Counties with the most farmland in Indiana
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 Indiana 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 Indiana, there are 12,998,716 acres of farmland, with common soybeans being the most common crop.
#25. Grant
- Farmland: 188,381 acres (1.4% of state total)
- Farms: 1,835
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (101,547 acres, 53.9% of county farmland)
#24. Warren
- Farmland: 189,702 acres (1.5% of state total)
- Farms: 1,189
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (80,664 acres, 42.5% of county farmland)
#23. Shelby
- Farmland: 191,711 acres (1.5% of state total)
- Farms: 1,773
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (78,526 acres, 41.0% of county farmland)
#22. Daviess
- Farmland: 191,904 acres (1.5% of state total)
- Farms: 1,728
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (66,442 acres, 34.6% of county farmland)
#21. Cass
- Farmland: 192,499 acres (1.5% of state total)
- Farms: 1,632
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (86,586 acres, 45.0% of county farmland)
#20. Allen
- Farmland: 192,520 acres (1.5% of state total)
- Farms: 2,793
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (97,200 acres, 50.5% of county farmland)
#19. Tippecanoe
- Farmland: 202,531 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 1,798
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (83,090 acres, 41.0% of county farmland)
#18. Jay
- Farmland: 202,707 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 1,911
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (98,193 acres, 48.4% of county farmland)
#17. Pulaski
- Farmland: 211,545 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 1,538
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (67,856 acres, 32.1% of county farmland)
#16. Wells
- Farmland: 211,555 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 2,480
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (110,151 acres, 52.1% of county farmland)
#15. Posey
- Farmland: 215,511 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,724
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (80,764 acres, 37.5% of county farmland)
#14. Clinton
- Farmland: 221,274 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 2,192
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (97,708 acres, 44.2% of county farmland)
#13. Rush
- Farmland: 222,806 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,450
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (96,328 acres, 43.2% of county farmland)
#12. Randolph
- Farmland: 222,836 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,704
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (107,902 acres, 48.4% of county farmland)
#11. Fountain
- Farmland: 225,672 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,692
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (101,038 acres, 44.8% of county farmland)
#10. Kosciusko
- Farmland: 226,959 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 2,358
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (80,800 acres, 35.6% of county farmland)
#9. Gibson
- Farmland: 236,152 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 2,423
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (98,226 acres, 41.6% of county farmland)
#8. Newton
- Farmland: 244,456 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,394
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (107,495 acres, 44.0% of county farmland)
#7. Montgomery
- Farmland: 250,634 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,910
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (113,409 acres, 45.2% of county farmland)
#6. Benton
- Farmland: 254,404 acres (2.0% of state total)
- Farms: 1,358
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (109,338 acres, 43.0% of county farmland)
#5. Boone
- Farmland: 259,202 acres (2.0% of state total)
- Farms: 2,632
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (121,749 acres, 47.0% of county farmland)
#4. LaPorte
- Farmland: 260,663 acres (2.0% of state total)
- Farms: 2,094
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (60,908 acres, 23.4% of county farmland)
#3. White
- Farmland: 274,102 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,757
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (109,407 acres, 39.9% of county farmland)
#2. Jasper
- Farmland: 290,922 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,940
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (116,077 acres, 39.9% of county farmland)
#1. Knox
- Farmland: 292,973 acres (2.3% of state total)
- Farms: 2,111
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (115,326 acres, 39.4% of county farmland)
