MERRICK COUNTY MARKET

Merrick County, Nebraska Farmers Market — Buy & Sell Local Crops Near You

🌽 From Archer to and Silver Creek, Merrick County gardeners, small farms and home cooks post their extra harvest here for people nearby. 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 Merrick County by the Numbers

Merrick County has 482 farms on 208,714 acres (about 433 acres each). Together they sold $283.7 million of farm products in 2022, led by cattle, corn and soybeans.

Local fields produce potatoes. Beekeepers tend about 47 honey bee colonies.

8 farms in Merrick County already sell straight to the public, about $1.3 million 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 Merrick County

Out in the pastures and barnyards, Merrick County counts 49,563 head of cattle, 686 horses and ponies and 682 goats. Grass-fed beef sold by the quarter or half is a common way ranchers sell direct.

About 856 people run or help run farms in Merrick County, with an average age of 55. 32% of them are women. 146 are under 35 - the next generation of local growers. 7 farms earn money from agritourism - things like u-pick fields, pumpkin patches, farm stays and corn mazes.

Where Merrick County stands out: it ranks #2 of 70 NE counties for selling food straight to the public.