Since 1840, the United States Department of Agriculture has been collecting data on agricultural production across the country, including crop types, producer characteristics, farm incomes and many other datapoints every five years. All of this is compiled into the Census of Agriculture – the most comprehensive and consistent national data source on farming.
The 2022 Census of Agriculture was published in February, giving insight into how the pandemic and continued growth in the region affected King County’s farms. The data validates what local producers have been highlighting for the past four years: small farms were hit the hardest by COVID-19, economic instability, and fluctuations in real estate and food markets.
King County has the third smallest average farm size in the state, with a median farm size of 10 acres, meaning challenges that disproportionately affect small farms disproportionately affect King County.
King County had the highest average agricultural land cost in the state at $38,000 per acre, 10 times the national average of $4,080 per acre. While land prices across the nation rose rapidly in the past five years, King County saw a modest increase from about $35,000 in 2017.
However, the increase was felt most strongly by small farmers and tenant farmers. Combined with loss of markets and labor due to the COVID-19 pandemic, even a modest increase impacted farm viability. In 2017, there were 1,672 farms under 50 acres, down 13% to 1,452 in 2022. No other farm sizes experienced a loss of farms in the period, however, these small farms make up over 90% of the farms in the county.
While there have been concerning changes to the local food system between 2017 and 2022, the Census of Agriculture also shows many reasons to be optimistic about farming in King County, including an increase of farmland in production. About 5,000 acres of farmland were brought into production, making more land accessible and available in the county.
Additionally, King County had the fourth largest population of new and beginning producers in the state. Despite the barriers to starting a new farm in the county, King County remains an attractive place to learn farming and start a business. Young farmers make up many of these new producers, with the number of producers under the age of 25 increasing by 71% between 2017 and 2022, an increase unheard of across most of the country.
Nationally and on the Washington state level, the census shows a loss of farmland and farmers. In Washington, the total number of commercial farms decreased in 37 of the state’s 39 counties between 2017 and 2022.
Although every census since 2002 has indicated that the number of farms in Washington has declined, the average size of individual farms has increased. In 2022, King County had the fourth highest number of farms and third largest population of farmers in the state, however, both figures decreased from 2017.
Demographically, King County held steady from previous years. About 49% of producers are female, a level of gender equality that is uncommon across the country. However, in 2022 the ratio of white to BIPOC producers remained the same, with 92% of producers in the county identifying as white alone, compared to 63% of the general county population.
The starkest changes between 2017 and 2022 are seen in the market. Average annual farm income became negative in 2022, from an average income per farm of $4,052 to a loss of $4,196. Only eight counties in Washington experienced an average loss in 2022, and King County had the third largest average loss in the state.
Additionally, sales of local food shrank by 24%. Market sales reached a high of $135 million in 2017, down dramatically to $103 million in 2022 despite inflation. It is unclear if this is due to either 2017 or 2022 being outliers, or if these figures signal major losses in the local food economy.
Overall, the 2022 Census of Agriculture shows that King County is at a crossroads. Major hits to the local food system due to COVID-19 and economic changes clearly knocked many farmers down, however, there is more farmland and more new, young producers in the county.
“The census tells an important story about what is happening to agriculture in King County,” said Local Food Economy Manager Mike Lufkin. “The growth in farmland acreage and new producers, along with sustained support from residents, local and state policymakers, could be the momentum we need to regrow the market.”