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Ag Facts
Worcester County
FarmlandNearly 20 percent of the state's farmland is located in Worcester County, totaling 103,538 acres on 1,094 farms. This is more farmland and more farms than any other county in the commonwealth. Economics & Employment
- Worcester County farms sold nearly $68.5 million worth of agricultural
products in 2002, up from $58 million in 1997.
- 1,602 workers are employed on 235 farms in Worcester County. 708 of those workers worked on farms 150 days or more during the year.
- Worcester County farms paid more than $11.2 million in wages to workers in 2002.
- About half of Worcester County farm operators report farming as their principle occupation. The remainder report principle occupations off the farm.
- The vast majority of Worcester County farms are family owned and operated, including sole proprietorships, partnerships and family-held corporations.
Women are the principle operators on 178 farms and 10,278 acres in Worcester
County.
The vast majority of Worcester County farms are family owned and operated,
including sole proprietorships, partnerships and family-held corporations.
Crops
The major commodity group in Worcester County is nursery and greenhouse
crops with $20.7 million in sales.
Other major products are dairy products, poultry, fruits and berries,
vegetables, and hay, silage and field seeds.
National Rank
Worcester County ranks fourth among all counties in the United States for the value of direct sales of agricultural products to consumers at nearly $5 million or 25 percent of the state's total.
Worcester County ranks 39th among all counties in the United States for apple production.
Sources: Sources: New England Agricultural Statistics, 2006; and U.S. Census of Agriculture, 2002
Compiled by: the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture, 251 Causeway Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114, 617-626-1700, www.mass.gov/dfa.
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