Top Massachusetts Agriculture Facts From the 2024 Census of Agriculture

In partnership with: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources

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Thanks to the state’s geographic profile, Massachusetts agriculture encompasses everything from cranberries and oysters to nursery and greenhouse crops, cattle, and dairy. And the agriculture industry is a significant contributor to the Massachusetts state economy. According to the USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture, there are 7,083 farms in Massachusetts with a market value of agricultural products sold totaling more than $607 million. (The 2022 Census of Agriculture data released in February 2024 and is the most recent census data available.)

The number of farms in Massachusetts has decreased by 2% since 2017 but increased by 17% since 2002. There are more than 464,000 acres of farm land in Massachusetts, and the state’s average farm size is 66 acres.

The market value of crops grown in Massachusetts, including nursery and greenhouse crops, totaled more than $458 million in 2022. The market value of livestock, poultry and their products, including beef, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs, came to over $148 million.

See More: Massachusetts Agriculture

What Are Massachusetts’ Top Agricultural Products?

According to the most recent available cash receipts (the total amount of crops or livestock sold in a calendar year), Massachusetts’ top agricultural products include cranberries, floriculture, milk and other dairy products, turkey, and cattle and calves, to name a few.

Who Owns Massachusetts Farms?

The Census of Agriculture calculates farm ownership by the farm’s legal status for tax purposes. Like many states, Massachusetts farms are primarily owned and operated by families or individuals, with 5,520 family farms as of 2022, or nearly 78% of all farms in the state. Corporations account for 822 farms, or 11.6%, while 472 farms, or 6.7%, are owned by partnerships. Other farms, such as estates or trusts, prison farms, grazing associations, American Indian Reservations, etc., make up about 3.8% of farms in Massachusetts. 

Massachusetts farmers are predominantly men. According to the Census of Agriculture, there were 7,593 male farmers in Massachusetts in 2022, making up 57% of the state’s total producers. Massachusetts’ 5,691 women farmers accounted for 43% of the total.

See More: Massachusetts Farmers Market Programs Help Combat Food Insecurity

How Old Are Massachusetts Farmers?

Out of 13,284 farmers in Massachusetts, most are over the age of 55. In fact, the average age of a Massachusetts farmer is 58.7 years old, up from 57.6 years in 2017. 

More than a quarter of Massachusetts farmers (around 27.1%) fall into the age group of 65 to 74 years. Another quarter (26.8%)are ages 55 to 64. Farmers ranging from 45 to 54 years old account for 13.2%, followed by farmers over 75 years old (13%), then farmers ages 35 to 44 (11.4%). Only 6.5% of farmers are ages 25 to 34, and just 243 Massachusetts farmers are under 25, or about 1.8%.

See More: A Brief History of Massachusetts Agriculture

More Massachusetts Farm Facts

Though the state counts more than 13,000 agricultural producers, 55% of Massachusetts farmers have a primary occupation other than farming. Only about 6,003 respondents to the Census of Agriculture said their primary occupation was farming.

Active duty military members and veterans also account for some farmers, as Massachusetts has 948 farmers with current or past military service.

According to the census, there are 163 Black farmers in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts also counted 4,070 new and beginning producers in 2022, up from 3,538 in 2017. Of those new and beginning farmers, 1,912 were female.

See More: Massachusetts Grants Give Beginning Farmers Momentum

Massachusetts is home to 157 USDA-certified organic farms.

Farmers across Massachusetts cultivated 14,319 acres of berries in 2022, including 12,875 acres of cranberries.