The time couldn’t be riper to start a farm or ranch — the agriculture industry faces a massive shortage of farmers and ranchers who are more critical than ever to maintaining our food supply.
But where do you have the highest chance of successfully starting a Green Acres life?
Ahead of Farmer’s Day, Oct. 12, LawnStarter compared the 50 states across 42 key metrics to rank 2021’s Best States to Start a Farm or Ranch.
We looked for states with existing farm communities to indicate viability, good infrastructure, and a suitable climate. We also compared the states based on overhead and ROI potential.
How did Kentucky fare?
Kentucky’s Rank for Some Key Metrics (1 = Best)
- Increase in Farmland Area Over Past Year – 1st
- Water Quality (Total Number of Violations in Past Year) – 4th
- Rural Health Clinics per 1,000 Square Miles – 1st
- Average Monthly Precipitation (in Inches) – 15th
- Natural Hazards Index – 21st
- Farm Workers per 100,000 Residents – 18th
- Average Per-Farm Production Expenses – 25th
- Farmland Returns – 8th
Lawnstarter‘s full ranking and analysis can be found here.