Massachusetts Agricultural Census 2017
When identifying the most prominent types of farms in Massachusetts, there are many different ranking systems that can be adopted. In Massachusetts, farms are seen as an important part of rural character because farming can maintain open space in what has become a densely populated state. To identify the uses of our open land, we begin by presenting rankings of the top five types of farms in Massachusetts in each of the census years 2017, 2012, and 2007. Rankings are presented in three ways, ranking farms by: (1) the number of farms by farm type, (2) the number of acres by farm type, and (3) the market value of products by farm type.
Referring to Table 1.1, which ranks the top five types of farms by the number of farms, the top five farms in Massachusetts as of 2017 were those involved in: hay farming; vegetable and melon farming; horse and other equine production; fruit and tree nut farming; and greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture. In 2012, the top four farms were those involved in horse and other equine production; hay farming; greenhouse, nursery and floriculture; vegetables and melons; and fruit and nut tree farming. In 2007, the fifth-ranked farm type by number of farms was beef cattle ranching and farming. In 2012, vegetable and melon farming entered the top five rank of farms by number of farms, and this trend continued in 2017. Hay farming returned to the top of the rankings, while horse and other equine farming fell between 2012 and 2017. Fruit and tree nut farming rebounded between 2012 and 2017, while greenhouse, nursery and horticulture fell in between those Census years.
Table 1.1: Top Five Massachusetts Farm Types by Number of Farms (2017)
| Type of Farm |
Number of Farms |
Percent of All Mass. Farms |
| Hay Farming |
1,001 |
13.82% |
| Vegetables and melons |
908 |
12.54% |
| Horse and Other Equine |
892 |
12.32% |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries |
845 |
11.67% |
| Greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture |
777 |
10.73% |
Table 1.2: Top Five Massachusetts Farm Types by Number of Farms (2012)
| Type of Farm |
Number of Farms |
Percent of All Mass. Farms |
| Horse and Other Equine |
1,183 |
15.25% |
| Hay Farming |
1,097 |
14.15% |
| Greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture |
968 |
12.48% |
| Vegetables and melons |
923 |
11.90% |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries |
779 |
10.05% |
Table 1.3: Top Five Massachusetts Farm Types by Number of Farms (2007)
| Type of Farm |
Number of Farms |
Percent of All Mass. Farms |
| Hay Farming |
1,278 |
16.60% |
| Horse and Other Equine production |
1,117 |
14.50% |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries |
893 |
11.60% |
| Greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture |
865 |
11.20% |
| Beef cattle ranching and farming |
804 |
10.50% |
Different types of farms require different amounts of land (Land in Farms - Acres), so ranking farms by their land use yields different results. Examining Table 1.4, hay farming was the number one type of farm by land use in 2017, followed by fruit, tree nut and berry farming, dairy cattle and milk production, vegetable and melon farming, and beef cattle ranching and farming. These rankings mirror the rankings in 2012, which again vary only slightly from those in 2007. In 2012, other crop farming ranked fifth, while beef and cattle ranching did not break the top five farm types in acres.
What does “Other” mean?
A farm is classied as "other" when its output does not t into one of the well dened farm types. These farms might produce unusual crops or might produce a variety of crops with no one commodity accounting for more than 50 percent of farm output. A farm might be classi- ed as "other crop production" if it produced some vegetables, some tobacco, and fruits such as strawberries or raspberries. Other animal production includes farms that do not t into the farm types shown or do not have one product that represents 50 percent of more of the value of their farm output.
One striking difference between the rankings by land use in 2007, 2012, and 2017 (shown in tables 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6) is the drop in the rank of dairy cattle and milk production. Between 2007 and 2017, this type of farming lost almost 16,000 acres due to continued diffuculties throughout the dairy industry.
Table 1.4: Top Five Massachusetts Farm Types by Number of Acres (2017)
| Type of Farm |
Number of Acres of Mass. Farmland |
Percent of All Mass. Farmland |
| Hay Farming |
104,304 |
21.21% |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries |
79,697 |
16.21% |
| Dairy Cattle and Milk Production |
49,744 |
10.12% |
| Vegetables and melons |
47,082 |
9.58% |
| Beef cattle ranching and farming |
45,200 |
9.19% |
Table 1.5: Top Five Massachusetts Farm Types by Number of Acres (2012)
| Type of Farm |
Number of Acres of Mass. Farmland |
Percent of All Mass. Farmland |
| Hay Farming |
116,980 |
22.35% |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries |
80,568 |
15.40% |
| Dairy Cattle and Milk Production |
50,367 |
9.62% |
| Vegetables and melons |
42,148 |
8.05% |
| Other Crop Farming |
42,024 |
8.03% |
Table 1.6: Top Five Massachusetts Farm Types by Number of Acres (2007)
| Type of Farm |
Number of Acres of Mass. Farmland |
Percent of All Mass. Farmland |
| Hay Farming |
142,168 |
27.45% |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries |
68,566 |
13.24% |
| Dairy Cattle and Milk Production |
65,645 |
12.68% |
| Beef cattle ranching and farming |
50,890 |
9.83% |
| Vegetabes and melons |
44,974 |
8.68% |
When we examine the market value of products sold by different types of farms, differences in the top five types of farms also arise (Market Value by Farm Type). As shown in Tables 1.7, 1.8, and 1.9, greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture ranks number one based on market value of products sold in the market for all three census years, accounting for over 29 percent of Massachusetts’s market value of agricultural products offered in 2017. Notable increases in the market value of products offered by vegtable and melon farms were observed between 2012 and 2017, increasing from around 16 percent to almost 24 percent of Massachusetts’s market value of agricultural products offered. The dominant crop in the fruit, tree nut and berries category has been cranberries. The decreases seen in the market value for this category have been due to decreases in harvested acreage and weaker cranberry prices. Finally, in 2012 Animal Aquaculture enters the top five Massachusetts farms by market value of products, and this trend continue in 2017.
Table 1.7: Top Five Massachusetts Farm Types by Market Value of Products (2017)
| Type of Farm |
Market Value of Product ($1,000) |
Percent of All Mass. Farmland |
| Greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture |
134,348 |
29.36% |
| Vegetables and melons |
107,831 |
23.57% |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries |
85,287 |
18.64% |
| Dairy cattle and milk production |
54,911 |
12.00% |
| Animal aquaculture |
29,662 |
6.48% |
Table 1.8: Top Five Massachusetts Farm Types by Market Value of Products (2012)
| Type of Farm |
Market Value of Product ($1,000) |
Percent of Total Mass. Market Value |
| Greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture |
146,352 |
29.74% |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries |
122,560 |
24.90% |
| Vegetables and melons |
80,838 |
16.43% |
| Dairy cattle and milk production |
55,455 |
11.27% |
| Animal aquaculture |
23,223 |
4.72% |
Table 1.9: Top Five Massachusetts Farm Types by Market Value of Products (2007)
| Type of Farm |
Market Value of Product ($1,000) |
Percent of All Mass. Farmland |
| Greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture |
170,133 |
34.73% |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries |
98,669 |
20.14% |
| Vegetables and melons |
58,897 |
12.02% |
| Dairy cattle and milk production |
54,153 |
11.06% |
| Other Crop Farming |
36,491 |
7.00% |
Reference: Fitzsimmons, J. (2019) Massachusetts Agricultural Census Data, 2017. Retrieved from https://ag.umass.edu/resources/massachusetts-agricultural-data.
