Berries are fast becoming Ventura County's premier crop as citrus sales sag, according to the 2006 crop report released Wednesday.

Signs of a berry takeover are emerging, with county Agricultural Commis-sioner Earl McPhail predicting the future will see more blueberries, blackberries and other brush berries planted locally.

Overall, Ventura County's agriculture industry generated a record $1.5 billion in 2006, up from the previous high of $1.4 billion in 2004. The results might be slightly skewed, however, because 10 percent to 15 percent more growers participated in reporting their numbers last year than in 2005.

The top 10 crops in 2006 were the same as in 2005, but the order changed slightly. Raspberry sales have soared from $20 million in 2002 — the first year the fruit was among the county's million-dollar crops — to $81.2 million in 2006, more than a 300 percent gain. During that span, raspberries climbed from No. 10 to No. 7 among all crops.

Strawberries were still king in 2006, with a gross value of $366 million, up nearly 23 percent from $297.9 million in 2002.

By comparison, sales of Valencia oranges dropped from $24.9 million in 2002 to $19.7 million in 2006. Lemons have generally remained steady, with revenue at $182.6 million in 2002 and $191.6 million in 2006.

Growers elsewhere in California produce so many oranges, McPhail said, "that it really doesn't make a lot of sense to grow Valencias and navels here."

Instead, Ventura County farmers are turning to high-value crops to make the most of the 96,000 acres of irrigated land available.

Rex Laird, the Ventura County Farm Bureau's chief executive officer, called it "intense farming" that takes a lot of work on a daily basis.

"We have a unique county, and we're establishing a unique niche within the state's industry," he said. "We have and will continue to generate more per acre than most counties in the state already, and I don't see that changing."

The Limoneira Co. recently took 200 acres of lemon trees out of production to lease the ground for strawberries, said Senior Vice President Alex Teague. The 200 acres accounted for 10 percent of its lemon acreage.

"I think it's a natural change in what the consumers want and what's the best use of the land," he said. "If strawberries can earn more money, it's supply and demand."

What sets Ventura County apart from some other agricultural communities, Teague said, is that farming here is "treated as a business, not a hobby or lifestyle."

Limoneira has yet to venture into blueberries. "I think as demand continues to grow and the distribution system gets more refined in handling softer berries, they'll continue to grow," he said. "We haven't had the courage yet to try it."

Craig Underwood, owner of Underwood Ranches in Camarillo, began planting blueberries five years ago and intends to expand the acreage. Countywide, he expects blueberries to swell to several hundred acres within the next few years.

It's nowhere near the 1,492 acres of raspberries or 11,936 acres of strawberries, but Underwood believes it's a strong number.

Ventura County's weather makes for a longer harvesting season — between January and the end of July — during which blueberry growers in Chile, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida aren't producing as much.

"Clearly berries enjoy a competitive advantage here," Underwood said. "Climate, water, labor force — a lot of things make Ventura County a great berry-growing area."

There is no current berry leader in the state, according to state Department of Food and Agriculture spokesman Steve Lyle. Monterey County is a big strawberry producer, Santa Cruz County has raspberries and San Joaquin County is the leading blueberry producer.

Ventura County produces all three but doesn't lead in any one area, he said, although it's certainly "a berry-growing hotbed."

Compared with other counties in California, McPhail said, he believes Ventura County will definitely place in the top 10 in production.

"We're very, very pleased with that," he said. "Nationwide, we'll probably be 15th or 16th in the nation as far as total ag production in counties, and we're also very pleased with that, especially when you consider we're somewhere around 96,000 irrigated acres left in the county."

McPhail attributed the record year partly to a lack of floods or fires. "That was a big help," he said.