Yakima County has fewer farms than five years ago, but the amount of acreage devoted to agriculture is nearly the same, according to a federal agricultural census.
The county had 2,523 farms in 2022, down 15 percent from 2017, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The report says 94 percent are family farms, and 5 percent farm organically.
County-level information from the 2022 census was released Wednesday.
The number of acres in farmland was 1.7 million, up 1 percent. The average farm is getting bigger at 711 acres, up 18 percent in size from five years ago.
Top crops in acres were:
- Apples: 53,703
- Hay: 43,287
- Corn for silage: 33,812
- Hops: 32,488
- Wheat for grain: 23,961
People outnumber cattle in Yakima County, but the numbers are close. The human population is about 256,035. The county has 236,986 cattle and calves.
Statewide, the number of farms dropped 10 percent from five years ago, and farm acreage dropped 6 percent. The average size of a farm in acreage was up 5 percent. Those trends mirror what’s happening on a national level.
Market value
Yakima County ranks No. 2 in the state for the value of agricultural products sold, and is 13th in the nation. The market value of products sold was $2.2 billion, up 14 percent from five years ago.
Grant County maintained the top spot in the state with $2.6 billion value, and ranks 10th in the nation. The top nine counties are in California.
In Yakima County, total farm production expenses were up 20 percent from five years ago. Net cash farm income was down 3 percent to $451 million.
Yakima was the top county in the state for production of fruit, cow milk, other crops and hay (a category that includes hops), and sheep and goats. The rankings are based on the market value of agriculture products sold.
In terms of acreage, Grant County has more land devoted to apples — 61,627 to Yakima County’s 53,703.
The USDA has been producing an agricultural census for the past 180 years. It provided more information this year on internet access. In Yakima County, 86 percent of farms have internet access, compared to 79 percent nationwide.
