An overview of agriculture in Bedford County.

Agriculture and Forestry are by far the largest land use in the County. It is also a powerful economic engine, with $29,262,000 annually in farm sales alone.

CommodityValue (2022)
Cattle and Calves$14,309,000
MilkN/A
Other crops and Hay$5,446,000
Fruits/Berries$1,206,000
Nursery/Greenhouse$2,819,000
Grains (Corn, Wheat, Soybeans)$2,401,000
Vegetables$122,000
Horses/Ponies$844,000
Christmas Trees$38,000
Sheep and lambs$38,000
Goats$77,000
**Bedford ranks 49th among Virginia counties in cash receipts from agricultural product sales.
Value of agricultural products sold direct to individuals for human consumption
2007$565,000
2012$453,000
2017$1,210,000
2022$1,178,000

Total Land AreaLand in Farms% Land Area in Farms
486,329 acres183,200 acres37.7
Average farm Size155 acres
Source: U.S. Census of Agriculture, 2022

State Rankings of Bedford Agriculture (among Virginia Counties)
All Cattle and Calves (38,626 head)#7
Beef Cows (20,984 head)#3
Milk Cows (230 head)N/A
Hay (41,060 acres)#1
Horses (1,342 head)#6
Goats (1,037 head)#9
Orchards (243 acres)#15
Grapes (70 acres)#8
Sources: U.S. Census of Agriculture, 2022 

Forestry

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting industry produced $14.1M in GDP for Bedford County in 2022.

Virginia is estimated to make $43.4M in annual purchases from suppliers in the US with about 17% or $7.2M of these purchases being made from businesses in Bedford County.

Source: JobsEQ Chmura Economics & Analytics 

Bedford Businesses dependent on agriculture:
Farm Bureau
Bedford Cooperative
Bedford-Augusta Cooperative
Moneta Farm and Home Center
Tractor Supply Company
Royal Oak Farm
Boone Tractor
Powers Tractor and Equipment
Robertson Equipment
New London Tractor and Implement
Springlake Livestock Market
Farm Credit of the Virginias
First Bank and Trust Company
George’s Seed, Feed, and Grow Store
Eco-Friendly Foods – meat processing facility
Farm Building/Fencing Contractors
Bedford Animal Hospital
Lil Doc’s Veterinary Service
Equine Veterinarians
Estimated Market Value of Land and Buildings, Dollars/Acre, Bedford
1987$1,007.00
1992$1,206.00
1997$1,943.00
2002$2,920.00
2007$4,727.00
2012$4,430.00
2017$4,399.00
2022$5,339.00
Source: U.S. Census of Agriculture

Farmer Characteristics

2007201220172022
 
# Farms, total1,4281,3691,418
Farmer age group
Under 25 years1034025
25-34 years343516591
35-44166102193186
45-54352304373280
55-54352385679555
65+515540809870
Average Age5959N/A61
Source: U.S. Census of Agriculture