Every five years, the United States Department of Agriculture conducts its Census of Agriculture, collecting information about the country's farming activities. The most recent census, which examined the state of farming during 2022, revealed the following facts.

_o Pennsylvania led the U.S. in the percentage of its producers who were under the age of 35 - 12.7% - and Lancaster County was one of only two counties in the nation with more than 1,000 young producers. (Lancaster County had 2,057.)

_o Pennsylvania boasted 49,053 farms, and Lancaster County had 4,680 farms - 9.5% of the farms in the state.

_o Four percent of Lancaster County's farms operated organically.

_o Eleven percent of the county's farms sold directly to consumers.

_o Ninety-eight percent of the county's farms were family farms.

_o The total market value of products sold by Lancaster County farms in 2022 was $1.85 billion, accounting for 18% of agriculture sales in Pennsylvania.

_o Lancaster County's top crops in acres were corn for grain, 95,549; forage, 65,142; soybeans for beans, 51,695; corn for silage/greenchop, 35,988; and wheat for grain, 24,101.

_o The county's harvest included 847,584 tons of corn for silage/greenchop; over 17 million bushels of corn for grain; over 2 million bushels of wheat for grain; 442,901 bushels of barley for grain; and 42,221 bushels of oats for grain.

_o Lancaster County's livestock totaled 13.7 million layers; close to 10.4 million broilers and other meat-type chickens; close to 7 million pullets (young hens); 322,153 hogs and pigs; 235,758 turkeys; and 182,218 cattle and calves.

_o Approximately 82% of all agricultural products in Lancaster County were livestock, poultry, and their products; about 18% were crop related.

_o Lancaster County ranked No. 1 in Pennsylvania in many agriculture categories, including total market value of agricultural products sold and total livestock, poultry, and products sold. The county had the highest sales in the state in grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas; tobacco; and other crops and hay. Within the livestock category, it leads the state in sales of poultry and eggs; cattle and calves; milk from cows; hogs and pigs; and sheep, goats, wool, mohair, and milk. The county is seventh in the U.S. for poultry and eggs.

_o Lancaster County also earned high ranks among the 3,144 counties in the United States: seventh in poultry and eggs and 10th in overall livestock, poultry, and products.

_o There were approximately 56 commercial chickens (layers, pullets, and meat-type) per person in Lancaster County in 2022, according to estimated population information from the Census Bureau.