Farm Census

Jefferson County, Florida

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

597 farms189,120 acres in farms$115 million in farm sales

No other county in Florida with a published figure has more pecans than Jefferson County.

Its pecan acreage grew between 2017 and 2022, the fifth-largest increase among the 70 leading pecan counties of 2017 with figures in both years.

Nursery and greenhouse: 59.6%Nursery and greenhouse59.6%Withheld groups: 29.9%Withheld groups29.9%Fruit and nuts: 5.7%5.7%Hay and other crops: 1.6%1.6%Grains and oilseeds: 1.4%1.4%Cotton: 0.9%0.9%Vegetables and melons: 0.3%Poultry and eggs: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Hogs and pigs: under 0.1%Nursery and greenhouse: 59.6%Nursery and greenhouse59.6%Withheld groups: 29.9%Withheld groups29.9%Fruit and nuts: 5.7%5.7%Hay and other crops: 1.6%1.6%Grains and oilseeds: 1.4%1.4%Cotton: 0.9%Vegetables and melons: 0.3%Poultry and eggs: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Hogs and pigs: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: cattle and calves and milk.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$68.3 million11th of 55
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$6.5 million20th of 56
Hay and other crops$1.9 million29th of 49
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$1.7 million15th of 37
Cotton and cottonseed$991,00010th of 10
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$335,00040th of 52
Poultry and eggs$248,00019th of 46
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$239,00010th of 52
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$152,00035th of 50
Other animals and animal products$33,00042nd of 47
Hogs and pigs$31,00017th of 34

What the fields held

Jefferson County harvested 21,218 acres of cropland in 2022, 33rd of 62 counties in Florida. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 38% of that, orchard land 15%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage7,988under 0.1%
Orchard land3,2400.05%
of which grapes121under 0.1%
of which citrus5180.07%
of which apples1under 0.1%
of which pecans2,5510.42%
Soybeans1,595under 0.1%
Cotton1,221under 0.1%
Peanuts1,1210.08%
Corn for grain538under 0.1%
Vegetables71under 0.1%
of which potatoes5under 0.1%
Berries54under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms49.4%

Jefferson County ranks tenth of 62 counties in Florida on this measure.

  • 41,701 acres of cropland, 22% of farmland
  • 35,681 acres of pastureland, 19% of farmland
  • 88,509 acres of woodland, 47% of farmland
  • 5,421 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Jefferson County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 45 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 317 acres, 16th-largest of 61 in Florida. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 39.0% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 5.2% of the total.

1–913%10–4939%50–17928%180–4999%500–9995%1,000–1,9993%2,000+2%
Jefferson County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Cattle and calves29,064under 0.1%
Horses and ponies785under 0.1%
Goats740under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs157under 0.1%
Laying hens4,069under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs226under 0.1%
Turkeys24under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 202273under 0.1%

Withheld: beef cows and milk cows.

Who farms here

Decisions on Jefferson County's 597 farms are made by 1,031 producers. Their average age is 60.6, 1.1 years above the Florida average. Women are 37.6% of them.

Under 354%35–449%45–5419%55–6424%65–7427%75+17%
Jefferson County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms592+0.8%
Land in farms, acres167,960+12.6%
Average farm size, acres284+11.6%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$36.1 million+100%
Pecans, acres1,343+89.9%
Peanuts, acres2,123−47.2%
Citrus, acres54+100%
Orchard land, acres1,467+100%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Jefferson County accounts for 1.1% of farm sales in Florida and 1.3% of the farms in Florida. Rank Florida counties for pecans.

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