FORD COUNTY MARKET

Ford County, Illinois Farmers Market — Buy & Sell Local Crops Near You

🌽 From Cabery to Paxton, Ford County gardeners, small farms and home cooks post their extra harvest here for people nearby. Fruit, vegetables, cottage foods, plants, seeds and farm gear are all welcome. It's free to post, there's no cut taken, and local farm food carries no sales tax.

Farming in Ford County by the Numbers

Ford County has 544 farms on 279,456 acres (about 514 acres each). Together they sold $299.8 million of farm products in 2022, led by corn, soybeans and hogs.

Beekeepers tend about 16 honey bee colonies.

10 farms in Ford County already sell straight to the public, about $157,000 a year in direct sales. Crop Market gives them, and every backyard grower, a free way to reach more neighbors.

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2022 Census of Agriculture.

Farm Life in Ford County

Livestock is part of daily life here: the 2022 farm census found 51,297 hogs, 4,742 head of cattle and 1,787 egg-laying hens in Ford County.

About 974 people run or help run farms in Ford County, with an average age of 60. 26% of them are women. 90 are under 35 - the next generation of local growers.

Where Ford County stands out: it ranks #10 of 94 IL counties for goats.