Wicomico County, Maryland
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
384 farms69,906 acres in farms$397 million in farm sales
No other county in Maryland with a published figure sells more farm products than Wicomico County.
Its largest product group with a published figure, poultry and eggs, makes up 75.0% of farm sales, against 47.9% across Maryland.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Poultry and eggs | $298 million | 1st of 19 |
| Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops | $60.3 million | 1st of 19 |
| Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas | $25.9 million | 15th of 23 |
| Vegetables, melons and potatoes | $11.4 million | 3rd of 23 |
| Aquaculture | $593,000 | 5th of 6 |
| Hay and other crops | $243,000 | 18th of 18 |
| Cattle and calves | $185,000 | 16th of 19 |
| Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk | $51,000 | 11th of 17 |
What the fields held
Wicomico County harvested 46,439 acres of cropland in 2022, 11th of 23 counties in Maryland. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 36% of that, corn for grain 36%.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Soybeans | 16,868 | under 0.1% |
| Corn for grain | 16,692 | under 0.1% |
| Wheat | 2,142 | under 0.1% |
| Hay and haylage | 1,548 | under 0.1% |
| Vegetables | 1,479 | under 0.1% |
| Grain sorghum | 1,360 | under 0.1% |
| Oats | 224 | under 0.1% |
| Orchard land | 27 | under 0.1% |
| of which grapes | 7 | under 0.1% |
| of which apples | 3 | under 0.1% |
| Berries | 12 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage, barley, potatoes and pecans.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms29.2%
Wicomico County ranks 12th of 23 counties in Maryland on this measure.
- 50,460 acres of cropland, 72% of farmland
- 922 acres of pastureland, 1% of farmland
- 12,397 acres of woodland, 18% of farmland
- 14,090 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
The typical farm in Wicomico County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 41 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 182 acres, eighth-largest of 23 in Maryland. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 41.4% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 4.4% of the total.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Broilers sold in 2022 | 49,917,462 | 0.54% |
| Goats | 322 | under 0.1% |
| Horses and ponies | 306 | under 0.1% |
| Beef cows | 330 | under 0.1% |
| Cattle and calves | 598 | under 0.1% |
| Laying hens | 655 | under 0.1% |
| Hogs and pigs | 59 | under 0.1% |
Withheld: turkeys and sheep and lambs.
Who farms here
Decisions on Wicomico County's 384 farms are made by 618 producers. Their average age is 61.4, 3.6 years above the Maryland average. Women are 34.5% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 494 | −22.3% |
| Land in farms, acres | 88,559 | −21.1% |
| Average farm size, acres | 179 | +1.7% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $304 million | +30.5% |
| Broilers sold, head | 57,869,664 | −13.7% |
| Vegetables, acres | 2,528 | −41.5% |
| Grain sorghum, acres | 879 | +54.7% |
| Corn for grain, acres | 24,766 | −32.6% |
Nearest rivals
- Broilers sold between Stanislaus County, CA and Wayne County, MS
- Vegetables between Ionia County, MI and Glasscock County, TX
- Grain sorghum between Richland Parish, LA and Polk County, NE
- Oats between Winnebago County, IA and Newberry County, SC
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Forsyth County, Georgia largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 99%
- Calhoun County, Alabama largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 99%
- Greene County, Georgia largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 99%
Wicomico County accounts for 11.7% of farm sales in Maryland and 3.1% of the farms in Maryland. Rank Maryland counties for broilers sold.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.