Unless noted, all figures are from 2012, the last year of the USDA’s agricultural census.
7,755 — Number of farms in Massachusetts
2,507 — Number with female principal operators in 2012, up 12.6 percent from 2007
94,598 — Acres of Massachusetts farmland with female principal operators
38 acres — Average size of Massachusetts farms run by female principal operators
32 percent — Percentage of principal farm operators in the state who are women. That’s the highest percentage among New England states and the third highest nationwide.
Age breakdown of the state’s female principal farm operators
Top crops for Massachusetts farms with female principal operators (in acres):
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9,434 — hay
1,734 — vegetable
1,020 — berries (including cranberries)
677 — cut Christmas trees
665 — cranberries only
Top commodities, by sales, for Massachusetts farms with female principal operators:
$21,359,000 — nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod
$12,087,000 — vegetables, melons, potatoes, and sweet potatoes
$5,504,000 — fruits, tree nuts, and berries
$3,840,000 — horses, ponies, mules, burros, and donkeys
20 CENTS — Amount that farmers get of every dollar Americans spend on food
Sources: USDA; American Agri-Women