SHELBY COUNTY MARKET

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

🌽 Shelby County has more backyard fruit trees and home gardens than anyone could eat from. Crop Market connects them with neighbors in Brunswick, Clarksburg and Lakewood. Watch for local honey when it comes into season in Illinois. Listing is free and you keep 100% of every local sale.

Farming in Shelby County by the Numbers

Shelby County has 1,199 farms on 359,447 acres (about 300 acres each). Together they sold $335 million of farm products in 2022, led by corn, soybeans and cattle.

Orchards and vineyards here grow pears and apples, and local fields produce green beans, sweet corn, tomatoes and cucumbers. Beekeepers tend about 295 honey bee colonies.

13 farms in Shelby County already sell straight to the public, about $97,000 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 Shelby County

Livestock is part of daily life here: the 2022 farm census found 37,948 hogs, 19,194 head of cattle and 1,050 egg-laying hens in Shelby County.

About 1,985 people run or help run farms in Shelby County, with an average age of 60. 27% of them are women. 164 are under 35 - the next generation of local growers. 3 farms earn money from agritourism - things like u-pick fields, pumpkin patches, farm stays and corn mazes.

Where Shelby County stands out: it ranks #10 of 102 IL counties for number of farms.