Doing Business in Nelson County: Agri-Business

Agri-Business

Agritourism Conference Materials - Building the Experience: Agritourism Pays Off

The Inaugural Virginia Agritourism Conference - November 5-6, 2007

2002 Census of Agriculture Profile Nelson County, Virginia

Land 456 farms (438 farms in 1997, up 4%)
84,691 acres of land in farms (78,446 acres in 1997, up 8%)
186 acres is average size of farm (179 acres in 1997, up 4%)

Market Value of Production, average per farm $16,590 ($15,691 in 1997, up 6%)

Market Value of Production $7,565,000 ($6,872,000 in 1997, up 10%)
Crop sales accounted for $4,862,000 of the total value
Livestock sales accounted for $2,703,000 of the total value

Government Payments $224,000 ($166,000 in 1997, up 35%)

Government Payments, average per farm receiving payments $2,761 ($3,210 in 1997 down 14%)

Major Crops
Hay and forages
Tree fruit - apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries
Agronomic crops - corn, soybeans, small grains
Vineyards Greenhouses - bedding plants, perennials
Nurseries - ornamentals, fruit
Vegetables - pumpkins, market produce

Fruit Industry
12 orchards
14 vineyards produced 400 tons on 110 bearing acres
9 wineries
1 brewery
13,313 pounds of apples produced in 2006
Nelson County ranks third in apple production, fifth in grape production in Virginia (2006)

Livestock (2006)
Successful Operations - cow/calf farms, purebred beef breeding, equine training and riding
19,700 cattle and calves and beef cattle
732 goats
520 layers 20 weeks old and older
484 horses and ponies
1200 sheep and lambs
1400 hogs

Other Farm Enterprises
Landscape Design and Installation
Garden Centers
Farm Markets
Pick Your Own Berries
Herbs and Herb Products
Tree and Lawn Care
Irrigation Services
Tissue Culture and Plant Propagation

Forestry
Two-thirds of the county is forested, 233,613 acres