JAMES CITY COUNTY MARKET

James City County, Virginia Farmers Market — Buy & Sell Local Crops Near You

🌽 From Merrimac to and Williamsburg, James City County gardeners, small farms and home cooks post their extra harvest here for people nearby. Virginia favorites like sweet potatoes and apples show up here when they're in season. It's free to post, there's no cut taken, and local farm food carries no sales tax.

Farming in James City County by the Numbers

James City County has 79 farms on 6,216 acres (about 79 acres each). Together they sold $2.2 million of farm products in 2022, led by fruit & nuts, dairy (milk) and vegetables.

Orchards and vineyards here grow apples, and local fields produce pumpkins, tomatoes, beets and potatoes. Beekeepers tend about 35 honey bee colonies.

10 farms in James City County already sell straight to the public, about $7.5 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 James City County

Livestock is part of daily life here: the 2022 farm census found 732 head of cattle, 278 horses and ponies and 170 egg-laying hens in James City County. Grass-fed beef sold by the quarter or half is a common way ranchers sell direct.

About 165 people run or help run farms in James City County, with an average age of 58. 36% of them are women. 14 are under 35 - the next generation of local growers. 12 farms earn money from agritourism - things like u-pick fields, pumpkin patches, farm stays and corn mazes.

Where James City County stands out: it ranks #5 of 87 VA counties for selling food straight to the public.