Counties with the most farmland in Arkansas

Written by:
June 5, 2023
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Counties with the most farmland in Arkansas

Farmland across the U.S. is disappearing by the millions of acres each decade by some estimates as sprawling urban development driven by rising housing costs pushes further into rural pastures.

The farmland that still exists in the U.S. is heavily dedicated to growing plants that Americans can't consume—grass. That grass, accounting for more than 300 million acres now, feeds our livestock, provides sod for new development, and serves as a cover crop to protect soil health between harvests.

Demand for major crops like corn and soybeans to feed Americans is only forecast by the USDA to grow in the coming decade, and demand for U.S. agricultural exports is expected to grow similarly.

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way people purchased and consumed food, placing renewed attention on an increasingly consolidated agricultural industry where family farms have been swallowed up by large food corporations.

And after shifting behaviors caused massive economic swings in the U.S. and elsewhere, the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced food producers to once again account for yet another shock with so much of the world's grain capital taken offline by warfare.

War and corporate interests aside, farms have also had to reckon with a changing climate. Wheat fields were once commonplace across the country, but drought conditions of late have caused farmers to give up growing the crop entirely. Agitated by climate change, the shortage of water in parts of the country coupled with higher interest rates and the ongoing war in Ukraine are making agricultural businesses harder to run profitably.

To illustrate where American farms still persevere, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most farmland in Arkansas using data from the Agriculture Department's Farm Service Agency. Farmers reported the data as mandated by participation in USDA income support programs, including Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage as well as loan assistance. Counties are ranked by total acres of farmland.

In Arkansas, there are 8,549,170 acres of farmland, with common soybeans being the most common crop.

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#25. Independence

- Farmland: 121,744 acres (1.4% of state total)
- Farms: 944
- Most common crop: 2+ interseeded grass mix mixed forage (67,690 acres, 55.6% of county farmland)

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#24. Lincoln

- Farmland: 136,013 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 718
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (61,222 acres, 45.0% of county farmland)

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NicholasGeraldinePhotos // Shutterstock

#23. Boone

- Farmland: 144,327 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,459
- Most common crop: 2+ interseeded grass mix mixed forage (142,823 acres, 99.0% of county farmland)

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Sabrina Janelle Gordon // Shutterstock

#22. Ashley

- Farmland: 152,374 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 502
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (54,760 acres, 35.9% of county farmland)

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#21. Randolph

- Farmland: 154,910 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 1,268
- Most common crop: 2+ interseeded grass mix mixed forage (78,749 acres, 50.8% of county farmland)

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Roberto Galan // Shutterstock

#20. Greene

- Farmland: 177,372 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,586
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (59,435 acres, 33.5% of county farmland)

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#19. Lawrence

- Farmland: 191,883 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,159
- Most common crop: Long grain rice (65,491 acres, 34.1% of county farmland)

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#18. Prairie

- Farmland: 211,413 acres (2.5% of state total)
- Farms: 993
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (97,286 acres, 46.0% of county farmland)

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#17. Monroe

- Farmland: 216,605 acres (2.5% of state total)
- Farms: 932
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (97,324 acres, 44.9% of county farmland)

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Roberto Galan // Shutterstock

#16. Woodruff

- Farmland: 233,133 acres (2.7% of state total)
- Farms: 725
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (105,482 acres, 45.2% of county farmland)

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#15. St. Francis

- Farmland: 237,190 acres (2.8% of state total)
- Farms: 948
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (106,255 acres, 44.8% of county farmland)

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#14. Jackson

- Farmland: 254,488 acres (3.0% of state total)
- Farms: 1,122
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (106,501 acres, 41.8% of county farmland)

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#13. Chicot

- Farmland: 254,500 acres (3.0% of state total)
- Farms: 793
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (144,536 acres, 56.8% of county farmland)

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#12. Desha

- Farmland: 259,911 acres (3.0% of state total)
- Farms: 969
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (132,662 acres, 51.0% of county farmland)

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Roberto Galan // Shutterstock

#11. Clay

- Farmland: 264,295 acres (3.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,620
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (100,197 acres, 37.9% of county farmland)

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#10. Lee

- Farmland: 266,502 acres (3.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,359
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (93,684 acres, 35.2% of county farmland)

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Tudoran Andrei // Shutterstock

#9. Jefferson

- Farmland: 267,955 acres (3.1% of state total)
- Farms: 812
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (104,035 acres, 38.8% of county farmland)

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#8. Lonoke

- Farmland: 270,096 acres (3.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,176
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (90,477 acres, 33.5% of county farmland)

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#7. Cross

- Farmland: 289,366 acres (3.4% of state total)
- Farms: 1,104
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (154,995 acres, 53.6% of county farmland)

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#6. Arkansas

- Farmland: 316,697 acres (3.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,281
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (167,999 acres, 53.0% of county farmland)

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#5. Crittenden

- Farmland: 335,419 acres (3.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,111
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (165,799 acres, 49.4% of county farmland)

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#4. Poinsett

- Farmland: 345,435 acres (4.0% of state total)
- Farms: 1,502
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (177,312 acres, 51.3% of county farmland)

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#3. Craighead

- Farmland: 346,216 acres (4.0% of state total)
- Farms: 1,995
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (93,412 acres, 27.0% of county farmland)

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#2. Phillips

- Farmland: 369,881 acres (4.3% of state total)
- Farms: 1,442
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (159,715 acres, 43.2% of county farmland)

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#1. Mississippi

- Farmland: 528,486 acres (6.2% of state total)
- Farms: 2,277
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (200,614 acres, 38.0% of county farmland)

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