Average Farm Size Increases

The state of Massachusetts lost nearly 17% of its farms from 1997 to 2002, but not all farms were effected equally. Farms that were 1 to 9 acres in size and 50 to 179 acres in size took the biggest reductions, both posting losses of over 20%. Farms 10 to 49 acres and 180 to 499 acres also saw a reduction in the number of farms, but not as significant as the previously mentioned. Surprisingly enough, although the state as a whole saw a 17% reduction in the number of farms, farms sized 500 to 999 acres and farms of 1,000 acres or more actually saw a gain in their number. Farms of 500 to 999 acres enjoyed an inrease in the number of farms of 9.3%. Farms of 1,000 acres or more saw an even greater increase, that being 10.0%. Althought these inreases may seem significant, when taken into perspective with the state of Massachusetts as a whole, these increases barely made a difference. The proportions of farms by size stayed nearly the same from 1997 to 2002. For instance, farms of 1,000 acres or more, although increasing in number by 10%, stayed the same when compared to the total number of farms in the state (0.4% in 1997 compared to 0.5% in 2002.)

While the total acreage of Massachusetts' farms went down by 10%, not every county was hit evently with this loss. Where most counties did post losses in acreage, there were a few that managed gains. These include Barnstable, Berkshire, Dukes/Nantucket, and Norfolk. The two largest counties by acres of farm land, Franklin and Worcester, both posted significant losses in acreage. Contrastingly, counties that make up a very small portion of the total acreage in Massachusetts, like Barnstable, Dukes/Nantucket, and Norfolk (making up only 5% of the total acreage), all posted gains in farm acres.