Farm Census

Suwannee County, Florida

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,170 farms184,350 acres in farms$290 million in farm sales

No other county in Florida with a published figure has more hay and haylage or broilers sold than Suwannee County.

Its number of broilers sold shrank between 2017 and 2022, the fourth-steepest decline among the 100 leading broiler counties of 2017 with figures in both years.

Poultry and eggs: 52.5%Poultry and eggs52.5%Milk: 15.7%Milk15.7%Nursery and greenhouse: 11.0%Nursery and greenhouse11.0%Hay and other crops: 9.0%Hay and other crops9.0%Cattle and calves: 4.0%4.0%Vegetables and melons: 3.9%3.9%Grains and oilseeds: 2.9%2.9%Fruit and nuts: 0.6%0.6%Horses and mules: 0.2%Other animals: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Hogs and pigs: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 52.5%Poultry and eggs52.5%Milk: 15.7%Milk15.7%Nursery and greenhouse: 11.0%11.0%Hay and other crops: 9.0%9.0%Cattle and calves: 4.0%4.0%Vegetables and melons: 3.9%3.9%Grains and oilseeds: 2.9%2.9%Fruit and nuts: 0.6%Horses and mules: 0.2%Other animals: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Hogs and pigs: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$152 million1st of 46
Milk from cows$45.5 million3rd of 9
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$31.8 million21st of 55
Hay and other crops$26.2 million6th of 49
Cattle and calves$11.5 million15th of 56
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$11.4 million28th of 52
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$8.3 million4th of 37
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$1.7 million32nd of 56
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$683,00013th of 50
Other animals and animal products$513,00024th of 47
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$248,0008th of 52
Hogs and pigs$21,00022nd of 34

What the fields held

Suwannee County harvested 69,839 acres of cropland in 2022, fifth of 62 counties in Florida. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 62% of that, peanuts 13%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage43,0470.08%
Peanuts9,2060.65%
Corn for grain6,012under 0.1%
Vegetables2,4290.06%
of which potatoes495under 0.1%
Orchard land1,302under 0.1%
of which grapes8under 0.1%
of which pecans9280.15%
Wheat900under 0.1%
Soybeans528under 0.1%
Oats291under 0.1%
Berries63under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage and citrus.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms41.8%

Suwannee County ranks 16th of 62 counties in Florida on this measure.

  • 85,965 acres of cropland, 47% of farmland
  • 49,678 acres of pastureland, 27% of farmland
  • 40,923 acres of woodland, 22% of farmland
  • 25,140 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Suwannee County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 50 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 158 acres, 33rd-largest of 61 in Florida. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 45.0% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 3.0% of the total.

1–94%10–4945%50–17931%180–49913%500–9994%1,000–1,9992%2,000+1%
Suwannee County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Broilers sold in 202225,329,9350.28%
Milk cows8,5830.09%
Goats1,8210.07%
Horses and ponies1,6910.07%
Beef cows13,423under 0.1%
Cattle and calves37,145under 0.1%
Laying hens122,025under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs1,239under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs281under 0.1%

Withheld: turkeys.

Who farms here

Decisions on Suwannee County's 1,170 farms are made by 2,069 producers. Their average age is 60.0, 0.5 years above the Florida average. Women are 43.0% of them.

Under 358%35–449%45–5412%55–6428%65–7426%75+17%
Suwannee County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,079+8.4%
Land in farms, acres169,847+8.5%
Average farm size, acres157+0.6%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$259 million+12.0%
Peanuts, acres13,509−31.9%
Broilers sold, head41,137,423−38.4%
Milk cows, head7,448+15.2%
Hay and haylage, acres29,615+45.4%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Suwannee County accounts for 2.8% of farm sales in Florida and 2.6% of the farms in Florida. Rank Florida counties for peanuts.

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