 California in the 1890s became the foremost wheat producer in the U.S. but could not really compete on the east coast with the burgeoning wheat lands being brought into production in the midwest were much closer to their markets.Other crops in California were usually found to be much more profitable and California joined the rest of the nation in importing most of its wheat from farms in the midwest.The year 1848 saw the close of Mexican control over Alta California, this period also marked the beginning of the rancheros' greatest prosperity.