Goodness Grows in Alleghany

So just what is it that the 270 full-time farmers and 274 part-time farmers in Alleghany County grow these days? Grass, and lots of it. Yes, some of that kind is also surely grown but the USDA lets the Sheriff's Department keep track of it. This grass is the kind that cows eat. Thirty four million pounds of it, grown on 10,000+ acres, by 301 farmers, to be exact.

If we include the 68 million pounds of corn for silage, grown on 2200 acres by 32 farmers, it all amounts to a whole bunch of cud to chew on.

Here's the lowdown on all the crops as reported by the USDA for 2002:

Crops - Farms - Acreage
Grass for Forage - 301 - 10,287
Corn for Forage - 32 - 2208
Tobacco - 108 - 251
Sorghum for Forage - 3 - 30
Vegetables for Sale - 10 - 27
Orchards - 6 - 25
Potatoes - 6 - 3

No wheat, oats, barley, soybeans, corn, peanuts, sweet potatoes.

Hmmm ... makes you wonder how much of that "Corn for Forage" acreage is planted in 'wacky backy".