Counties with the most farmland in Iowa

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

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 Iowa 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 Iowa, there are 28,382,791 acres of farmland, with yellow corn being the most common crop.

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#25. O'Brien

- Farmland: 328,985 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 2,251
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (164,269 acres, 49.9% of county farmland)

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#24. Lyon

- Farmland: 332,480 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 2,333
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (175,158 acres, 52.7% of county farmland)

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#23. Calhoun

- Farmland: 333,168 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 2,238
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (165,907 acres, 49.8% of county farmland)

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#22. Pocahontas

- Farmland: 333,358 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 2,231
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (170,700 acres, 51.2% of county farmland)

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Naw Eh Wah // Shutterstock

#21. Buena Vista

- Farmland: 333,605 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 2,425
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (159,972 acres, 48.0% of county farmland)

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#20. Wright

- Farmland: 338,473 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,892
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (175,427 acres, 51.8% of county farmland)

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#19. Greene

- Farmland: 338,631 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,974
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (166,419 acres, 49.1% of county farmland)

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#18. Grundy

- Farmland: 340,299 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,861
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (131,071 acres, 38.5% of county farmland)

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#17. Monona

- Farmland: 341,546 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,684
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (116,426 acres, 34.1% of county farmland)

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#16. Carroll

- Farmland: 341,712 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 2,061
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (178,801 acres, 52.3% of county farmland)

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#15. Ringgold

- Farmland: 348,475 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 2,097
- Most common crop: 2+ interseeded grass mix mixed forage (94,690 acres, 27.2% of county farmland)

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#14. Shelby

- Farmland: 349,622 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 2,067
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (166,106 acres, 47.5% of county farmland)

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#13. Winneshiek

- Farmland: 351,385 acres (1.2% of state total)
- Farms: 2,434
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (150,234 acres, 42.8% of county farmland)

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#12. Clinton

- Farmland: 356,505 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 2,315
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (183,284 acres, 51.4% of county farmland)

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#11. Harrison

- Farmland: 356,740 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 2,200
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (150,160 acres, 42.1% of county farmland)

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#10. Jasper

- Farmland: 365,142 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 2,436
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (167,816 acres, 46.0% of county farmland)

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#9. Fayette

- Farmland: 366,012 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 2,604
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (179,673 acres, 49.1% of county farmland)

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#8. Tama

- Farmland: 374,650 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 2,413
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (150,688 acres, 40.2% of county farmland)

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#7. Webster

- Farmland: 378,030 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 2,579
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (189,928 acres, 50.2% of county farmland)

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#6. Benton

- Farmland: 401,547 acres (1.4% of state total)
- Farms: 2,414
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (176,110 acres, 43.9% of county farmland)

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#5. Crawford

- Farmland: 425,485 acres (1.5% of state total)
- Farms: 2,263
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (203,182 acres, 47.8% of county farmland)

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#4. Sioux

- Farmland: 440,040 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 2,716
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (218,245 acres, 49.6% of county farmland)

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#3. Woodbury

- Farmland: 441,266 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 2,556
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (195,074 acres, 44.2% of county farmland)

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#2. Plymouth

- Farmland: 481,230 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 2,570
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (228,957 acres, 47.6% of county farmland)

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#1. Kossuth

- Farmland: 597,684 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 3,599
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (282,419 acres, 47.3% of county farmland)

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