Ag Census: County Farmers Produce More with Less

COURT HOUSE — Cape May County has a lot of hogs, a lot of sod, and its farmers are producing more with less, according to the recently released 2007 Census of Agriculture.
When asked what the report revealed on a local level, Agriculture Agent Jenny Carleo told the Herald that the farmers in this county were “working smarter, not harder.”
She pointed to the statistics showing total farmland in this county dropped 21 percent to 7,976 acres from 10,037 acres in 2002 when the last census was completed. The size of the average farm decreased from 51 acres to 40 acres.
Despite the loss of acreage, the total market value of farm production increased by 30 percent from $11.25 million to $14.58 million over the same period.
The average market value for farm lands and buildings also increased substantially from $341,959 or $7,049 per acre in 2002 to $637,097 or $16,055 per acre in 2007
Carleo presented the local statistics at the Wednesday, Feb. 4 county Board of Agriculture meeting.
The report revealed that this county ranked third in the state in the number of hogs and pigs in inventory with 1,066 and second in sod harvested with 1,685 acres.
This county harvested 806 acres of hay, grass silage and green chop; 343 acres of vegetables for sale; 130 acres of land in orchards; and 105 acres of corn for grain.
Wineries and vineyards are also on the rise in Cape May County — its 100 acres of grape farms ranks fourth in the state behind only Atlantic, Warren and Ocean counties. Al Natalie, of Natalie Vineyards, told the Herald that county vineyards have the potential of expanding even more in coming years.
About half of the county’s farmers listed farming as their primary occupation and three-quarters of the principal operators of farms are male. The average age of principal operators was 58.6.
According to the census, 46 farms in this county employ 358 workers with a payroll of nearly $3 million.