Farm Census

Livingston County, New York

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

612 farms196,542 acres in farms$288 million in farm sales

No other county in New York with a published figure has more corn for grain, wheat or sheep and lambs than Livingston County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, milk, makes up 62.0% of farm sales, against 48.2% across New York.

Milk: 62.0%Milk62.0%Grains and oilseeds: 23.3%Grains and oilseeds23.3%Cattle and calves: 6.5%Cattle and calves6.5%Vegetables and melons: 3.1%3.1%Hay and other crops: 2.6%2.6%Sheep and goats: 0.9%0.9%Horses and mules: 0.4%0.4%Fruit and nuts: 0.3%0.3%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.3%Christmas trees: 0.1%Other animals: 0.1%Milk: 62.0%Milk62.0%Grains and oilseeds: 23.3%Grains and oilseeds23.3%Cattle and calves: 6.5%6.5%Vegetables and melons: 3.1%3.1%Hay and other crops: 2.6%2.6%Sheep and goats: 0.9%Horses and mules: 0.4%Fruit and nuts: 0.3%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.3%Christmas trees: 0.1%Other animals: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: hogs and pigs, poultry and eggs and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Milk from cows$179 million6th of 47
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$67.2 million1st of 52
Cattle and calves$18.7 million6th of 45
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$8.9 million18th of 52
Hay and other crops$7.5 million21st of 52
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$2.5 million1st of 47
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$1.3 million13th of 43
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$878,00038th of 52
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$784,00038th of 49
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$247,00018th of 44
Other animals and animal products$210,00031st of 47

What the fields held

Livingston County harvested 144,656 acres of cropland in 2022, fourth of 58 counties in New York. Corn for grain covered acreage equal to 28% of that, hay and haylage 25%.

CropAcresShare of US
Corn for grain40,5470.05%
Hay and haylage36,1420.07%
Corn for silage23,0030.38%
Soybeans22,549under 0.1%
Wheat12,275under 0.1%
Vegetables4,9110.11%
of which potatoes8630.08%
Dry edible beans2,0620.17%
Oats1,4880.16%
Orchard land115under 0.1%
of which grapes48under 0.1%
of which apples22under 0.1%
Berries41under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: barley and sunflower.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms48.6%

Livingston County ranks seventh of 58 counties in New York on this measure.

  • 158,365 acres of cropland, 81% of farmland
  • 12,968 acres of pastureland, 7% of farmland
  • 16,245 acres of woodland, 8% of farmland
  • 611 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Livingston County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 71 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 321 acres, third-largest of 52 in New York. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 35.8% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 8.3% of the total.

1–98%10–4928%50–17936%180–49913%500–9996%1,000–1,9994%2,000+4%
Livingston County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Milk cows27,3870.29%
Sheep and lambs10,7140.21%
Horses and ponies1,5430.06%
Cattle and calves55,6860.06%
Goats362under 0.1%
Beef cows2,704under 0.1%
Laying hens2,539under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs158under 0.1%
Turkeys125under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 2022271under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Livingston County's 612 farms are made by 1,110 producers. Their average age is 59.3, 2.6 years above the New York average. Women are 39.4% of them.

Under 358%35–4410%45–5414%55–6428%65–7423%75+17%
Livingston County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms661−7.4%
Land in farms, acres189,488+3.7%
Average farm size, acres287+11.8%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$184 million+56.8%
Corn for silage, acres23,341−1.4%
Milk cows, head28,803−4.9%
Sheep and lambs, head10,909−1.8%
Dry edible beans, acres3,682−44.0%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Livingston County accounts for 3.6% of farm sales in New York and 2.0% of the farms in New York. Rank New York counties for corn for silage.

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