New York Farms and Ranches: Agriculture History, How Farms Make Money and Strategy
Guide updated November 2026
New York farms produced more than $8 billion in products sold in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, with 30,650 farms on 6,502,286 acres and an average size of 212 acres. Milk is the leading commodity at about $3.87 billion, third nationally, followed by fruit, grains and vegetables. This guide covers the state's history, revenue streams, practical strategy and the elite operations profiled below.
| Farms and land in farms | 30,650 farms; 6,502,286 acres; average 212 acres (2022 Census) |
|---|---|
| Top commodities | Milk, grains and oilseeds, fruit, nursery, vegetables, cattle, hay |
| Market value of ag products sold | $8.04 billion; livestock 61 percent, crops 39 percent |
| State agriculture department | New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets |
| Land-grant extension | Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension |
| Farm Bureau | New York Farm Bureau |
Agriculture in New York: A Short History
New York agriculture grew from Dutch and English settlement in the Hudson Valley and spread west across the Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes and Lake Plains. Many family farms hold generations of continuous ownership; Dygert Farms in Palatine Bridge dates its farmstead to 1723, while Fessenden Dairy in King Ferry traces its roots to 1863.
Dairy, apples, grapes, onions on muck soils and field crops became the state's backbone. According to the New York Farm Bureau, New York ranks first in yogurt, cottage cheese and sour cream, second in apples and maple syrup, and third in grapes and wine. The 2022 Census also showed 95 to 98 percent of farms remain family owned, though the state lost nearly 2,800 farms and about 364,000 acres since 2017.
How Farms in New York Make Money
Commodity sales
Milk from cows is first at $3.87 billion, third in the nation. Fruit, tree nuts and berries brought $721 million, grains, oilseeds and dry beans $954 million, nursery and greenhouse $538 million, vegetables and potatoes $500 million, and cattle and calves $493 million. Large dairies such as Sunnyside Farms and Table Rock Farm show scale economies in the milk market.
Value-added and direct sales
Seventeen percent of farms sell directly to consumers and 3 percent farm organically. Dygert Farms bottles its own milk, and Oechsner Farms sells organic grain to millers, maltsters and bakers. Cheese, yogurt, wine, cider and maple add value to raw commodities.
Agritourism, leases and diversification
Farm-related income reached $411 million statewide in 2022. Farms rent cropland, host tours and sell energy: Sunnyside's digester produces electricity and gas. Landowners with idle acres can lease to growers, as Table Rock does.
Agriculture Strategy for New York Farms
Soils, water and climate
The Finger Lakes and Lake Plains reward dairy forage and grains, the Hudson Valley supports orchards, and western muck soils grow onions. Watershed rules near drinking water lakes such as Owasco and Skaneateles make buffers, no-till, cover crops and manure injection practical priorities, as winners like Greenfield Farms and Sunnyside show.
Production and risk
Pair crop insurance and USDA farm programs with conservation cost-share. The state's Agricultural Environmental Management program and NRCS programs such as EQIP help pay for manure covers, flares, waterways and nutrient plans. Diversified rotations spread weather risk.
Technology and inputs
Digesters, covered manure storage and precision nutrient plans cut emissions and input costs. Cornell researchers work with farms on feed testing, cover crops and organic no-till trials.
Farm Business Strategy in New York
Margins and markets
Labor costs rose about 41 percent between 2017 and 2022, so labor efficiency, parlor design and mechanization matter. Dairy margins swing with milk prices, so processors, on-farm creameries and contract premiums can steady cash flow.
Land, credit and succession
The average producer is 56.7 years old and only 6,335 producers are under 35, so succession plans matter. FSA loans, Farm Credit and farmland protection programs can help beginning farmers; Dygert Farms used an FSA storage facility loan to expand its creamery.
Marketing and diversification
Awards such as the New York AEM-Leopold Conservation Award build credibility with neighbors and buyers. Direct sales, agritourism and renewable energy add revenue without changing the core farm.
Farm Insight: New York Trends to Watch
Watch the farmland trend: the 2022 Census showed the steepest farm-count decline in three decades, even as average farm size rose. The biggest operations continue to consolidate, while diversified and direct-market farms fill niches.
Also watch commodity prices and labor. Sales topped $8 billion largely due to temporary price increases, so budgets should assume a return to lower levels.
New York farms range from a 1723 farmhouse to a 5,000-cow dairy, and every one of them still has a mailbox full of seed catalogs in January. At farm.FM we collect farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, and the Empire State's onion fields, apple orchards and manure pipelines give us endless material. We joke with respect, because the work is serious.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
Elite Farms and Ranches in New York
These 6 operations are profiled in full, with history, how each makes money, lessons for other farms and published contact details.
Elite operations in New York
- Dygert FarmsElite operation. Palatine Bridge, New York. Dygert Farms, Palatine Bridge NY: tricentennial dairy since 1723, creamery and 2023 Leopold winner. History, revenue, lessons and contact.
- Greenfield FarmsElite operation. Skaneateles, New York. Greenfield Farms, Skaneateles NY: 1,400-acre fourth-generation crop farm, 2022 Leopold winner. History, revenue streams, lessons and contact.
- Oechsner FarmsElite operation. Newfield, New York. Oechsner Farms, Newfield NY: 1,200-acre regenerative organic grain farm, 2025 Leopold winner. History, revenue streams, lessons and contact.
- Sunnyside FarmsElite operation. Scipio Center, New York. Sunnyside Farms, Scipio Center NY: 7,500-acre Cayuga County dairy and 2024 Leopold winner. History, revenue streams, lessons and contact details.
- Table Rock FarmElite operation. Castile, New York. Table Rock Farm, Castile NY: 1,150-cow family dairy and 2021 Leopold winner. History, revenue streams, lessons and contact details.
- Torrey FarmsElite operation. Elba, New York. Torrey Farms, Elba NY: large onion and vegetable grower on western New York muckland. History, crops, lessons and contact information.
Who to Contact in New York: Agriculture Offices and Associations
- NY Department of Agriculture and Markets - State agency, programs and news
- Cornell CALS news - Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences dairy extension news
- NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture, New York - State profile with farms, acres and sales
- New York Farm Bureau - State ag facts and rankings
- USDA Farmers.gov - FSA loans and USDA programs
- NY Agricultural Environmental Management - State conservation program
- NRCS in New York - Federal conservation program overview
New York Farming FAQ
How many farms are in New York?
The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 30,650 farms on 6,502,286 acres.
What is New York's top agricultural product?
Milk from cows, at $3.87 billion in 2022, third nationally.
Where can New York farmers get conservation help?
Through county Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the state AEM program and NRCS.
Which New York farms are profiled here?
Sunnyside Farms, Table Rock Farm, Dygert Farms, Oechsner Farms, Greenfield Farms and Torrey Farms.
New York farms combine dairy scale, fruit and vegetable specialties and growing conservation leadership. Read the profiled operations below for examples of how Empire State farms make money and contact details.