Top Nevada Agriculture Facts From the 2024 Census of Agriculture
Download Nevada Census of Ag Infographic PDF
Agriculture is an important industry in Nevada, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to the state economy each year. According to the USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture, there are 3,122 farms in Nevada with a market value of agricultural products sold totaling nearly $960 million. (The 2022 Census of Agriculture data was released in February 2024 and is the most recent census data available.)
The number of farms in Nevada has decreased by 9% since 2017 but increased by 4% since 2002. There are nearly 5.9 million acres of farm land in Nevada, and the state’s average farm size is 1,889 acres.
The market value of crops grown in Nevada, including nursery and greenhouse crops, totaled more than $441 million in 2022. The market value of livestock, poultry and their products, including beef, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs, came to nearly $519 billion.
What Are Nevada’s Top Agricultural Products?
According to the most recent available cash receipts (the total amount of crops or livestock sold in a calendar year), Nevada’s top agricultural products include cattle and calves, hay, milk and other dairy products, chicken eggs, and turkeys, to name a few.
See More: Nevada Agriculture
Who Owns Nevada Farms?
The Census of Agriculture calculates farm ownership by the farm’s legal status for tax purposes. Like many states, Nevada farms are primarily owned and operated by families or individuals, with 2,372 family farms as of 2022, or about 76% of all farms in the state. Corporations account for 353 farms, or 11.3%, while 240 farms, or 7.7%, are owned by partnerships. Other farms, such as estates or trusts, prison farms, grazing associations, American Indian Reservations, etc., make up about 5% of farms in Nevada.
Nevada farmers are relatively evenly split between men and women. According to the Census of Agriculture, there were 3,273 male farmers in Nevada in 2022, making up 57% of the state’s total producers. Nevada’s 2,435 women farmers accounted for 43% of the total.
See More: What’s Growing? Nevada Produce Calendar
How Old Are Nevada Farmers?
Out of 5,708 farmers in Nevada, most are over the age of 55. In fact, the average age of a Nevada farmer is 57.4 years old, up from 57.8 years in 2017.
Just over a quarter of Nevada farmers (around 25.4%) fall into the age group of 55 to 64 years, and 23.9% of farmers are ages 65 to 74. Farmers ranging from 35 to 44 years old account for 14.6%%, followed by farmers ages 45 to 54 (13.9%), then farmers aged 75 or older (12.8%). Only 7.1% of farmers are ages 25 to 34, and just 135 Nevada farmers are under 25, or about 2.3%.
Nevada counts 538 farmers considered “young producers” (34 years old or younger).
See More: Top 5 Agritourism Destinations in Nevada
More Nevada Farm Facts
Though the state counts more than 5,000 agricultural producers, 53% of Nevada farmers have a primary occupation other than farming. Only about 2,706 respondents to the Census of Agriculture said their primary occupation was farming.
Active duty military members and veterans also account for some farmers, as Nevada has 596 farmers with current or past military service.
Nevada is home to 37 USDA-certified organic farms, up from 15 in 2017.
Nevada’s cattle and calf inventory totaled 438,511 in 2022.
The state had 3,005 colonies of honeybees in 2022.