CLAY COUNTY MARKET

Clay County, North Carolina Farmers Market — Buy & Sell Local Crops Near You

🌽 Clay County has more backyard fruit trees and home gardens than anyone could eat from. Crop Market connects them with neighbors in Brasstown, Hayesville and and Warne. 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 Clay County by the Numbers

Clay County has 178 farms on 14,515 acres (about 82 acres each). Together they sold $3.6 million of farm products in 2022, led by cattle, hay & other field crops and fruit & nuts.

Local fields produce bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and fresh herbs. Beekeepers tend about 14 honey bee colonies.

8 farms in Clay County already sell straight to the public. 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 Clay County

Livestock is part of daily life here: the 2022 farm census found 4,078 head of cattle, 459 egg-laying hens and 159 goats in Clay County. Grass-fed beef sold by the quarter or half is a common way ranchers sell direct.

About 274 people run or help run farms in Clay County, with an average age of 61. 36% of them are women. 11 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.