Table Beet Production in the United States

Table beets are a versatile agricultural product. They can be consumed raw, roasted, boiled, pickled, or juiced. Beyond their culinary value, table beets are increasingly used as a functional food due to their potential benefits for cardiovascular and cognitive health (Bahadoran et al., 2017). According to Mintel, over 33% of consumers purchase vegetables due to their perceived health benefits (Riebe, 2025).  A recent Mintel (2025) survey revealed that while earth-root vegetables like beets and turnips are now more commonly offered in restaurants, they are also more polarizing in terms of tasting experiences. When it comes to preferences by generations, interestingly, 49 percent of baby boomers (born 1946 – 1964) mentioned that they had tried and liked beets, while only 36 percent of Generation Z (born 1997-2012) had tried and liked them (Riebe, 2024).

Using Agricultural Census numbers (2022), the beet production landscape in the United States shows a diverse distribution of acreage and operations across the states. With a total of 17,013 acres dedicated to beet farming and 7,543 operations nationwide, the importance of beet production is increasing - beet acreage has more than doubled since the 2007 census.

New York State leads the nation in beet production with  3,772 acres and 523 operations. Wisconsin follows closely, with 3,770 acres, while California ranks third, with 3,562 acres and 449 operations. Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota contribute smaller acreages, with 841, 626, and 595 acres, respectively. In terms of number of operations, Pennsylvania places second only to New York with 512, followed by California and Wisconsin with 449 and 410 operations, respectively. This data underscores the regional variations in beet farming, with New York emerging as a key player in both scale and activity.

Table beet farming in the United States is characterized by a wide range of farm sizes, with the majority of operations being small-scale. While bigger farms focus on processing beet production, smaller farms supply direct-to-consumer sales channels. Farms under 5 acres represent approximately 97 percent of all beet-producing farms.

Source: Nass, Agricultural Census (2022)

Most farms fall within the 0.1 to 0.9-acre category, accounting for 6,831 operations. The 1.0 to 4.9-acre category comprises 486 farms, while mid-sized operations, ranging from 5.0 to 14.9 acres, number 88. Larger farms are less common, with 35 farms in the 15.0 to 24.9-acre range, 36 in the 25.0 to 49.9-acre range, and 32 in the 50.0 to 99.9-acre range. The largest farms, spanning 100 acres or more, also total 35.  As consumer awareness grows and production adapts, table beets are well-positioned to become an important part of the American vegetable industry.

References

Bahadoran, Z., Mirmiran, P., Kabir, A., Azizi, F., & Ghasemi, A. (2017). The nitrate-independent blood pressure–lowering effect of beetroot juice: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Advances in Nutrition, 8(6), 830-838.

Riebe, S. (2024). Vegetables – US – 2024. Mintel. Available through Penn State University Libraries (subscription required).

Riebe, S. (2025). Flavor Innovation on the Menu – US – 2025. Mintel. Available through Penn State University Libraries (subscription required).

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. (2022). Agricultural Census. 

This study was supported by the USDA NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative 2019-51181-30019 project number 7123