Farm Census

Augusta County, Virginia

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,460 farms243,974 acres in farms$448 million in farm sales

No other county in Virginia with a published figure has more hay and haylage or beef cows than Augusta County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, poultry and eggs, makes up 70.2% of farm sales, against 40.7% across Virginia.

Poultry and eggs: 70.2%Poultry and eggs70.2%Cattle and calves: 10.4%Cattle and calves10.4%Milk: 7.9%Milk7.9%Grains and oilseeds: 6.1%6.1%Withheld groups: 1.7%1.7%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.7%1.7%Hay and other crops: 1.2%1.2%Sheep and goats: 0.3%Fruit and nuts: 0.3%Horses and mules: 0.2%Hogs and pigs: 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 70.2%Poultry and eggs70.2%Cattle and calves: 10.4%10.4%Milk: 7.9%Milk7.9%Grains and oilseeds: 6.1%6.1%Withheld groups: 1.7%1.7%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.7%1.7%Hay and other crops: 1.2%Sheep and goats: 0.3%Fruit and nuts: 0.3%Horses and mules: 0.2%Hogs and pigs: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: vegetables and melons, Christmas trees, aquaculture products and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$315 million2nd of 77
Cattle and calves$46.4 million2nd of 82
Milk from cows$35.6 million4th of 26
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$27.4 million7th of 90
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$7.5 million11th of 64
Hay and other crops$5.3 million6th of 82
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$1.4 million2nd of 73
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$1.3 million17th of 74
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$996,0006th of 55
Hogs and pigs$260,0008th of 51

What the fields held

Augusta County harvested 82,964 acres of cropland in 2022, third of 97 counties in Virginia. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 56% of that, corn for grain 19%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage46,3700.09%
Corn for grain15,862under 0.1%
Soybeans7,993under 0.1%
Corn for silage7,5480.13%
Wheat2,902under 0.1%
Barley1,6360.07%
Vegetables1,000under 0.1%
of which potatoes5under 0.1%
Grain sorghum357under 0.1%
Orchard land194under 0.1%
of which grapes163under 0.1%
of which apples15under 0.1%
Berries23under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: pecans.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms38.1%

Augusta County ranks 17th of 97 counties in Virginia on this measure.

  • 94,998 acres of cropland, 39% of farmland
  • 114,193 acres of pastureland, 47% of farmland
  • 35,348 acres of woodland, 14% of farmland
  • 2,487 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Augusta County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 47 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 167 acres, 59th-largest of 85 in Virginia. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 37.1% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 3.6% of the total.

1–914%10–4937%50–17928%180–49914%500–9994%1,000–1,9993%2,000+1%
Augusta County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Turkeys1,320,9711.4%
Broilers sold in 202236,277,3880.40%
Sheep and lambs7,9410.16%
Beef cows34,2030.12%
Cattle and calves86,0780.10%
Milk cows6,1130.07%
Horses and ponies1,4020.06%
Goats1,3570.05%
Laying hens134,098under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs917under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Augusta County's 1,460 farms are made by 2,618 producers. Their average age is 57.4, 1.8 years below the Virginia average. Women are 37.5% of them.

Under 3510%35–4416%45–5412%55–6424%65–7424%75+14%
Augusta County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,665−12.3%
Land in farms, acres290,911−16.1%
Average farm size, acres175−4.6%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$293 million+53.2%
Turkeys, head1,529,825−13.7%
Broilers sold, head24,386,754+48.8%
Sheep and lambs, head10,054−21.0%
Corn for silage, acres9,398−19.7%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Augusta County accounts for 8.2% of farm sales in Virginia and 3.7% of the farms in Virginia. Rank Virginia counties for turkeys.

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