Harvesting Cash: Here Are New York State's 11 Most Valuable Crops

With fall, comes harvest season in New York State. Maybe you've already gone out apple or pumpkin picking with friends or family and enjoyed our state's beautiful nature and delicious produce. Touring a farm in the autumn is a great way to get a glimpse of one of New York's most lucrative and important industries. The saying is 100% true: "if you ate today, thank a farmer."

The American Farm Bureau Federation says, on average, each American farm feeds around 166 people globally per year. With 33,438 farms counted in the last New York agricultural census in 2017, that means New York famers keep 5.5 million fed worldwide every year. (Think Vermont, Alaska, Delaware, Rohde Island, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming put together.)

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While there are concerns over mass corporate farms, the New York Department of Agriculture found that 98% of New York farms are family owned and employ 55,363 workers within the state. New York is also a burgeoning organic faming state, with a 35% increase in recent years.

These Are The 11 Most Valuable Crops Grown in New York State

The US is expected to export more that $191 billion in agricultural goods in 2022. Data aggregate Stacker combed through US Department of Agriculture studies and overviews to find the most valuable crops grown in each state.

While New York's largest piece of the agricultural pie is dairy (a nearly $3 billion industry), the state has its fair share of successful crops. We even place in the top five producers of several crops on this list.

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Source: Harvesting Cash: Here Are New York State’s 11 Most Valuable Crops

Filed Under: agriculture, crops, farmers, farms, most valuable crops, New York, top 11

Categories: Around Albany