Doing Business in Nelson County

Land
456 farms (438 farms in 1997, up 4%)

84,691 acres of land in farms (78,446 acres in 1997, up 8%)

186 acres is average size of farm (179 acres in 1997, up 4%)

Market Value of Production, average per farm
$16,590 ($15,691 in 1997, up 6%)

Market Value of Production
$7,565,000 ($6,872,000 in 1997, up 10%)

Crop sales accounted for $4,862,000 of the total value

Livestock sales accounted for $2,703,000 of the total value

Government Payments
$224,000 ($166,000 in 1997, up 35%)

Government Payments, average per farm receiving payments
$2,761 ($3,210 in 1997 down 14%)

Major Crops

Hay and forages

Tree fruit – apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries

Agronomic crops – corn, soybeans, small grains

Vineyards
Greenhouses – bedding plants, perennials

Nurseries – ornamentals, fruit

Vegetables – pumpkins, market produce

Fruit Industry

12 orchards

14 vineyards
produced 400 tons on 110 bearing acres
10 wineries

2 breweries
1 single malt Scottish style whisky distillery
13,313 pounds 
of apples produced in 2006
Nelson County ranks third in apple production, fifth in grape production
in Virginia (2006)

Livestock
(2006)
Successful Operations – cow/calf farms, purebred beef breeding, equine training and riding

19,700 cattle and calves and beef cattle
732 goats

520 layers 20 weeks old and older

484 horses and ponies
1200 sheep and lambs
1400 hogs

Other Farm Enterprises

Landscape Design and Installation

Garden Centers

Farm Markets

Pick Your Own Berries

Herbs and Herb Products

Tree and Lawn Care

Irrigation Services

Tissue Culture and Plant Propagation

Forestry

Two-thirds of the county is forested, 233,613 acres