Accomack County, Virginia
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
254 farms81,233 acres in farms$326 million in farm sales
No other county in Virginia with a published figure has more corn for grain, soybeans or wheat than Accomack County.
Its number of broilers sold grew between 2017 and 2022, the third-largest increase among the 100 leading broiler counties of 2017 with figures in both years.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Poultry and eggs | $261 million | 3rd of 77 |
| Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas | $35.9 million | 3rd of 90 |
| Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops | $11.3 million | 8th of 64 |
| Vegetables, melons and potatoes | $8.7 million | 2nd of 75 |
| Aquaculture | $8.7 million | 2nd of 15 |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries | $145,000 | 52nd of 74 |
| Cattle and calves | $56,000 | 81st of 82 |
What the fields held
Accomack County harvested 56,533 acres of cropland in 2022, sixth of 97 counties in Virginia. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 54% of that, corn for grain 39%.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Soybeans | 30,255 | under 0.1% |
| Corn for grain | 22,155 | under 0.1% |
| Wheat | 11,071 | under 0.1% |
| Vegetables | 1,387 | under 0.1% |
| of which potatoes | 1,049 | 0.10% |
| Hay and haylage | 399 | under 0.1% |
| Grain sorghum | 93 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: cotton, dry edible beans, orchard land, pecans and berries.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms28.2%
Accomack County ranks 52nd of 97 counties in Virginia on this measure.
- 60,067 acres of cropland, 74% of farmland
- 946 acres of pastureland, 1% of farmland
- 12,784 acres of woodland, 16% of farmland
- 4,176 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
The typical farm in Accomack County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 60 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 320 acres, 11th-largest of 85 in Virginia. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 35.0% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 8.7% of the total.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Broilers sold in 2022 | 48,878,886 | 0.53% |
| Sheep and lambs | 365 | under 0.1% |
| Horses and ponies | 166 | under 0.1% |
| Goats | 115 | under 0.1% |
| Beef cows | 136 | under 0.1% |
| Cattle and calves | 214 | under 0.1% |
| Hogs and pigs | 32 | under 0.1% |
Withheld: laying hens and turkeys.
Who farms here
Decisions on Accomack County's 254 farms are made by 456 producers. Their average age is 56.8, 2.4 years below the Virginia average. Women are 28.1% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 239 | +6.3% |
| Land in farms, acres | 76,761 | +5.8% |
| Average farm size, acres | 321 | −0.3% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $163 million | +99.8% |
| Broilers sold, head | 29,254,833 | +67.1% |
| Potatoes, acres | 1,829 | −42.6% |
| Soybeans, acres | 29,610 | +2.2% |
| Vegetables, acres | 2,386 | −41.9% |
Nearest rivals
- Broilers sold between Madison County, AR and Lebanon County, PA
- Potatoes between Clearwater County, MN and Livingston County, NY
- Soybeans between West Carroll Parish, LA and Hughes County, SD
- Vegetables between Grant County, IN and Warren County, NJ
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Sussex County, Delaware largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 99%
- Somerset County, Maryland largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 99%
- Clarke County, Mississippi largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 99%
Accomack County accounts for 5.9% of farm sales in Virginia and 0.7% of the farms in Virginia. Rank Virginia counties for broilers sold.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.