Industry leaders and policymakers are keeping an eye on preliminary data
Although the total number of agricultural producers in Virginia has declined in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of Latino and Hispanic farmers in agriculture across the state. (Photo courtesy of Virginia Farm Bureau)
RICHMOND, Va. — Although the total number of Virginia agricultural producers has declined in recent years, Latino and Hispanic farmers represent a growing population in agriculture across the state.
Industry leaders and policymakers are eyeing recently released preliminary data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s 2022 Census of Agriculture, which provides a comprehensive picture of agriculture every five years.
The total number of agricultural producers in Virginia decreased from 70,594 in the 2017 census to 67,798 in 2022. However, the number of producers of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish descent increased from 845 in 2017 to 1,026. Most of its population is agricultural in Loudon and Fauquier counties.
Loudoun County Farm Bureau Director Tia Earman has noticed steady growth since the 2017 Census, with the overall farming community becoming younger and more diverse. He said the committee is very active.
“The face of our agriculture is changing,” she said. The landscape around Washington is similar.
“There are very few 300-acre cattle farms left,” Arman continued. “But we do really intensive vegetable growing on small acres that are sold directly to consumers.”
She noted that Loudoun has added 73 farms since the last agricultural census and now has 805 farms ranging in size from 10 acres to 49 acres.
“Because we are close to a stable direct market, they can afford to go to farmers markets and pay higher prices to buy local food that supports local farmers,” Arman said.
There are 1,603 Black farmers in Virginia, down 90 from 2017. Halifax County has the largest number of black farmers, with 147 counted in the census.
The number of women farmers in Virginia is 25,237. Rockingham and Loudoun counties have the highest number of female operators.
Agriculture is the main occupation for 27,471 producers. And 40,327 farmers have other jobs as their main occupation.
New and emerging producers account for 20,378 of the total farmers. They operate approximately 13,000 farms on 1.7 million acres. Rockingham and Loudoun counties have the highest number of new farmers.
The average age of producers gradually increased from 58.5 years to 59.2 years. There are a total of 5,139 young producers under the age of 34. Rockingham County has the most farmers, with 390 young farmers.
The proportion of farmers between the ages of 25 and 54 is smaller than that of older farmers, most of whom are in the 55 to 74 age group.
The census identified 7,679 veterans working in agriculture, with the largest number in Loudoun County.
–Virginia Farm Bureau
