Ag Sales Directly to Consumers – We're Number 1!

The value of agricultural products sold directly to consumers in Massachusetts rose by 53 percent between 1997 and 2002, from $20.4 million to $31.3 million. California is the leading state with direct-to-consumer sales of $114.4 million. But the Commonwealth has fewer farmers. When we calculate sales directly to consumers on a per farm basis, Massachusetts leads the nation with $24,873 per farm worth of agricultural products being sold directly to consumers, well ahead of California ($17,768). In 1997, Massachusetts trailed Rhode Island, $13,815 compared to $14,726 per farm, respectively. But in 2002, the Commonwealth moved ahead of our neighbor. Rhode Island farmers sold an average of $20,539 per farm directly to consumers in 2002, just ahead of Connecticut with $20,056 per farm. Massachusetts farmers continue to find ways to effectively capture a larger portion of local consumer dollars through direct sales.