Red Delicious apples are packed at Valicoff Fruit Co., Wapato, Wash., Oct. 12. Wholesale prices of Washington Red Delicious apples are softening as their volume grows.

OLYMPIA — Agricultural production in Washington state set a record of $10.7 billion in 2015 with apples leading the way for the 11th straight year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Northwest regional office in Olympia.

Total agricultural production was up 5 percent from the previous high of $10.2 billion in 2014. Values excluded government payments.

Much of the increase was in apples, which gained 26.6 percent at $2.39 billion in 2015 up from $1.89 billion in 2014, NASS said.

“It’s no accident the apple industry continues to make such a contribution to the state’s agriculture. It leads the world in innovation,” said Desmond O’Rourke, retired Washington State University agricultural economist in Pullman.

Apple prices were strong in the 2015-2016 sales season because the crop, while fourth largest in history, was smaller than crops in 2014 and 2012.

Apples represented 22 percent of the state’s total agricultural value in 2015 compared with 19 percent in 2014.

The industry has invested heavily in superior new apple varieties, new technology in orchards, storage and packing that “delivers outstanding product 12 months a year,” O’Rourke said.

Packing and marketing initiatives woo retailers and consumers as the industry raises the bar among world competitors, he said.

Beyond apples the other top four commodities listed by NASS held the same positions as in 2014.

Milk remained second at $1.14 billion. However, this was down 30 percent from 2014 and the lowest total since 2010. Cattle and calves, valued at $858 million, were third, a 6.5 percent increase.

Potatoes increased slightly to $772 million and remained fourth. Wheat rounded out the top five with a value of $600 million while down 16 percent.

All hay was sixth at $499 million, down 29 percent. All cherries were seventh at $477 million, down 12 percent. Eggs were eighth at $331 million, up 87 percent. All grapes were ninth at $296 million, down 1.7 percent.

Hops were 10th at $280 million, up 34.4 percent.

Record high production values were set for apples, cattle and calves, eggs and hops while milk, wheat, hay, cherries and grapes all declined.

Generally, Washington agriculture is “very healthy,” O’Rourke said, particularly on the crop side because of natural advantages in soil, climate and irrigation.

“There are few areas of the world that can grow hops as well as we can,” he said.

Wheat and hay are heavily influenced by global markets while Washington apples and sweet cherries are moving away from being commodities into more premium varieties, he said.

The increase in eggs was probably due to a price spike, he said. Eggs and milk are cyclical, he said.

Below the top 10, onions at $213 million increased 58 percent, blueberries increased 25 percent to $147 million, and red raspberries increased 51 percent to $89 million.

Sweet corn was down 21 percent to $98 million, corn for grain was down 35 percent to $75 million, barley was down 25 percent to $16.7 million and strawberries were down 29 percent to $7.8 million.