Animal Farm: A Regional Comparison of Livestock on Farms Between 1910 and 2012

Click the graphic to enlarge it and look at a comparison of livestock on farms in the Herkimer and Oneida Counties region now, when only about 20% of the land is farmland, compared to 1910, when more than 60% of the land was being farmed.

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Census of Agriculture: Twenty Years of Tracking Changes in Farm Commodity Sales in Oneida County

With the recent release of the 2012 Census of Agriculture I wanted to look at some of the longer term trends in farming. One of the things that looked interesting was examining the changes in the overall commodities that local agribusinesses have produced over the last, let's say, 20 years. I did this both in terms of their annual sales (in inflation adjusted dollars), and as a percent of the total annual commodities market.

If nothing else is clear, this much should be: milk and dairy products are kings in Oneida County! Far and away the single largest piece of the market belongs to cows ! As the chart below shows, dairy production has made up more than half of the total agricultural business market in the county in each census since 1992. Interestingly, though, it appears to have taken a bit of a slide downward in the last few years, slipping from 64% to about 54% of the total market.

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Of course what comprises the remainder of the farm commodities is also of interest. In the next chart, you can see what percent of the total market seven other groups of commodities made up annually in each census year.

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To get a better view of how each commodity has fared since 1992, below are sets of graphs showing the inflation adjusted sales value for each of these agribusinesses in Oneida County from 1992 through 2012. By examining each on it's own merit, you can see whether they appear to have grown in market share, declined in market share, or remained relatively stable over the past 20 years.

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2012 Census of Agriculture County Profiles Available

The County profiles for the Census of Agriculture are now available from the USDA! Click on this link to select the county in NY you are interested in seeing !

In the meantime here are two simple pie charts about farm land in Herkimer and Oneida Counties that come from the profiles.

Herkimer County

 

Oneida County

2012 Census of Agriculture NOW AVAILABLE !

The 2012 Census of Agriculture is now available and can be accessed through the US Department of Agriculture website. While county profiles are not yet available, you can look at breakouts by county by state, so it's just a matter of going through some of the pages to find Herkimer and Oneida County data.

Below is just a small table of data I pulled out from the 2012 Census of Agriculture and some comparatives form the last time it was done in 2007. Visit the USDA site and find out more about our regions vital farming community.

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Agricultural District Maps: Protecting and Encouraging Farming

The State Legislature enacted the New York Agricultural Districts law in 1971 to protect and promote the availability of land for farming purposes. Subsequent amendments have broadened its scope, as per Article 25-AA. The law provides a locally initiated mechanism at the county level for creating, modifying and approving Agricultural Districts. The Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets certifies that a district meets the purpose and intent of the Agricultural District Law after the county submits a resolution approving a district. For more information about the protections and benefits of Ag Districts, visit this page on the Ag and markets website.

Farmers interested in adding land or removing land from a locally approved, state certified Agricultural District should start with contacting their county planning representative. For our region that would be the Herkimer and Oneida Counties Comprehensive Planning Program (HOCCPP) staff.

Agricultural District reviews are usually conducted every eight years from the anniversary date of district formation. During this eight year review period (section 303-a AML) lands may be added or removed from the district. Recent State Legislation also provides for an annual, open enrollment period (section 303-b AML) by which parcels may be added to an Agricultural District. Currently the open enrollment changes have yet to be certified, which means that while new Ag District maps may be here by the end of the year, the old ones are still the most recent available.

The HOCCPP website has a set of maps you can review by town within each county. Click here to see the maps by the town you're interested in. However, if you want to see each county as a whole, select a map from below. Just keep in mind that these will be changing in the near future to reflect the newest additions to the Agricultural Districts in our region !

Click to Enlarge Southern Herkimer County

Click To Enlarge Oneida County

LAST CALL: Census of Agriculture Ends May 31st

With the window to respond to the 2012 Census of Agriculture officially closing on May 31, 2013 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is urging farmers and ranchers not to miss this opportunity to be counted and help determine the future of farming in America. USDA has already received more than 2 million completed Census forms.If you have not sent in your Census form and are a farmer with an active farm, visit the Census of Agriculture website . For those that have received their forms in the mail you can do your Census of Agriculture form online.

The Census of Agriculture is the leading source of facts and figures about American agriculture. Conducted every five years, the Census provides a detailed picture of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. It is the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the United States.

The 2012 Census of Agriculture collects information concerning all areas of farming and ranching operations, including production expenses, market value of products, and operator characteristics. This information is used by everyone who provides services to farmers and rural communities - including federal, state and local governments, agribusinesses, and many others. Census of Agriculture data is used to make decisions about many things that directly impact farmers, including:

• community planning
• store/company locations
• availability of operational loans and other funding
• location and staffing of service centers
• farm programs and policies

In the meantime, as we wait for these to be tallied and the data released, here are the county profiles from the last Census of Agriculture for Herkimer and Oneida Counties. Each is two pages long, so be sure to look at both pages of the profiles below.

Herkimer County Census of Agriculture Profile (2007) 

Click to Enlarge Herkimer County Page 1

Click to Enlarge Herkimer County Page 2

Oneida County Census of Agriculture Profile (2007)

Click to Enlarge Oneida County Page 1

Click to Enlarge Oneida County Page 2

NYS Agricultural Exports: 2001-2010

Just a snapshot of agricultural exports from New York State to the rest of the world over the last decade. Who knew wheat was one of the top three exports from New York State ? Or that soybeans were the second fastest growing agricultural commodity exported from New York over the past ten years ?

Looking Back - the 2007 Census of Agriculture Data for Herkimer and Oneida Counties

The Census of Agriculture is the leading source of facts and figures about American agriculture. Conducted every five years, the Census provides a detailed picture of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. It is the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the United States.

The last Census of Agriculture was conducted in 2007. Below are two pages for both Herkimer and Oneida Counties covering everything from the number of farms, the market value, the government payments, top crops grown and some basic demographics of farm operators. Some comparatives are offered with the 2002 CoA as well.

Herkimer County Agriculture 2007 Summary

Oneida County Agriculture 2007 Summary

Gearing Up for 2012 Census of Agriculture

Surveys are now arriving in mailboxes around the nation to help identify all active farms in the United States. The National Agricultural Classification Survey (NACS), which asks landowners whether or not they are farming and for basic farm information, is one of the most important early steps used to determine who should receive a 2012 Census of Agriculture report form. The Census of Agriculture, conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them.

“We are asking everyone who receives the NACS to respond even if they are not farming so that we build the most accurate and comprehensive mailing list to account for all of U.S. agriculture in the Census,” said NASS’s Census and Survey Director, Renee Picanso. “The Census is the leading source of facts about American agriculture and the only source of agricultural statistics that is comparable for each county in the nation. Farm organizations, businesses, government decision-makers, commodity market analysts, news media, researchers and others use Census data to inform their work.”

NACS is required by law as part of the U.S. Census of Agriculture. By this same law, all information reported by individuals is kept confidential. NASS will mail the 2012 Census of Agriculture later this year and data will be collected into early 2013.

“The NACS survey is the first step in getting a complete count, so we ask everyone who receives a survey to complete and return it,” said Picanso. “The Census is a valuable way for producers and rural America to show their strength – in numbers.”

The 2012 Census of Agriculture is your voice, your future, your responsibility. For more information about NACS, the Census of Agriculture, or to add your name to the Census mail list, visit the Census of Agriculture webpage