JACKSON COUNTY MARKET

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

🌽 Jackson County has more backyard fruit trees and home gardens than anyone could eat from. Crop Market connects them with neighbors in Balsam, Cashiers and Sapphire. Homemade jams, breads and honey are listed right next to fresh produce and seedlings. It's free to post, there's no cut taken, and local farm food carries no sales tax.

Farming in Jackson County by the Numbers

Jackson County has 236 farms on 22,208 acres (about 94 acres each). Together they sold $24.9 million of farm products in 2022, led by Christmas trees, hay & other field crops and corn.

Local fields produce chile peppers, bell peppers, spinach and sweet corn. Beekeepers tend about 189 honey bee colonies.

24 farms in Jackson County already sell straight to the public, about $45,000 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 Jackson County

Out in the pastures and barnyards, Jackson County counts 2,035 head of cattle, 506 egg-laying hens and 253 sheep. Grass-fed beef sold by the quarter or half is a common way ranchers sell direct.

About 395 people run or help run farms in Jackson County, with an average age of 60. 31% of them are women. 37 are under 35 - the next generation of local growers. 2 farms earn money from agritourism - things like u-pick fields, pumpkin patches, farm stays and corn mazes.