Top West Virginia Agriculture Facts From the 2024 Census of Agriculture
Download West Virginia Census of Ag Infographic PDF
West Virginia’s agriculture sector makes a significant impact on the state economy each year. According to the USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture, there are 22,787 farms in West Virginia with a market value of agricultural products sold totaling nearly $948 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 West Virginia has increased by 9% since 2002. There are more than 3.5 million acres of farm land in West Virginia, and the state’s average farm size is 156 acres.
The market value of crops grown in West Virginia, including nursery and greenhouse crops, totaled more than $232 million in 2022. The market value of livestock, poultry and their products, including beef, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs, came to nearly $716 million.
What Are West Virginia’s Top Agricultural Products?
According to the most recent available cash receipts (the total amount of crops or livestock sold in a calendar year), West Virginia’s top agricultural products include broilers (chickens raised for meat), cattle and calves, turkeys, chicken eggs, and hay, to name a few.
See More: West Virginia Agriculture
Who Owns West Virginia Farms?
The Census of Agriculture calculates farm ownership by the farm’s legal status for tax purposes. Like many states, West Virginia farms are primarily owned and operated by families or individuals, with 21,117 family farms as of 2022, or about 92.7% of all farms in the state. Partnerships account for 841 farms, or 3.7%, while corporations own just over 600 farms, or 2.7%. Other farms, such as estates or trusts, prison farms, grazing associations, American Indian Reservations, etc., make up about 1% of farms in West Virginia.
West Virginia farmers are predominantly men. According to the Census of Agriculture, there were 25,258 male farmers in West Virginia in 2022, making up 65% of the state’s total producers. West Virginia’s 13,851 women farmers accounted for 35% of the total.
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How Old Are West Virginia Farmers?
Out of 39,109 farmers in West Virginia, most are over the age of 55. In fact, the average age of a West Virginia farmer is 58.7 years old, up from 57.5 years in 2017.
Just over a quarter of West Virginia farmers (around 25.1%) fall into the age group of 65 to 74 years, and 24.8% of farmers are ages 55 to 64. Farmers ranging from 45 to 54 years old account for 16%, followed by farmers age 75 or older (14.6%), then farmers ages 35 to 44 (11.4%). Only 6.3% of farmers are ages 25 to 34, and just 695 West Virginia farmers are under 25, or about 1.8%.
West Virginia counts 3,159 young producers (age 34 or younger).
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More West Virginia Farm Facts
Though the state counts more than 39,000 agricultural producers, 63% of West Virginia farmers have a primary occupation other than farming. Only about 14,435 respondents to the Census of Agriculture said their primary occupation was farming.
Active duty military members and veterans also account for some farmers, as West Virginia has 4,492 farmers with current or past military service.
In 2022, West Virginia counted 374 producers of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin.
West Virginia is home to 34 USDA-certified organic farms.
The state’s broiler chicken inventory totaled a whopping 70,182,475 in 2022.
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