Staff Writer
The number of Aroostook County farms, as well as the market value of production in the region, has increased according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Results from the recently released 2007 Census of Agriculture show that in 2002 there were 1,084 farms, while in 2007 there were 1,246, or a 15-percent increase.
“There are probably several reasons for the number of farms increasing,” said Gary Keough, director of the NASS New England Field Office. “One is that the definition of a farm is the same as it was in 1974, which is any agricultural place that sells or has the potential to sell $1,000 worth of agricultural products.
“One thousand dollars now is not the same as it was in 1974,” he said, “so there are some places that would not have been classified as farms but now – due to the inflationary factor – are. We’re also seeing where people are getting into farming from non-agricultural backgrounds. There could be a few of those in Aroostook County although that trend is seen more in the Portland and Augusta areas.”
While the number of farms has increased, the acreage has decreased slightly.
“There were 391,675 acres in 2002, while in 2007 Aroostook County saw 375,568, or a 4-percent decrease,” Keough said. “In 2007, there were 200,205 acres of total cropland, while in 2002 there were 197,606 acres. There’s a slight increase in total cropland. When the change is really that small, it’s hard to say if there’s a trend there or not. It’s possible that a few growers may have taken out a few trees thereby increasing their cropland.”
The average size of a farm in 2007 was 301 acres compared to 361 acres in 2002 for a decrease of 17 percent.
The market value of production, or how much farmers are receiving for everything they sold, is up 21 percent. In 2002, the market value of production was $121,158,000, while in 2007 the number was $146,516,000.
“In Maine, that means the potato prices were good in 2007 and they had a respectable production,” said Keough. “Recent census data shows that the vegetable harvested acreage, which includes potatoes and broccoli, was 58,063. In 2002, we did not publish the acres of all vegetables harvested, however, we listed potato acreage at 59,418 acres. This year, we didn’t list the potato acreage, but we published the vegetable harvested acreage.”
USDA statistics, however, show that there were 56,500 acres of potatoes harvested in Maine in 2007.
Despite some decreases in statistics, Keough said the future of agriculture in the state is not all gloom and doom.
“Though we’re seeing a gradual reduction in potato cropland acres, it’s not steep. It’s less than 1,000 or 2,000 every year,” he said. “There’s also an interest in diversifying in the crop rotation for potatoes where growers are working canola in. By doing so, you end up with more crops, you’re keeping land in production, and while you may not be producing as many potatoes, you’re still using the cropland in an economically viable way.”
Keough said the Census of Agriculture is a complete count of the nation’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them.
“It provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every county in the nation,” he said. “The Census helps illustrate growing trends throughout agriculture, both nationally and in the New England states.”
While Aroostook County is known for potatoes and broccoli, it was ranked number-one in the nation in the 2007 census in terms of oat acreage.
“Barley is 57 in the nation,” said Keough. “It’s because oats and barley are part of the crop rotation for potatoes.”
In Maine, the number of farms in the 2007 Census of Agriculture was 8,136, up 13 percent from 2002.
The largest increases in farm numbers occurred in those with less than $100,000 of sales. Land in farms totaled 1,347,566 acres, down 2 percent from 2002. Market value of production totaled $617.2 million, up 33 percent.
Demographics of Maine’s principal farm operators are as follows:
• 56 percent reported a primary occupation other than farming compared to 53 percent in 2002;
• 25 percent are women compared to 22 percent in 2002; and
• Average age is 56.4 years, up from 53.7 years in 2002.
The 2007 Census of Agriculture provides inventory, production, expenditure and demographic information of U.S. Agriculture by state and county.
Complete results are available at www.agcensus.usda.gov.
