Dairy farming and cattle ranching. In the late 1800's people in San Francisco relied on Humboldt County farmers to produce much of their cheese and butter. Much of the land in Humboldt County was open pasture for cows to graze in. Many families lived on dairy and cattle ranches where every member of the family was expected to help take care of the cows. Today, Humboldt County dairy farms provide just 1 percent of the milk to the state.
Dairy farming is still the largest agricultural industry in Humboldt County, however.
Dairies provide about 400 jobs to county residents. Some of the dairy farms and cattle ranches are even run by the grandchildren of the original owners. Published by the Humboldt County Farm Bureau. Since the 1960's, the source of growth in county employment has come from the service and retail sales industries, as well as from state and local government positions. Far fewer people in the county are working on the land with the natural resources.