Farm Census

Seneca County, New York

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

422 farms103,156 acres in farms$110 million in farm sales

In Seneca County, producers under 35 make up the ninth-largest share of the farming population among the 2,346 counties with at least 500 producers.

Its largest product group with a published figure, grains and oilseeds, makes up 41.5% of farm sales, against 11.9% across New York.

Grains and oilseeds: 41.5%Grains and oilseeds41.5%Milk: 22.6%Milk22.6%Fruit and nuts: 10.0%Fruit and nuts10.0%Withheld groups: 8.6%Withheld groups8.6%Cattle and calves: 6.6%6.6%Hogs and pigs: 5.4%5.4%Hay and other crops: 3.8%3.8%Vegetables and melons: 1.1%1.1%Horses and mules: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Grains and oilseeds: 41.5%Grains and oilseeds41.5%Milk: 22.6%Milk22.6%Fruit and nuts: 10.0%10.0%Withheld groups: 8.6%8.6%Cattle and calves: 6.6%6.6%Hogs and pigs: 5.4%5.4%Hay and other crops: 3.8%3.8%Vegetables and melons: 1.1%1.1%Horses and mules: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.2%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: nursery and greenhouse crops, Christmas trees, poultry and eggs and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$45.9 million6th of 52
Milk from cows$25.0 million37th of 47
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$11.0 million13th of 52
Cattle and calves$7.2 million20th of 45
Hogs and pigs$6.0 million1st of 39
Hay and other crops$4.2 million37th of 52
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$1.2 million39th of 52
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$259,00026th of 43
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$212,00022nd of 47

What the fields held

Seneca County harvested 75,391 acres of cropland in 2022, 18th of 58 counties in New York. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 36% of that, corn for grain 31%.

CropAcresShare of US
Soybeans27,301under 0.1%
Corn for grain23,144under 0.1%
Hay and haylage13,319under 0.1%
Wheat4,285under 0.1%
Corn for silage2,375under 0.1%
Orchard land2,186under 0.1%
of which grapes2,1050.19%
of which apples57under 0.1%
Oats1,2760.14%
Vegetables555under 0.1%
of which potatoes7under 0.1%
Grain sorghum120under 0.1%
Berries30under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: barley and dry edible beans.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms49.8%

Seneca County ranks sixth of 58 counties in New York on this measure.

  • 83,602 acres of cropland, 81% of farmland
  • 7,285 acres of pastureland, 7% of farmland
  • 9,635 acres of woodland, 9% of farmland
  • 263 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Seneca County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 83 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 244 acres, 14th-largest of 52 in New York. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 37.7% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 4.7% of the total.

1–912%10–4925%50–17938%180–49914%500–9997%1,000–1,9993%2,000+2%
Seneca County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Milk cows4,511under 0.1%
Horses and ponies873under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs1,477under 0.1%
Cattle and calves14,434under 0.1%
Goats325under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs8,853under 0.1%
Beef cows1,777under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 202271,985under 0.1%
Turkeys362under 0.1%

Withheld: laying hens.

Who farms here

Decisions on Seneca County's 422 farms are made by 831 producers. Their average age is 51.9, 4.8 years below the New York average. Women are 39.7% of them.

Under 3521%35–4417%45–5417%55–6414%65–7418%75+12%
Seneca County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms516−18.2%
Land in farms, acres118,545−13.0%
Average farm size, acres230+6.1%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$90.8 million+21.5%
Grapes, acres2,134−1.4%
Oats, acres911+40.1%
Milk cows, head7,522−40.0%
Corn for silage, acres4,564−48.0%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Seneca County accounts for 1.4% of farm sales in New York and 1.4% of the farms in New York. Rank New York counties for grapes.

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