Agricultural Resources Facts and Statistics

• Massachusetts is 2nd in New England for direct sales of farm products to consumers. At $42M in direct sales, Massachusetts farmers were responsible for 40 percent of New England's total.
• Massachusetts ranks 9th nationally in total value of direct sales, following states such as California, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Washington
• Massachusetts ranks 2nd nationally in value of average direct market sales at $25,356 per farm
• More than 80% of Massachusetts farms are family-owned. Over 95% fit the category of "small farms", sales below $250,000
• Massachusetts ranks 1st in the U.S. for farmland value at $12,202 per acre
• Female farm operators account for 29% of the farm operators in MA, up from 21% in 2002
• Massachusetts increased number of organic farms from 129 in 2002 to 295 in 2007, and organic sales from $7.8M in sales in 2002 to $17.5M in 2007
• Agritourism income totaled $5.3M, up from $665,000 in 2002

Sources: New England Agricultural Statistics 2007 and U.S. Census of Agriculture 2007