Farm Census

Oxford County, Maine

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

463 farms82,478 acres in farms$26.1 million in farm sales

No other county in Maine with a published figure has more corn for grain than Oxford County.

Its largest product group, vegetables and melons, makes up 44.7% of farm sales, against 36.6% across Maine.

Vegetables and melons: 44.7%Vegetables and melons44.7%Hay and other crops: 14.0%Hay and other crops14.0%Fruit and nuts: 12.7%Fruit and nuts12.7%Nursery and greenhouse: 6.7%6.7%Milk: 5.8%Milk5.8%Grains and oilseeds: 5.4%Grains and oilseeds5.4%Poultry and eggs: 5.0%Poultry and eggs5.0%Cattle and calves: 2.8%2.8%Horses and mules: 1.5%1.5%Hogs and pigs: 0.6%0.6%Sheep and goats: 0.6%0.6%Other animals: 0.1%Christmas trees: 0.1%Vegetables and melons: 44.7%Vegetables and melons44.7%Hay and other crops: 14.0%14.0%Fruit and nuts: 12.7%Fruit and nuts12.7%Nursery and greenhouse: 6.7%6.7%Milk: 5.8%Milk5.8%Grains and oilseeds: 5.4%5.4%Poultry and eggs: 5.0%5.0%Cattle and calves: 2.8%2.8%Horses and mules: 1.5%1.5%Hogs and pigs: 0.6%Sheep and goats: 0.6%Other animals: 0.1%Christmas trees: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$11.7 million3rd of 13
Hay and other crops$3.7 million4th of 14
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$3.3 million7th of 16
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$1.8 million7th of 13
Milk from cows$1.5 million10th of 10
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$1.4 million3rd of 11
Poultry and eggs$1.3 million1st of 11
Cattle and calves$724,00010th of 16
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$394,0002nd of 11
Hogs and pigs$160,0004th of 16
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$159,00010th of 16
Other animals and animal products$30,0009th of 9
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$28,00012th of 12

What the fields held

Oxford County harvested 14,058 acres of cropland in 2022, eighth of 16 counties in Maine. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 60% of that, corn for grain 17%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage8,406under 0.1%
Corn for grain2,380under 0.1%
Vegetables2,125under 0.1%
of which potatoes1,8560.17%
Orchard land475under 0.1%
of which grapes3under 0.1%
of which apples4710.11%
Corn for silage226under 0.1%
Berries133under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: dry edible beans.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms6.2%

Oxford County ranks 11th of 16 counties in Maine on this measure.

  • 16,827 acres of cropland, 20% of farmland
  • 4,866 acres of pastureland, 6% of farmland
  • 56,530 acres of woodland, 69% of farmland
  • 1,574 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Oxford County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 67 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 178 acres, sixth-largest of 16 in Maine. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 28.5% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 1.1% of the total.

1–917%10–4926%50–17929%180–49920%500–9997%1,000–1,9991%2,000+0%
Oxford County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Horses and ponies545under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs666under 0.1%
Goats221under 0.1%
Laying hens24,923under 0.1%
Beef cows997under 0.1%
Milk cows284under 0.1%
Cattle and calves2,334under 0.1%
Turkeys350under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs259under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 20225,230under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Oxford County's 463 farms are made by 843 producers. Their average age is 58.4, 0.9 years above the Maine average. Women are 41.8% of them.

Under 357%35–4415%45–5416%55–6422%65–7425%75+15%
Oxford County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms545−15.0%
Land in farms, acres76,837+7.3%
Average farm size, acres141+26.2%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$24.1 million+8.4%
Potatoes, acres1,690+9.8%
Apples, acres483−2.5%
Vegetables, acres1,940+9.5%
Berries, acres203−34.5%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Oxford County accounts for 3.0% of farm sales in Maine and 6.6% of the farms in Maine. Rank Maine counties for potatoes.

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