713 per acre.
The researchers based their studies on an 800-acre farm, which was the average farm size of the growers they interviewed. Double cropping is common in Ventura County so the total land farmed for this sample is about 1,600 acres per year. Because growers produce multiple crops each year, planting and harvesting vegetable crops are year-round activities.
“Cilantro Production Costs and Profitability Analysis” and “Parsley Production Costs and Profitability Analysis” can be downloaded for free from the UC Cooperative Extension Ventura County website: https://ucanr.edu/county/cooperative-extension-ventura-county/vegetable.
Government agencies such as the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture can use the information when developing and implementing agricultural policies and programs.
The cost estimate studies were coauthored by Oleg Daugovish, UC Cooperative Extension strawberry and vegetable crop advisor in Ventura County; and Karen Jetter, research economist and associate director; Donald Stewart, staff research associate; and Fiona Ogunkoya, survey researcher, all of the UC ANR Policy Institute.
For more information about cost studies, contact Takele at ettakele@ucanr.edu.
These studies were funded by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Thelma Hansen Trust.