CATTARAUGUS, N.Y. — In rural Cattaraugus County, 353 Maple is open for business. Owner Autumn Sawyer and her husband have been farming sap for about six years, but producing and selling varieties of maple syrup to the public for only about three.

What You Need To Know

  • The latest Census of Agriculture figures (2017-2022) were recently released

  • Figures show a decline in the number of farms across most counties, while some saw a different type of farming

  • Cornell Cooperative Extension is helping producers through challenging times

"And it comes right off our hill. We invested everything into it and said 'this is what we're going to do. We're going to make maple syrup,' and here we are," Sawyer said.

Acres of maple trees in their backyard are complete with thousands of taps, several storage barrels and an old fire department water tanker, now used to haul sap. They also have bee hives to produce and sell honey.

"We like that the trees provide this for us and we don't have to go to a grocery store to get it," Sawyer said.

The latest 2022 Census of Agriculture data shows beginning producers like the Sawyers made up about 33% of the total farms in the state, up from 30% from the last count in 2017.

Cornell Cooperative Extension's Katelyn Walley-Stoll says overall data shows about 30,000 farms in the state, down from 33,000 with many suffering financial losses amid the pandemic.

"Across the state, we saw farms decline in almost every county. We lost farms which is hard and those are families right that are operating those farms. Those are people that have been farming for generations and we're losing those," said Katelyn Walley-Stoll, farm business management specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Walley-Stoll says despite that, there's a consolidation trend across the industry, where operating farms are buying the land from those that close. Along with new producers, turning what perhaps was a hobby into a formal business.

"We find that the local communities are really interested in sustainable agriculture, and supporting local food systems and if you can find that niche for yourself, it can be really successful," said Walley-Stoll.

Like Sawyer, who credits Cornell for being a new resource.

"It takes a lot of hard work to put into it, but it all comes out in the end as a reward. And it's rewarding to give it to our community to let them enjoy it as well," said Sawyer.

The next Census of Agriculture will be conducted in 2027.