© Richard Cooper Collection
Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University
The comparative chart with data from the subject pamphlet
illustrates the dramatic differences in farming in Somerset County
over the course of the past century. Only 39% of the land is in farm
use as was in about 1905 although the average farm is 39% larger in
size. In an area where no one had an automobile until the next
decade, horses were a commodity used for travel and farm work. Now
that there are no horses (except pleasure), the resulting acreage
devoted to their feed expectedly has dramatically decreased. Just a
score of years ago, there was a small dairy industry in the county,
now there is none.
Perhaps the most surprising commodity not listed is strawberries. At
one time, Somerset County claimed to be the "Strawberry Capital of
the World" in the days when train carloads of berries were shipped
to the cities. Gone also are the production of potatoes, sweet
potatoes, figs and apples.
Not surprisingly, poultry production has soared with 288 of the 301
farms in the county classified as poultry farms. A large crop
unheard of in 1905 is soybeans, with 33.8% of current farm land use
devoted to production.
Not depicted in this comparison is the mid 20th Century "hay day" of
the truck crops such as tomatoes, string beans, lima beans,
watermelons and cantaloupes described in 1878 as the produce to
which the "soil of Somerset is particularly adapted".
circa 1900 |
circa 2006* |
Number of farms
1,986 |
301 |
Land in farms
146, 270 |
56,560 |
Average acres per farm
73.6 |
188 |
Cattle 3,725 |
2,366 and 1,196 beef cows |
Horses 3,080 |
not listed |
Swine 5,693 |
65 |
Poultry 79,334 |
288 farms and 42 million broilers** |
Dairy Products
$43,680 |
3 milk cows |
Corn 20,736 acres,
449,877 bushels |
13,196 acres |
Oats 906 acres, 23,
906 bushels |
23 acres |
Wheat 5,678 acres,
78,399 bushels |
4,793 acres |
Hay & forage 5,640
acres, 9,171 tons |
1,409 acres |
Potatoes 2,147
acres, 263,103 bushels |
0 |
Sweet potatoes 440
acres, 66,209 bushels |
not listed |
Apples 15,276
bushels |
0 orchards |
Figs 7,845 pounds |
not listed |
Strawberries 2,859
acres, 4,581,341 quarts |
> 10 acres |
Soybeans |
19,175 acres |
*Information largely provided by Eddie
Johnson, Ag. Ext. Edu., University of Maryland, Wicomico
Cooperative Extension.
**1997 estimate by E. Johnson.
Additional information from:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/statesummaries/MD/County/County.pdf/Somerset.pdf
© Richard Cooper Collection
Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University
© Richard Cooper Collection
Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University
In the following chart of census figures for the lower Maryland
Counties, note that Somerset County was the largest in population in
1900 and that year was the apex of its population density for the
next century. By 1970, Somerset's population had slipped to 19,623.
MD Lower Shore Historical Census Data
2005 1990 1980 1970 1960 1950
(est)
Somerset County 25845 23440 19188 18924 19623 20745
Wicomico County 74339 64540 54236 49050 39641
Worcester County 35028 30889 24442 23733 23148
Dorchester County 30236 30623 29405 29666 27815
1940 1930 1920 1910 1900
Somerset County 20965 23382 24602 25923 26455
Wicomico County 34530 31229 28165 22852 26815
Worcester County 21245 21624 22309 20865 21841
Dorchester County 28006 26813 27895 27962 28669
Now
Somerset County Labor Profile
"Somerset's 435 businesses employ 4,240 workers. Crisfield and
Princess Anne are the two major business and industrial centers of
the County. Major employers are John T. Handy Co. Inc.,
Lankford/SYSCO Foods, McCready Hospital, Mountaire Farms, Peninsula
Bank, Perdue Inc., Rubberset, Eastern Correctional Institute, and
the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Somerset is a major
seafood processor and poultry producer. It is also soybean country
and provides a rich harvest of vegetables, including tomatoes and
corn." [http://www.somersetcountyedc.org/]
Residents commuting outside the County to work 3,837 42.2% -
(2000)**
About 40% of Somerset County residents are employed by State and
Local Government. 59% were privately employed, but none of the
categories included farming, unless it is included in the 5.4% of
"natural resources and mining". Mining? In Somerset??
May we conclude from this data that farming comprises only 1% of
employment in Somerset County? If so, that farming 1% earns Somerset
County 3rd in the State of Maryland for poultry production and 2nd
in gross agricultural income. 15.6% of Somerset's farmers are
female.
"Only 26% of the land-base is classified as agricultural, however,
agriculture is the largest industry in the County. 288 farm
businesses encompass 54,823 acres of farmland with the average farm
size of 190 acres. Production of corn, soybeans, broilers,
vegetables and livestock rank the County 4th in agriculture value in
the State of Maryland."
http://extension.umd.edu/local/Somerset/AgandNaturalResources/index.cfm
