Farm Census

Chittenden County, Vermont

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

584 farms74,472 acres in farms$56.7 million in farm sales

Chittenden County's largest product group, milk, makes up 29.9% of farm sales, against 57.9% across Vermont.

Its farms account for 5.5% of all farm sales in Vermont, the fifth-largest share among the state's 14 counties.

Milk: 29.9%Milk29.9%Hay and other crops: 23.8%Hay and other crops23.8%Nursery and greenhouse: 15.8%Nursery and greenhouse15.8%Vegetables and melons: 10.7%Vegetables and melons10.7%Fruit and nuts: 7.3%Fruit and nuts7.3%Cattle and calves: 3.9%3.9%Grains and oilseeds: 3.4%3.4%Poultry and eggs: 1.5%1.5%Other animals: 1.1%1.1%Christmas trees: 1.0%1.0%Horses and mules: 0.8%0.8%Sheep and goats: 0.6%Hogs and pigs: 0.3%Milk: 29.9%Milk29.9%Hay and other crops: 23.8%23.8%Nursery and greenhouse: 15.8%15.8%Vegetables and melons: 10.7%10.7%Fruit and nuts: 7.3%Fruit and nuts7.3%Cattle and calves: 3.9%3.9%Grains and oilseeds: 3.4%3.4%Poultry and eggs: 1.5%1.5%Other animals: 1.1%1.1%Christmas trees: 1.0%1.0%Horses and mules: 0.8%Sheep and goats: 0.6%Hogs and pigs: 0.3%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Milk from cows$17.0 million7th of 14
Hay and other crops$13.5 million5th of 14
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$8.9 million1st of 11
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$6.1 million2nd of 14
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$4.1 million3rd of 14
Cattle and calves$2.2 million8th of 14
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$1.9 million5th of 10
Poultry and eggs$844,0004th of 10
Other animals and animal products$632,0002nd of 9
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$545,0003rd of 13
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$451,0002nd of 9
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$314,0009th of 14
Hogs and pigs$176,0005th of 9

What the fields held

Chittenden County harvested 21,167 acres of cropland in 2022, seventh of 14 counties in Vermont. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 73% of that, corn for silage 11%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage15,355under 0.1%
Corn for silage2,354under 0.1%
Corn for grain878under 0.1%
Soybeans690under 0.1%
Vegetables673under 0.1%
of which potatoes26under 0.1%
Orchard land300under 0.1%
of which grapes88under 0.1%
of which apples200under 0.1%
Wheat258under 0.1%
Berries166under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: sunflower.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms21.7%

Chittenden County ranks fifth of 14 counties in Vermont on this measure.

  • 28,520 acres of cropland, 38% of farmland
  • 9,947 acres of pastureland, 13% of farmland
  • 34,136 acres of woodland, 46% of farmland
  • 311 acres irrigated

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Horses and ponies1,203under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs2,201under 0.1%
Milk cows3,139under 0.1%
Cattle and calves7,822under 0.1%
Goats184under 0.1%
Beef cows1,099under 0.1%
Laying hens4,791under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 202225,328under 0.1%
Turkeys68under 0.1%

Withheld: hogs and pigs.

Who farms here

Decisions on Chittenden County's 584 farms are made by 1,152 producers. Their average age is 57.2, 0.5 years below the Vermont average. Women are 40.1% of them.

Under 3511%35–4412%45–5415%55–6423%65–7426%75+12%
Chittenden County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms585−0.2%
Land in farms, acres64,226+16.0%
Average farm size, acres110+16.4%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$43.6 million+30.2%
Horses and ponies, head1,324−9.1%
Apples, acres61+100%
Berries, acres150+10.7%
Sheep and lambs, head1,566+40.5%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Chittenden County accounts for 8.9% of the farms in Vermont. Rank Vermont counties for horses and ponies.

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