Some Quick Facts About Agriculture in Genesee County:
-187,317 acres of farmland (59% of all land mass).
-20,500 acres of vegetables.
-Over 60,000 acres devoted to dairy pastures.
-Currently, we rank fourth in farm gates sales in NYS, totaling to annual estimated sales of $234.3 million.
Now I am a local guy….
I drive down Route 5 every day.
I see the huge corn fields.
I smell the manure.
I get stuck behind the tractor going 15mph.
But $234.3 million worth of agricultural product coming out of Genesee County every year, that’s crazy!
The microcosm of industry that is going on around us every day is truly astounding and I feel relatively unnoticed.
We all think, “Oh little old Genesee County. Little old Batavia, little old Elba, little old Bergen.”
However, BIG business and BIG money is moving in these little towns.
Agriculture is in fact our county’s number one industry, and for good reason.
With local farms (like Torrey Farms, CY Farms, Lamb Farms and Post Dairy Farms) feeding local processors (like O-AT-KA Milk, Upstate Niagara and Bonduelle) we really have our very own economic system operating within the walls of our county.
Besides these larger farms and larger corporations, there are 100s of local farms and distributors sprinkled throughout our region. Making an intricate community of people that disperse out across the county.
“Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man.” -George Washington, 1st President of The United States
The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is proud to partner on two events each year that highlight the importance of agriculture in our county.
The first is the Celebrate Ag Dinner: An annual event that uses locally sourced foods to bring together over 300 farmers and agriculturally-minded people in our area.
The second is the Decision-Maker’s Ag Tour: An annual bus tour that brings local people around the county to get an insider view of the many varying agricultural organizations that operate within Genesee County.
The Genesee County Chamber wants every day citizens to know the importance these local farming institutions play in our every day lives.
If you are a local person, who doesn’t have an Ag background, we encourage you to come to one of these events!
Don’t continue to let the agricultural communities of Genesee County go “Pasteurize” (you know I had to end it on a pun.)