Farm Type Guide

Vegetable Farming in New York

Fresh market vegetables for farmers markets, CSAs, and farm stands, and processing crops grown under contract. How to start small, what the food safety rules ask of you, where to sell, and the help available to veterans.

The Industry at a Glance

New York is growing fewer acres of vegetables. Farms harvested about 160,596 acres of vegetables for sale in 2007, 135,997 in 2012, 124,859 in 2017, and 109,617 in 2022. The number of vegetable farms actually rose, from 3,192 in 2007 to 3,544 in 2017, before falling to 3,096 in 2022.
The industry has two sides. In 2022, 2,944 farms grew vegetables for the fresh market on 54,282 acres, while just 509 farms grew vegetables for processing on 55,335 acres, about half of the state's total.
Sales have gone up even as acres have gone down. New York farms sold about $500 million of vegetables, melons, potatoes, and sweet potatoes in 2022, up from about $379 million in 2017.
By value, New York's biggest vegetable crops in 2022 were onions, cabbage, snap beans, and sweet corn. Onions are grown largely on the state's muck, or black dirt, soils.

New York has lost nearly a third of its vegetable acres since 2007, even as sales have climbed in recent years. If you’re a veteran interested in growing vegetables, talk to us about joining the effort to keep New York’s vegetable fields in production.

Starting Small and Extending the Season

Most new growers start on a small plot and sell direct, then expand once they know their markets. Vegetables can bring in money the first season, but they take a lot of labor, from seeding and weeding to harvest, washing, and packing.
Look for well-drained ground with a reliable water source for irrigation and washing produce. If you don't own land, our land access and leasing guide covers how to find and rent farmland.
A high tunnel, or hoop house, protects crops from bad weather and lets you extend the season on both ends, which matters with New York's short summers. NRCS can help pay for one through EQIP.
NRCS has rules for high tunnels. Crops must be grown in the soil (raised beds are allowed, pots are not), the tunnel must go on existing cropland and be built from a commercial kit, and NRCS will not pay for heat or electricity.
Veterans in EQIP may get higher payment rates and can receive up to 50% of the contract payment upfront to buy materials, instead of paying out of pocket and waiting for reimbursement.

Food Safety Rules

The federal FSMA Produce Safety Rule does not apply to farms that averaged $25,000 or less in produce sales over the previous three years. That limit is adjusted for inflation, and FDA's 2025 figure is $35,247.
Farms that average under $500,000 a year in food sales ($704,950 for 2025 after inflation) can get a qualified exemption if more than half of their sales go to consumers or to restaurants and stores in New York or within 275 miles of the farm.
Some crops FDA considers rarely eaten raw, such as asparagus, sweet potatoes, and many beans and squashes, are not covered by the rule at all.
Covered farms need at least one supervisor who has completed food safety training. The Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course meets that requirement and is offered as a one-day class or online. The manual costs $60 and the certificate $35.
Even if you're exempt, wholesale buyers and grocery stores may require a GAP audit. USDA's GAP audits are voluntary, and a GroupGAP option lets smaller farms certify together.

Where Vegetables Sell

Farmers markets, farm stands, and CSAs let you set your own prices and get paid at retail, but they take time every week for packing, travel, and talking with customers.
A CSA, where customers pay at the start of the season for a weekly share, gives you cash up front when expenses are highest. It also means you have to deliver a steady variety of crops all season.
Selling wholesale to grocers, restaurants, distributors, or food hubs moves more volume at lower prices per pound. Buyers usually expect consistent quality, standard packing, and often a food safety audit.
Taste NY is the state's program for New York food products, overseen by the Department of Agriculture and Markets. It runs stores inside highway Welcome Centers and at Thruway rest stops, and your county Cornell Cooperative Extension office can help you apply as a vendor.

Organizations

The New York State Vegetable Growers Association, founded in 1911, holds the Empire State Producers Expo each January, with grower sessions and a large trade show.
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) supports organic and sustainable vegetable growers with a free farmer helpline, organic certification, and a Winter Conference every January.
New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association is a regional growers' group for New England that describes itself as the oldest vegetable growers' association in the country. It holds two meetings a year with grower, research, and extension talks on growing, pest management, and marketing, and offers a member directory, a job board, research grants, and scholarships.
New England Vegetable and Fruit Conference is a regional conference for vegetable, berry, and tree fruit growers, planned by New England extension staff, farmers, and industry representatives. The next one runs December 15 to 17, 2026, in Manchester, New Hampshire, with more than 25 educational sessions, farmer-to-farmer discussions, and a trade show of over 120 exhibitors.
Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention is a Mid-Atlantic regional meeting for commercial growers held each winter at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It offers three days of sessions on vegetables, fruit, marketing, and farm management with speakers from Penn State, Rutgers, and other universities, plus a trade show with more than 160 exhibitors.

Training and Help

The Cornell Vegetable Program serves growers in 14 western and central New York counties, with phone and email advice, the VegEdge newsletter, field meetings, and on-farm research.
The Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program covers 17 counties from Orange and Dutchess up to Clinton and Essex, for vegetables, tree fruit, and berries. In other areas, start with your county Cornell Cooperative Extension office.
To buy or use restricted-use pesticides, you need a private applicator certification from DEC. You must be at least 17, complete a 30-hour course or show a year of experience, and pass the exams. The certification lasts 5 years.
Cornell Small Farms' Farm Ops offers training for veterans, SUNY Reconnect may cover tuition for an agriculture degree, and NOFA-NY helps growers interested in organic production.

Benefits for Veterans

Veterans pay no administrative fee on catastrophic or buy-up crop insurance and get an extra 10 percentage points of premium subsidy on buy-up policies.
Diversified farms can look at the Micro Farm crop insurance policy, which covers everything on a farm with up to $350,000 in approved revenue, including farms that sell direct.
For vegetables without crop insurance in your county, NAP covers losses. Veterans pay no service fee and get 50% off buy-up premiums.
FSA microloans go up to $50,000 for seed, equipment, irrigation, and other startup costs, and veterans get preference when funds are tight.
Sell under the Homegrown By Heroes veteran label at your farm stand, market table, or on your packaging.
File form CCC-860 (veteran certification) with your county FSA office to get these benefits.

How to Get Started

Work a season on a vegetable farm or take Farm Ops training before you buy equipment or sign a lease.
Call your regional Cornell vegetable program or county Cooperative Extension office about your soil, water, and what grows well where you are.
Get a USDA farm number, file form CCC-860, and set up NAP or crop insurance before you plant.
Take a Produce Safety Alliance course and write a simple food safety plan, even if your farm is exempt.
Start with one or two markets you can serve well, and join the Vegetable Growers Association to meet growers already doing the work.

Key Links

Sources: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture (2007, 2012, 2017, 2022) and New York Vegetable Production Summary; Cornell Vegetable Program and Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program; Cornell Produce Safety Alliance; U.S. Food and Drug Administration; USDA NRCS, AMS, FSA, and RMA; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation; NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets; New York State Vegetable Growers Association.