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Ag Facts
Hampden County
Farmland
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More than seven percent of the state's farmland is located in Hampden County, totaling 37,637 acres on 458 farms.
- The average Hampden County farm is 82 acres.
Economics
& Employment
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Hampden County farms sold more than $23.6 million worth of agricultural products in 2002.
- 1,138 workers are employed on 134 farms in Hampden County. 428 of those workers worked on farms 150 days or more during the year.
- Hampden County farms paid more than $6.6 million in wages to workers in 2002.
- Half of Hampden County farm operators report farming as their principle occupation. The remainder report principle occupations off the farm.
- The average Hampden County farmer is 55.7 years old and has operated his or her farm for 22.6 years.
- The vast majority of Hampden County farms are family owned and operated, including sole proprietorships, partnerships and family-held corporations.
Crops
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The major commodity group in Hampden County is nursery and greenhouse crops.
- The second largest commodity group is dairy and the third is vegetables.
National Rank
Hampden County ranks 66th among the top 100 counties in the U.S. for direct
sales of farm products to consumers at a value of $1.4 million.
Sources: "The Changing Landscape of Massachusetts
Agriculture" by David Holm, Daniel Lass and Richard Rogers; New
England Agricultural Statistics, 1998; and U.S. Census of Agriculture,
1997
Compiled by: the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, 251 Causeway Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114, 617-626-1700, www.mass.gov/dfa
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