Volume 13 Issue 2
USDA recently released the 2022 Agriculture Census. This effort happens every five years and is the most in-depth analysis of agriculture in the United States. The publication covers everything from the number of farms to farm gate sales to the number of acres with tile drainage installed. Since the USDA surveys farmers with very similar questions every five years, we can look at trends over time. This short article is part of a 2-part series on changes in agriculture in Whatcom County that includes some summary highlights of Whatcom County, western Washington, and Washington State.
NOTE: USDA NASS adjusted the method by which they acquired information for the 2002 Ag Census, so the data has either an abrupt up or down value for that year.
Number of Farms
(click on graphs to make them larger)
- The number of farms has continued to decline since 1997 across Washington (-18.5%), western Washington (-9.7%), and Whatcom County (-5.8%).
- Farms with direct-to-consumer sales dropped in Washington (~20%) and western Washington (3.1%), and increased in Whatcom County (17.9%).
Farmland
(click on graphs to make them larger)
- Farm acreage has continued to decline since 1997 across Washington (12.19%), western Washington (11.7%), and Whatcom County (9.6%)
Farmland Ownership
(click on graphs to make them larger)
- Between 2002 and 2022 farmland ownership increased to 54% from 45% with a relevant reduction in rented acres from 47% down to 39%.