New York Is An Agricultural State

Agriculture is important to New York State. Agricultural production returned almost $4.4 billion to the farm economy in 2008. About 23 percent of the state’s land area, or 7.10 million acres are used by the 36,600 farms to produce a very diverse array of food products.

Livestock and dairy production is the largest sector of NYS agricultural and account for 61% of all cash receipts. New York livestock producers marketed 249 million pounds of meat animals during 2008 bringing in $157 million of which $148 million was from cattle & calves.

Here are a few more facts about the cattle industry in NY:

Total number of Farms: 34,200. 99% of New York farms are family owned.
Number of farms with cattle: 13,600
Total Number of Cattle & calves, January 1, 2008: 1.45 million (Ranked 22nd in the nation.)
In 2008 New York cattle producers contributed $148 million to the New York economy.
The dairy industry in New York ranks 3rd in the nation and 17% of all U.S. beef is derived from dairy cattle.
Cattle are the ideal mechanism for efficiently utilizing grasses and plant residues growing on the 7.10 million acres of New York agricultural land. Many of these acres are not suited for the production of cultivated crops and would be wasted if it were not for ruminants, such as cattle, turning these resources into essential protein and nutrients for human use. Crop residues serve as a valuable feed source and is just one way New York beef producers ensure a clean environment.

Source: New York Agricultural Statistics 2009-2010 Annual Bulletin