HOUSTON COUNTY MARKET

Houston County, Texas Farmers Market — Buy & Sell Local Crops Near You

🌽 From Austonio to and Ratcliff, Houston 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. Posting an ad is free and sellers keep every dollar.

Farming in Houston County by the Numbers

Houston County has 1,411 farms on 483,598 acres (about 343 acres each). Together they sold $90 million of farm products in 2022, led by cattle, poultry & eggs and vegetables.

Orchards and vineyards here grow peaches and pears, and local fields produce watermelons, cantaloupes, pumpkins and squash. Beekeepers tend about 152 honey bee colonies.

13 farms in Houston County already sell straight to the public, about $6.1 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 Houston County

Livestock is part of daily life here: the 2022 farm census found 108,126 head of cattle, 2,784 egg-laying hens and 2,613 hogs in Houston County. Grass-fed beef sold by the quarter or half is a common way ranchers sell direct.

About 2,406 people run or help run farms in Houston County, with an average age of 63. 38% of them are women. 106 are under 35 - the next generation of local growers. 14 farms earn money from agritourism - things like u-pick fields, pumpkin patches, farm stays and corn mazes.

Where Houston County stands out: it ranks #2 of 196 TX counties for selling food straight to the public.