Botetourt 250th Anniversary Celebration Facts: Farm Facts in the 21st Century

Botetourt Farm Facts

With help of the Farm Services Agency, The Botetourt Bee has assembled some farm facts for Botetourt County. For over 250 years the area that became Botetourt County has been a significant agriculture area. With 2020 being the 250^th anniversary year for Botetourt County it seemed appropriate to take a look at what agriculture still means to the county.

The farm census declares any place from which in any place and in any form produces $1,000 in sale or other income.

According to the latest 2017 Census figures which were the latest available. www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus

Here is what we know.

Botetourt County has 551 Farms with total acres in Farmland.          88,842 acres

Active Farmland including row crops, and hayland  harvested            23,696 acres  

Grazing acres in Botetourt                                                                           29, 173 acres

Active Farms raising corn, soy beans, Sunflowers, hay and wheat 120

Hemp Farming 1

Active Beef  Farmers                                                                                      310

Active Farmers for Pigs, Chickens, Sheep and Goats                                20

Dairy Farms                                                                                                        5

Farmers selling vegetable produce primarily                                              7

Aquaculture and other Animal Production                                                71

Active orchards                                                                                                 4

 Vineyards                                                                                                          5

Christmas Tree Growers                                                                                 5

Greenhouses, Nurseries and Floriculture                                                    5

Beekeepers are important in producing pollinators for local agriculture. We know there are about 40 people in the Botetourt Beekeepers Association plus another group of 4H Beekeepers. 12 farms have their own hives and there were 43 other colonies of bees noted.  Botetourt has the only Honey Bee Sanctuary in the state at Greenfield Business Center.  VDOT has dedicated the area at EXIT 150 where the Truckstop sat into a pollinator field. In 2019, the Honey Bee was declared the most important animal in the world.

Botetourt has a Sunflower festival and an Annual Agriculture Fair as well

For more info try the Botetourt Ag Profile.

https://www.naas.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/Online_Resources/County_Profiles/Virginia

Story by Cathy Benson Thebotetourt Bee with Jean Hazelgrove, FSA

*Hemp Farming is 2019 event though it was quite important for two centuries in the Commonwealth and in the county.