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1 / 25#25. Lane
- Farmland: 37,886 acres (.3% of state total)
- Farms: 498
- Most common crop: Native grass (9,824 acres, 25.9% of county farmland)
Counties with the most farmland in Oregon
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 Oregon 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 Oregon, there are 11,820,046 acres of farmland, with native grass being the most common crop.
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2 / 25#24. Coos
- Farmland: 58,546 acres (.5% of state total)
- Farms: 362
- Most common crop: Native grass (43,335 acres, 74.0% of county farmland)
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3 / 25#23. Yamhill
- Farmland: 61,093 acres (.5% of state total)
- Farms: 738
- Most common crop: Fescue tall grass (18,794 acres, 30.8% of county farmland)
Yanqiang Dai // Shutterstock
4 / 25#22. Washington
- Farmland: 61,936 acres (.5% of state total)
- Farms: 968
- Most common crop: Fescue tall grass (17,678 acres, 28.5% of county farmland)
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5 / 25#21. Linn
- Farmland: 63,708 acres (.5% of state total)
- Farms: 621
- Most common crop: Native grass (14,468 acres, 22.7% of county farmland)
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6 / 25#20. Deschutes
- Farmland: 73,151 acres (.6% of state total)
- Farms: 36
- Most common crop: Native grass (70,423 acres, 96.3% of county farmland)
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7 / 25#19. Marion
- Farmland: 98,789 acres (.8% of state total)
- Farms: 677
- Most common crop: Perennial ryegrass grass (17,544 acres, 17.8% of county farmland)
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8 / 25#18. Jackson
- Farmland: 155,560 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 120
- Most common crop: Native grass (150,564 acres, 96.8% of county farmland)
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9 / 25#17. Jefferson
- Farmland: 185,319 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 299
- Most common crop: Native grass (138,779 acres, 74.9% of county farmland)
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10 / 25#16. Douglas
- Farmland: 199,999 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 925
- Most common crop: Native grass (106,180 acres, 53.1% of county farmland)
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11 / 25#15. Crook
- Farmland: 318,491 acres (2.7% of state total)
- Farms: 152
- Most common crop: Native grass (298,428 acres, 93.7% of county farmland)
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12 / 25#14. Union
- Farmland: 344,175 acres (2.9% of state total)
- Farms: 746
- Most common crop: Native grass (212,681 acres, 61.8% of county farmland)
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13 / 25#13. Klamath
- Farmland: 384,112 acres (3.2% of state total)
- Farms: 998
- Most common crop: Native grass (207,214 acres, 53.9% of county farmland)
Tomas Nevesely // Shutterstock
14 / 25#12. Wheeler
- Farmland: 394,160 acres (3.3% of state total)
- Farms: 133
- Most common crop: Native grass (386,883 acres, 98.2% of county farmland)
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15 / 25#11. Sherman
- Farmland: 463,300 acres (3.9% of state total)
- Farms: 370
- Most common crop: Fallow (114,265 acres, 24.7% of county farmland)
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16 / 25#10. Wallowa
- Farmland: 496,356 acres (4.2% of state total)
- Farms: 626
- Most common crop: Native grass (410,255 acres, 82.7% of county farmland)
Arpad Jasko // Shutterstock
17 / 25#9. Gilliam
- Farmland: 580,979 acres (4.9% of state total)
- Farms: 269
- Most common crop: Native grass (358,848 acres, 61.8% of county farmland)
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18 / 25#8. Wasco
- Farmland: 670,301 acres (5.7% of state total)
- Farms: 729
- Most common crop: Native grass (385,563 acres, 57.5% of county farmland)
Dominic Gentilcore PhD // Shutterstock
19 / 25#7. Lake
- Farmland: 678,328 acres (5.7% of state total)
- Farms: 408
- Most common crop: Native grass (568,320 acres, 83.8% of county farmland)
Dee Browning // Shutterstock
20 / 25#6. Grant
- Farmland: 700,826 acres (5.9% of state total)
- Farms: 431
- Most common crop: Native grass (656,627 acres, 93.7% of county farmland)
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21 / 25#5. Baker
- Farmland: 758,318 acres (6.4% of state total)
- Farms: 863
- Most common crop: Native grass (608,711 acres, 80.3% of county farmland)
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
22 / 25#4. Morrow
- Farmland: 1,047,234 acres (8.9% of state total)
- Farms: 592
- Most common crop: Native grass (500,772 acres, 47.8% of county farmland)
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23 / 25#3. Harney
- Farmland: 1,250,292 acres (10.6% of state total)
- Farms: 964
- Most common crop: Native grass (972,744 acres, 77.8% of county farmland)
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
24 / 25#2. Umatilla
- Farmland: 1,307,248 acres (11.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,940
- Most common crop: Native grass (587,777 acres, 45.0% of county farmland)
Hugh K Telleria // Shutterstock
25 / 25#1. Malheur
- Farmland: 1,310,271 acres (11.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,780
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,097,577 acres, 83.8% of county farmland)
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