Nebraska Locavore Overview

Nebraska Locally Grown Product

There are plenty of seasonal Locavore opportunities to find exactly the fruit, vegetables, beef, lamb, poultry, wine or dairy products that you may be looking for. The 2007 USDA Farm Census reported that Nebraska had approximately 47,712 farms and the average number of acres per farm was 953. Of those farms, 340 showed that they raised vegetables for sale, there were 339 orchards, 178 organic farms and 161 CSAs in the state. 

Synopsis of 2007 USDA Ag census for Nebraska

Classification
Number of farms within the State
Top five counties with the greatest number of farms in each type of classification
Farms with Vegetables harvested for sale
340
Washington Lancaster Madison Douglas Cass
Number of Orchards
339
Lancaster Otoe Washington Cass Saunders
Sweet Corn
132
Lancaster Dakota Lincoln Platte Washington
Potatoes
135
Chase Lancaster Saunders Dakota Lincoln
Tomatoes
154
Washington Douglas Cass Lancaster Saunders
Apples
125
Lancaster Sarpy Saunders Otoe Nemaha
Peaches
54
Lancaster Saunders Butler Otoe Sarpy
Cantaloupe
44
Madison Douglas Saunders Otoe Washington
Watermelon
58
Madison Howard Douglas Cass Richardson
Strawberries
27
Scotts Bluff Buffalo Butler Dawes Douglas
Blueberries
1
Sarpy - - - -
Raspberries
38
Lancaster Cass Saunders Washington Buffalo
Blackberries and Dewberries
25
Buffalo Butler Cherry Johnson Lancaster
Poultry and egg production
489
Lancaster Lincoln Seward Gage Saunders
Dairy cattle and milk production
267
Cedar Antelope Lancaster Jefferson Custer
Beef and Cattle ranches
10,775
Holt Custer Cherry Lincoln Knox
Bison
60
Buffalo Cherry Garden Hall Dixon
Aquaculture or other animal production
2,489
Lancaster Lincoln Custer Washington Holt
Farms that collect Honey
148
Lancaster Cass Dawson Howard Custer
Farms that collect Maple Syrup
3
Gage Dixon - - -

For more specific detail on what local fruits and vegetables are available (and when), please check out our Nebraska availability guide.

 
How to find Nebraska Growers and producers

To search our database for growers, producers and wineries near you, use one of these three methods:

1. Go to the Proximity search page. Enter the Zip code that you want to use as the basis for your search, enter the number of miles around the Zip code, click or unclick the business types you want to search for, then click the "Search' button. When the results appear, if you want more information about a specific business, you can click on the map marker and then the farm or business name within the information box.

If you would rather not enter a Zip code, you can enter a City and State name or a County and State name.

2. To see all of the Profiles within a specific State, go to the menu selection entitled "State Information" in the blue menu section at the top of the page. Scroll to your State name and as you move through the State names, you will see two menu choices appear to the right of your cursor. Click on the one that includes the words "Growers and Producers". When the list shows on your screen, you may sort by County name (click on the word "County"). If you are looking for a specific product such as Peaches or Beef or Honey, simply enter your search term in the appropriate box. For the Nebraska Grower list, click on this link: Nebraska Grower list .

3. Using the search box in the upper right hand corner of the screen, just enter the terms you wish to search for..there is no need to include a coma. As an example, if you want to find Peach growers in Nebraska, just type in the words Peaches Nebraska and click on the Search button.  There is no need to enter connecting words such as "and" or "in".

Additional Nebraska Locavore information

Every state has a Cooperative Extension System. Regional offices offer location specific advice on a broad array of topics (including gardening), and may be able to provide you with contact information for growers who are not yet registered on our site. Most have gardening hotlines and offer informational fact sheets, soil testing and pest identification for free or a nominal cost. Often the help is provided by Master Gardeners who are trained to assist the agriculture agents with home gardener's needs. To find contact information for your local County Extension Office – Nebraska County Extension Offices.

  • If you would like to ask questions of fellow Nebraska Locavores, discuss tips, share recipes, stories, pictures or any another great “Slow Food” discovery, please post it in our Nebraska forum by clicking here: Nebraska Locavore Forum
  • State sponsored “Locally Grown” program - Nebraska Agri-Business Association
  • Nebraska County Fair Schedules – This link provides schedules for County Fairs within Nebraska as well as many other local festivals – Nebraska County Fairs