Agriculture in North Carolina

The number of farms in North Carolina continued a long-term decline

Agriculture remains vital to North Carolina's economy as a whole and is a major contributor to the economy of several rural counties. Yet, farm employment and the number of farms continue to decrease. The number of farms in North Carolina has dropped dramatically from its peak in 1948 of 302,000 farms to 52,000 farms in 2004. North Carolina now has less than 17 percent of the farms it had in the late 1940s. The most dramatic declines have been in the rich farmlands of the East and Southeast regions.

Source: US Department of Agriculture

Even with fewer farms, North Carolina continues as a national leader in agriculture

North Carolina ranks eighth nationally in farm income and has a very diverse agricultural sector. The state's farmers lead the nation in production of tobacco and sweet potatoes and are second in hogs, Christmas trees, and turkey production. The diversity of the sector means that agriculture is an important element of the rural economy in all regions of the state.

Source: NC Department of Agriculture, 2003

The Coastal Plain leads the state in agricultural production

Rural North Carolina produces 91 percent of the state's $7.3 billion in agricultural receipts. Over half of those receipts come from the Coastal Plain region where flue-cured tobacco and hog production lead the way. The Piedmont leads the state in broiler chickens, while the Mountain region is a national leader in Christmas tree production and leads the state in apple and trout production.

Source: NC Department of Agriculture, 2003

The decline in tobacco continues to affect North Carolina's farming sector

Tobacco remains the most important and profitable crop from many farmers and communities. In 2004, North Carolina farmers raised 350 million pounds of tobacco and once again led the nation. While this number in an increase over 2002 and 2003, it is still less than half (48 percent) of the production in 1997.

Source: NC Department of Agriculture, 1997-2004

Tobacco buyout is likely to have a dramatic impact on some North Carolina counties

North Carolina produces more tobacco than any other state in the country. The impact of the 200x tobacco buyout is still not known, but will certainly have a dramatic impact on some places in the state. The buyout eliminates the quota system for growing and selling tobacco and means that anyone can grow as much tobacco as desired. This change could result in some farmers growing more, some farmers leaving farming, and many other changes. Some of the counties in eastern N.C. are especially likely to see changes, for example, there are over 170 farms in Pitt County that grew over 17 million pounds of tobacco in 2003.

Source: NC Department of Agriculture, 2003