MERCER COUNTY MARKET

Mercer County, Kentucky Farmers Market — Buy & Sell Local Crops Near You

🌽 From Bondville to and Cornishville, Mercer 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 Mercer County by the Numbers

Mercer County has 978 farms on 142,272 acres (about 145 acres each). Together they sold $57.7 million of farm products in 2022, led by cattle, soybeans and corn.

Orchards and vineyards here grow apples, pears and sweet cherries, and local fields produce sweet corn, potatoes, tomatoes and okra. Beekeepers tend about 395 honey bee colonies.

50 farms in Mercer County already sell straight to the public, about $266,000 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 Mercer County

Livestock is part of daily life here: the 2022 farm census found 37,607 head of cattle, 2,723 sheep and 2,614 egg-laying hens in Mercer County. Grass-fed beef sold by the quarter or half is a common way ranchers sell direct.

About 1,636 people run or help run farms in Mercer County, with an average age of 57. 38% of them are women. 148 are under 35 - the next generation of local growers. 4 farms earn money from agritourism - things like u-pick fields, pumpkin patches, farm stays and corn mazes.

Where Mercer County stands out: it ranks #13 of 111 KY counties for honey bee colonies and #18 of 120 KY counties for number of farms.