CONTINUING A 200-YEAR TRADITION OF AGRICULTURE
Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the South Carolina Farm Bureau grain elevator expansion gives us an opportunity to not only look forward to a bright future for regional growers but also celebrate Anderson County’s rich agricultural heritage. Our community’s regional significance emerged over 175 years ago when farmers from Anderson and other jurisdictions across the rich agricultural lands along the Savannah River would bring their products to buyers based in Anderson County. Products were initially distributed via ferry down the Savannah or on the rough-hewn road network existing at the time. As years passed, Anderson’s importance as both a producer and distributor of agricultural products influenced the location of railroads and then major highway and interstate systems in the community. These infrastructure improvements allowed Anderson County to achieve a broader prosperity for all—one that serves us to this very day.
Anderson County Council takes great pride in serving the growers of this region and the countless citizens across the country who benefit from these efforts. We are honored to play a part in ensuring our nation’s food security.
ANDERSON COUNTY AGRICULTURE FACTS[1]
According to the USDA’s Census of Agriculture, the market value of all agricultural products sold in Anderson County in 2022 was $84.3 million, a 12% increase from 2017. Crops accounted for 20% of our total agricultural sales. Crop production generates nearly $17 million in sales annually, significantly contributing to household incomes. The top-selling crop category, as classified by the USDA, was “Other crops and hay”, with sales exceeding $5.8 million in 2022. Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and peas had $5.5 million in sales; fruits, tree nuts and berries had almost $2 million. Vegetables, including melons, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, had sales approaching $1.9 million. In total, all crops produced in Anderson County yielded almost $17 million in sales in 2022, underscoring the economic importance of our agricultural sector.
Cattle is our big trade here these days. Livestock, poultry, and products make up the remaining 80% of total ag sales. Anderson County has 32,033 head of cattle as of December 31, 2022. For several years now, we have had the largest cattle inventory of any county in South Carolina. We make up about ten percent of the statewide total inventory. Cattle and calves account for $11.9 million in sales for local producers.
We have the highest inventory of sheep and lambs of any county in the state—1,689, according to the ag census. Here, we observe a striking increase from the 2017 census count, when we had but 610. That’s a 176% increase! Some other counties saw marked increases in their sheep and lamb populations, but others saw significant decreases in their inventories. It seems that much like the Human population in the state, sheep, and lambs are showing a very noticeable geographic redistribution.
Of course, we can’t overlook our equine population. The 2022 ag census reported about 2,000 horses and ponies in residence here—second only to Aiken County in South Carolina. The census says our horses yielded almost $2.5 million in sales value. And we led all South Carolina counties in the inventory of mules, burros, and donkeys, with 308 in residence.
We have many goats as well—2,917 to be exact. That makes us second to Lexington County, which has a total of 3,024; however, our goats had a sales value of $207 per head, while the value for Lexington’s goats was $183 each. So, while we don’t have the most goats, we can fairly say our goats are the G.O.A.T.
All told the market value of sales from sheep, goats, and their products (wool, mohair, and milk) was $420,000.
We have chickens, too. A lot of chickens—7.7 million broilers sold in 2022. That’s down from 11.1 million broilers sold in 2017. Broiler inventory as of December 31, 2022, was 3,095,128—layer inventory was 51,823.
And, as it would be, we had more 10% land in farms in 2022 (174,494 acres) than we did in 2012 (159,106 acres).
Also of interest:
- 1,552 farms in Anderson County as of 2022
- Total net cash farm income 2022: $11,434,000
- 45% of farms are between 10 and 49 acres; 32% are 50 to 179 acres.
- 98% of Anderson County’s farms are family farms.
- Of 2,554 producers in Anderson County, 930 (36%) are female, 78 are African American, 283 served in the military, and 947 are described as “new and beginning farmers.”
- 83 farms (5% of total) had 2022 value of sales in excess of $100,000.
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[1]All information obtained from the US Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_2_County_Level/South_Carolina/
[1]All information obtained from the US Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_2_County_Level/South_Carolina/