Counties with the most farmland in Florida
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 Florida 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 Florida, there are 2,277,770 acres of farmland, with sugarcane being the most common crop.
#25. Calhoun
- Farmland: 31,386 acres (1.4% of state total)
- Farms: 230
- Most common crop: Cotton upland (8,459 acres, 27.0% of county farmland)
#24. Escambia
- Farmland: 31,953 acres (1.4% of state total)
- Farms: 405
- Most common crop: Cotton upland (11,779 acres, 36.9% of county farmland)
#23. Columbia
- Farmland: 32,003 acres (1.4% of state total)
- Farms: 205
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (9,022 acres, 28.2% of county farmland)
#22. Walton
- Farmland: 37,150 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 390
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (9,118 acres, 24.5% of county farmland)
#21. Holmes
- Farmland: 42,355 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 690
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (8,352 acres, 19.7% of county farmland)
#20. St. Lucie
- Farmland: 45,783 acres (2.0% of state total)
- Farms: 111
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (37,236 acres, 81.3% of county farmland)
#19. Alachua
- Farmland: 49,066 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 337
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (16,068 acres, 32.7% of county farmland)
#18. Gilchrist
- Farmland: 51,666 acres (2.3% of state total)
- Farms: 389
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (7,673 acres, 14.9% of county farmland)
#17. Madison
- Farmland: 55,322 acres (2.4% of state total)
- Farms: 344
- Most common crop: Cereals and other grasses cover crop (8,232 acres, 14.9% of county farmland)
#16. Lafayette
- Farmland: 58,692 acres (2.6% of state total)
- Farms: 199
- Most common crop: Native grass (29,110 acres, 49.6% of county farmland)
#15. Pasco
- Farmland: 59,140 acres (2.6% of state total)
- Farms: 453
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (32,062 acres, 54.2% of county farmland)
#14. Brevard
- Farmland: 61,284 acres (2.7% of state total)
- Farms: 97
- Most common crop: Honey (23,631 acres, 38.6% of county farmland)
#13. Martin
- Farmland: 64,775 acres (2.8% of state total)
- Farms: 67
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (29,365 acres, 45.3% of county farmland)
#12. Sumter
- Farmland: 64,963 acres (2.9% of state total)
- Farms: 577
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (39,102 acres, 60.2% of county farmland)
#11. Hendry
- Farmland: 66,432 acres (2.9% of state total)
- Farms: 70
- Most common crop: Sugarcane (25,642 acres, 38.6% of county farmland)
#10. Glades
- Farmland: 67,171 acres (2.9% of state total)
- Farms: 94
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (35,625 acres, 53.0% of county farmland)
#9. Suwannee
- Farmland: 68,916 acres (3.0% of state total)
- Farms: 450
- Most common crop: Runner peanuts (9,736 acres, 14.1% of county farmland)
#8. Santa Rosa
- Farmland: 70,719 acres (3.1% of state total)
- Farms: 846
- Most common crop: Cotton upland (20,177 acres, 28.5% of county farmland)
#7. Levy
- Farmland: 74,048 acres (3.3% of state total)
- Farms: 448
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (21,464 acres, 29.0% of county farmland)
#6. Highlands
- Farmland: 80,734 acres (3.5% of state total)
- Farms: 127
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (46,705 acres, 57.9% of county farmland)
#5. Osceola
- Farmland: 125,695 acres (5.5% of state total)
- Farms: 146
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (67,466 acres, 53.7% of county farmland)
#4. Okeechobee
- Farmland: 133,781 acres (5.9% of state total)
- Farms: 180
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (81,275 acres, 60.8% of county farmland)
#3. Jackson
- Farmland: 160,885 acres (7.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,654
- Most common crop: Cotton upland (27,768 acres, 17.3% of county farmland)
#2. Polk
- Farmland: 195,801 acres (8.6% of state total)
- Farms: 653
- Most common crop: Native grass (79,173 acres, 40.4% of county farmland)
#1. Palm Beach
- Farmland: 200,194 acres (8.8% of state total)
- Farms: 102
- Most common crop: Sugarcane (143,243 acres, 71.6% of county farmland)
