New York Agriculture
Agriculture is a very important industry in New York and has an annual economic impact of over $42 billion. Over 36,000 farms use more than 20 percent of land to produce a wide variety of agricultural products, such as leading commodities dairy and milk. Farmers grow a variety of crops in support of the dairy industry, such as corn, oats and wheat. Leading fruit crops are grapes and apples. New York ranks second in the nation for apple production, and third for wine and apple juice.
Eggs, maple syrup, cattle and calves, and other meat-producing animals are also important sources of income in the Empire State. New York farmers raise over 200,000 ducks. The state ranks fifth in the U.S. for production of duck meat and other duck products.