Cooperative Living May 2023 - 37

FARM LIFE
Virginia's
Springtime on the Farm
Celebrate the season with Virginia-grown products
Story courtesy of Virginia Farm Bureau Federation
A
s the weather warms, spring produce ripens and
people venture out to pick strawberries or visit
farmers' markets to buy locally grown herbs,
spinach, asparagus and more.
That's why spring is also the perfect time to celebrate
the diversity of Virginia agriculture, and the farmers who
make it all happen.
Agriculture is Virginia's largest private industry, and
it generates over $82 billion in economic impact each year
and creates 381,000 jobs.
That impact can be credited in part to Virginia's
41,500 farms, which occupy 7.7 million acres from the far
southwest to the Shenandoah Valley to the coastal plains.
This diverse range of climates and landscapes allows farmers
to cultivate a little bit of everything - from broccoli and
watermelon to sheep and shellfish.
Many of these Virginia commodities even rank
among the top 10 in the U.S. In 2021, Virginia ranked
third nationally to produce tobacco; fourth for seafood;
sixth for apples, pumpkins and turkeys; eighth for peanuts;
and ninth for broiler chickens.
Virginia agriculture spans five centuries. And as Virginia
products make their way across the nation and the world,
some have become synonymous with the Old Dominion,
like country hams and Virginia peanuts.
TOP FIVE COMMODITIES:
* Broiler chickens - $956.5 million
* Cattle - $381.4 million
* Turkeys - $345.2 million
* USDA-classified " other " crops like vegetables,
barley, mushrooms, sunflowers - $321.9 million
* Milk and other dairy products - $297.8 million
TOP FIVE FARM COUNTIES (BY ACREAGE):
* Augusta - 290,911 acres
* Pittsylvania - 246,322 acres
* Rockingham - 228,542 acres
* Fauquier - 216,666 acres
* Bedford - 211,087 acres
agriculture industry
generates over $82
billion and creates
381,000 jobs.
Did you know that the commonwealth's farmers
generated exports worth more than $4 billion in 2021?
In fact, Virginia-grown agricultural products are exported
to 152 countries, from Argentina to Zimbabwe!
TOP FIVE AGRICULTURAL TRADE PARTNERS:
* China - $1.36 billion
* Canada - $362 million
* Taiwan - $161 million
* Mexico - $139.6 million
* Japan - $129 million
TOP FIVE AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS:
(BASED ON MARKET VALUE)
* Soybeans - $1.13 billion
* Pork - $621.8 million
* Edible pork and beef offal - $240.7 million
* Soybean meal - $233.8 million
* Poultry - $200.3 million
Most Virginia farms average around 186 acres, and
family is at the heart of most, with 97% of those farms
owned and operated by families.
VIRGINIA FARM DEMOGRAPHICS:
* The typical farmer is 58.5 years old.
* About 36% of Virginia's primary farm operators
are women.
* White farmers account for more than 68,000 of
Virginia producers; Black farmers account for nearly
1,800; and Hispanic and Latino farmers account
for about 800.
* New and beginning farmers (10 years or less
on any farm) account for 27% of all producers.
Information was gathered from the Virginia Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Weldon Cooper Center for
Public Service and the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
To find a farm store or farmers' market near you,
visit virginiagrown.com.
co-opliving.com
May 2023 ● Cooperative Living ●
35
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Cooperative Living May 2023

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