Farm Census

Grafton County, New Hampshire

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

496 farms86,325 acres in farms$32.7 million in farm sales

No other county in New Hampshire with a published figure has more land in farms, corn for silage or hay and haylage, or sells more farm products than Grafton County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, milk, makes up 40.0% of farm sales, against 25.3% across New Hampshire.

Milk: 40.0%Milk40.0%Withheld groups: 24.7%Withheld groups24.7%Hay and other crops: 8.6%Hay and other crops8.6%Cattle and calves: 7.0%Cattle and calves7.0%Vegetables and melons: 4.8%4.8%Grains and oilseeds: 4.8%4.8%Christmas trees: 3.7%3.7%Fruit and nuts: 2.6%2.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.7%1.7%Hogs and pigs: 0.9%0.9%Sheep and goats: 0.9%0.9%Other animals: 0.3%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Milk: 40.0%Milk40.0%Withheld groups: 24.7%Withheld groups24.7%Hay and other crops: 8.6%8.6%Cattle and calves: 7.0%7.0%Vegetables and melons: 4.8%4.8%Grains and oilseeds: 4.8%4.8%Christmas trees: 3.7%3.7%Fruit and nuts: 2.6%2.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.7%1.7%Hogs and pigs: 0.9%Sheep and goats: 0.9%Other animals: 0.3%Horses and mules: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: poultry and eggs and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Milk from cows$13.1 million2nd of 7
Hay and other crops$2.8 million4th of 10
Cattle and calves$2.3 million1st of 10
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$1.6 million7th of 10
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$1.6 million2nd of 8
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$1.2 million1st of 8
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$863,0008th of 10
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$559,00010th of 10
Hogs and pigs$305,0003rd of 10
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$290,0002nd of 10
Other animals and animal products$87,0005th of 7
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$5,0007th of 7

What the fields held

Grafton County harvested 15,113 acres of cropland in 2022, first of 10 counties in New Hampshire. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 71% of that, corn for silage 16%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage10,763under 0.1%
Corn for silage2,421under 0.1%
Vegetables218under 0.1%
of which potatoes18under 0.1%
Orchard land156under 0.1%
of which apples137under 0.1%
Berries48under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: soybeans and grapes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms7.9%

Grafton County ranks sixth of 10 counties in New Hampshire on this measure.

  • 19,269 acres of cropland, 22% of farmland
  • 6,943 acres of pastureland, 8% of farmland
  • 55,952 acres of woodland, 65% of farmland
  • 78 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Grafton County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 76 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 174 acres, first-largest of 10 in New Hampshire. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 32.3% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 2.8% of the total.

1–917%10–4922%50–17932%180–49921%500–9995%1,000–1,9992%2,000+1%
Grafton County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Milk cows1,962under 0.1%
Goats427under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs763under 0.1%
Horses and ponies220under 0.1%
Cattle and calves5,208under 0.1%
Beef cows852under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs669under 0.1%
Turkeys253under 0.1%

Withheld: laying hens and broilers sold.

Who farms here

Decisions on Grafton County's 496 farms are made by 929 producers. Their average age is 61.8, 2.8 years above the New Hampshire average. Women are 45.6% of them.

Under 356%35–448%45–5410%55–6425%65–7436%75+15%
Grafton County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms462+7.4%
Land in farms, acres73,575+17.3%
Average farm size, acres159+9.4%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$23.4 million+40.1%
Corn for silage, acres2,189+10.6%
Apples, acres167−18.0%
Milk cows, head2,713−27.7%
Hay and haylage, acres9,885+8.9%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Grafton County accounts for 13.1% of farm sales in New Hampshire and 12.6% of the farms in New Hampshire. Rank New Hampshire counties for corn for silage.

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