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2022 USDA Agriculture Census Released

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

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Number of farms in Washington State, western Washington, and Whatcom County and the number of farms with direct-to-consumer sales in these three areas, 1997-2002
Figure 1. Number of farms in Washington State, western Washington, and Whatcom County and the number of farms with direct-to-consumer sales in these three areas, 1997-2002.

 

  • 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)

Amount of farmland (acres) in Washington State, western Washington, and Whatcom County, 1997-2002
Figure 2. Amount of farmland (acres) in Washington State, western Washington, and Whatcom County, 1997-2002.

 

 

 

  • Farm acreage has continued to decline since 1997 across Washington (12.19%), western Washington (11.7%), and Whatcom County (9.6%)

Farmland Ownership

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Farm ownership for Whatcom County, 2002-2022
Figure 3a-3c. Farm ownership for Whatcom County, 2002-2022.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Between 2002 and 2022 farmland ownership increased to 54% from 45% with a relevant reduction in rented acres from 47% down to 39%.