Counties with the most farmland in Nebraska
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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska, there are 40,822,812 acres of farmland, with native grass being the most common crop.
#25. Valley
- Farmland: 510,963 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 1,126
- Most common crop: Native grass (291,396 acres, 57.0% of county farmland)
#24. South Sioux
- Farmland: 513,349 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 323
- Most common crop: Native grass (446,401 acres, 87.0% of county farmland)
#23. Chase
- Farmland: 517,817 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 686
- Most common crop: Native grass (215,996 acres, 41.7% of county farmland)
#22. Boone
- Farmland: 526,201 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 1,687
- Most common crop: Native grass (141,936 acres, 27.0% of county farmland)
#21. Rock
- Farmland: 526,253 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 489
- Most common crop: Native grass (413,995 acres, 78.7% of county farmland)
#20. Antelope
- Farmland: 533,280 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 1,758
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (171,726 acres, 32.2% of county farmland)
#19. Dundy
- Farmland: 544,555 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 639
- Most common crop: Native grass (335,966 acres, 61.7% of county farmland)
#18. Garden
- Farmland: 559,151 acres (1.4% of state total)
- Farms: 575
- Most common crop: Native grass (365,405 acres, 65.3% of county farmland)
#17. Buffalo
- Farmland: 595,184 acres (1.5% of state total)
- Farms: 2,223
- Most common crop: Native grass (228,101 acres, 38.3% of county farmland)
#16. Brown
- Farmland: 630,611 acres (1.5% of state total)
- Farms: 645
- Most common crop: Native grass (513,609 acres, 81.4% of county farmland)
#15. Dawson
- Farmland: 641,362 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 1,796
- Most common crop: Native grass (293,570 acres, 45.8% of county farmland)
#14. Perkins
- Farmland: 642,990 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 1,260
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (135,367 acres, 21.1% of county farmland)
#13. Keith
- Farmland: 647,316 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 986
- Most common crop: Native grass (346,176 acres, 53.5% of county farmland)
#12. Knox
- Farmland: 661,547 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 2,067
- Most common crop: Native grass (219,943 acres, 33.2% of county farmland)
#11. Red Willow
- Farmland: 726,063 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 1,197
- Most common crop: Native grass (298,927 acres, 41.2% of county farmland)
#10. Kimball
- Farmland: 757,818 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 995
- Most common crop: Native grass (238,567 acres, 31.5% of county farmland)
#9. Cheyenne
- Farmland: 846,528 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,491
- Most common crop: Native grass (220,417 acres, 26.0% of county farmland)
#8. Morrill
- Farmland: 905,391 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 940
- Most common crop: Native grass (582,804 acres, 64.4% of county farmland)
#7. Box Butte
- Farmland: 929,425 acres (2.3% of state total)
- Farms: 1,035
- Most common crop: Native grass (374,452 acres, 40.3% of county farmland)
#6. Sheridan
- Farmland: 993,480 acres (2.4% of state total)
- Farms: 951
- Most common crop: Native grass (741,113 acres, 74.6% of county farmland)
#5. Dawes, North Sioux
- Farmland: 1,289,202 acres (3.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,061
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,089,577 acres, 84.5% of county farmland)
#4. Holt
- Farmland: 1,486,455 acres (3.6% of state total)
- Farms: 2,530
- Most common crop: Native grass (871,519 acres, 58.6% of county farmland)
#3. Custer
- Farmland: 1,505,935 acres (3.7% of state total)
- Farms: 2,419
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,087,145 acres, 72.2% of county farmland)
#2. Lincoln
- Farmland: 1,528,158 acres (3.7% of state total)
- Farms: 2,259
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,064,737 acres, 69.7% of county farmland)
#1. Cherry
- Farmland: 2,086,059 acres (5.1% of state total)
- Farms: 822
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,865,568 acres, 89.4% of county farmland)
