Farm Census

Sussex County, Delaware

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,053 farms262,079 acres in farms$1.42 billion in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Sussex County leads the country in broilers sold.

Its largest product group with a published figure, poultry and eggs, makes up 82.1% of farm sales, against 76.1% across Delaware.

Poultry and eggs: 82.1%Poultry and eggs82.1%Grains and oilseeds: 11.5%Grains and oilseeds11.5%Vegetables and melons: 4.0%4.0%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.5%1.5%Milk: 0.4%Fruit and nuts: 0.1%Cattle and calves: 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Hay and other crops: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Christmas trees: under 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 82.1%Poultry and eggs82.1%Grains and oilseeds: 11.5%Grains and oilseeds11.5%Vegetables and melons: 4.0%4.0%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.5%1.5%Milk: 0.4%Fruit and nuts: 0.1%Cattle and calves: 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Hay and other crops: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Christmas trees: under 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: hogs and pigs and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$1.16 billion1st of 3
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$163 million1st of 3
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$57.1 million1st of 3
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$20.9 million1st of 3
Milk from cows$6.2 million1st of 3
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$2.0 million2nd of 3
Cattle and calves$1.2 million2nd of 3
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$559,0003rd of 3
Hay and other crops$349,0003rd of 3
Other animals and animal products$144,0002nd of 3
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$39,0001st of 3
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$23,0003rd of 3

What the fields held

Sussex County harvested 200,799 acres of cropland in 2022, first of 3 counties in Delaware. Corn for grain covered acreage equal to 48% of that, soybeans 40%.

CropAcresShare of US
Corn for grain95,4090.12%
Soybeans79,8480.09%
Wheat21,1180.06%
Vegetables13,1550.31%
of which potatoes3under 0.1%
Barley5,8580.24%
Hay and haylage1,998under 0.1%
Grain sorghum814under 0.1%
Orchard land426under 0.1%
of which grapes27under 0.1%
of which apples2770.07%
Berries25under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms43.7%

Sussex County ranks second of 3 counties in Delaware on this measure.

  • 206,899 acres of cropland, 79% of farmland
  • 3,410 acres of pastureland, 1% of farmland
  • 24,423 acres of woodland, 9% of farmland
  • 83,348 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Sussex County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 37 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 249 acres, first-largest of 3 in Delaware. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 41.7% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 6.9% of the total.

1–916%10–4942%50–17921%180–49910%500–9994%1,000–1,9994%2,000+3%
Sussex County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Broilers sold in 2022176,369,4721.9%
Horses and ponies607under 0.1%
Goats416under 0.1%
Milk cows1,076under 0.1%
Cattle and calves3,415under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs153under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs1,762under 0.1%
Beef cows676under 0.1%
Laying hens1,778under 0.1%

Withheld: turkeys.

Who farms here

Decisions on Sussex County's 1,053 farms are made by 1,837 producers. Their average age is 60.0, 1.2 years above the Delaware average. Women are 32.5% of them.

Under 357%35–4410%45–5415%55–6428%65–7423%75+17%
Sussex County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,119−5.9%
Land in farms, acres275,473−4.9%
Average farm size, acres246+1.2%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$1.01 billion+39.9%
Broilers sold, head192,955,668−8.6%
Vegetables, acres20,743−36.6%
Barley, acres8,178−28.4%
Corn for grain, acres111,890−14.7%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Sussex County accounts for 67.6% of farm sales in Delaware and 48.8% of the farms in Delaware. Rank Delaware counties for broilers sold.

Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.