Crops

Dairy & Livestock

Department of Agriculture

Farm Resources

Farm Revenue

Farmers' Markets

Poultry

Approximately 350,000 people are employed in some aspect of agriculture, making it the largest commercial industry in Maryland. Agriculture also remains the largest single land use in the State, with 2.05 million acres, or roughly 32 percent of total land area used for farming in 2008. The majority of Maryland's farmland is located in the north central part of the State and the upper Eastern Shore. In 2008, some 12,850 Maryland farms averaged 160 acres each.

Barn and brick silo, Sabillasville, Frederick County, Maryland, July 2007. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

In 2008, total farm expenses reached $1.5 billion, while per farm expenses averaged $120,361. Net farm income was nearly $500 million while income per farm averaged $38,910.

Queen Anne's County, in 2008, continued to lead all other counties in corn and wheat production. Caroline County was first in its harvests of barley and vegetables, while Frederick County led in hay and milk production.

CROPS

In 2008, corn for grain averaged 121 bushels per acre. From 400,000 acres, 48.4 million bushels of corn were harvested. The soybean yield, in 2008, averaged 30 bushels per acre, with a total production of 14.5 million bushels. Winter wheat increased to 73 bushels per acre, with 13.1 million bushels harvested. Barley increased to 90 bushels per acre, totalling 3.1 million bushels.

Tractor pull event, Cecil County Fair, Fair Hill, Maryland, July 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

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POULTRY

Maryland ranks seventh among states in the number of broilers produced and ninth in pounds produced. Maryland also ranks eighth in the nation for the value of production of broiler chickens in 2008.

In 2008, over 298 million broiler chickens were produced. They brought in $790 million in revenue. This amount accounted for 40 percent of Maryland's agricultural cash receipts that year.

Rooster, Annapolis, Maryland, August 2003. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

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FARM RESOURCES

For farmers and others involved in agriculture, the Maryland Cooperative Extension offers problem-solving resources and scientific expertise through its network of county extension offices. The Extension is a statewide education system operated by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the University of Maryland, College Park.

The Department of Agriculture is responsible for marketing, animal industries, and consumer services; plant industries and pest management; and resource conservation. Data relating to the production and marketing of agricultural products, agriculture prices and income, and other statistics pertinent to agriculture and agribusiness is compiled and published by the Maryland Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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