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1 / 25#25. Cullman
- Farmland: 59,928 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,724
- Most common crop: Fescue tall grass (42,955 acres, 71.7% of county farmland)
Counties with the most farmland in Alabama
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 Alabama 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 Alabama, there are 3,493,286 acres of farmland, with fescue tall grass being the most common crop.
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2 / 25#24. Monroe
- Farmland: 61,823 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 1,045
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (17,017 acres, 27.5% of county farmland)
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3 / 25#23. Marshall
- Farmland: 64,076 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 1,623
- Most common crop: Fescue tall grass (24,580 acres, 38.4% of county farmland)
Shackleford Photography // Shutterstock
4 / 25#22. Cherokee
- Farmland: 66,675 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,211
- Most common crop: Cotton upland (24,814 acres, 37.2% of county farmland)
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5 / 25#21. Dale
- Farmland: 67,486 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 767
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (13,092 acres, 19.4% of county farmland)
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6 / 25#20. Perry
- Farmland: 69,678 acres (2.0% of state total)
- Farms: 367
- Most common crop: Trees timber (14,072 acres, 20.2% of county farmland)
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7 / 25#19. Barbour
- Farmland: 71,309 acres (2.0% of state total)
- Farms: 688
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (23,583 acres, 33.1% of county farmland)
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8 / 25#18. Escambia
- Farmland: 74,930 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 772
- Most common crop: Cotton upland (17,012 acres, 22.7% of county farmland)
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9 / 25#17. Montgomery
- Farmland: 75,821 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 453
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (25,520 acres, 33.7% of county farmland)
Wayne James // Shutterstock
10 / 25#16. Colbert
- Farmland: 77,697 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 796
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (20,012 acres, 25.8% of county farmland)
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Carolyn May Wright // Shutterstock
11 / 25#15. Lowndes
- Farmland: 88,515 acres (2.5% of state total)
- Farms: 307
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (32,470 acres, 36.7% of county farmland)
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12 / 25#14. Marengo
- Farmland: 91,170 acres (2.6% of state total)
- Farms: 561
- Most common crop: 2+ interseeded grass mix mixed forage (48,422 acres, 53.1% of county farmland)
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13 / 25#13. Henry
- Farmland: 94,726 acres (2.7% of state total)
- Farms: 983
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (19,156 acres, 20.2% of county farmland)
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14 / 25#12. Coffee
- Farmland: 95,545 acres (2.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,195
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (24,377 acres, 25.5% of county farmland)
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15 / 25#11. Covington
- Farmland: 98,849 acres (2.8% of state total)
- Farms: 1,368
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (33,987 acres, 34.4% of county farmland)
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16 / 25#10. DeKalb
- Farmland: 101,079 acres (2.9% of state total)
- Farms: 2,852
- Most common crop: Fescue tall grass (61,485 acres, 60.8% of county farmland)
George Dodd III // Shutterstock
17 / 25#9. Baldwin
- Farmland: 102,587 acres (2.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,214
- Most common crop: Cereals and other grasses cover crop (22,011 acres, 21.5% of county farmland)
Carl Banks Photography // Shutterstock
18 / 25#8. Jackson
- Farmland: 104,450 acres (3.0% of state total)
- Farms: 2,149
- Most common crop: Fescue tall grass (35,540 acres, 34.0% of county farmland)
Wayne James // Shutterstock
19 / 25#7. Lauderdale
- Farmland: 113,030 acres (3.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,976
- Most common crop: Fescue tall grass (21,941 acres, 19.4% of county farmland)
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20 / 25#6. Madison
- Farmland: 119,079 acres (3.4% of state total)
- Farms: 1,664
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (27,989 acres, 23.5% of county farmland)
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21 / 25#5. Geneva
- Farmland: 119,792 acres (3.4% of state total)
- Farms: 1,693
- Most common crop: Bahia grass (28,049 acres, 23.4% of county farmland)
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22 / 25#4. Dallas
- Farmland: 137,238 acres (3.9% of state total)
- Farms: 709
- Most common crop: Trees timber (37,885 acres, 27.6% of county farmland)
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23 / 25#3. Lawrence
- Farmland: 147,701 acres (4.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,671
- Most common crop: Fescue tall grass (30,060 acres, 20.4% of county farmland)
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24 / 25#2. Houston
- Farmland: 149,744 acres (4.3% of state total)
- Farms: 1,892
- Most common crop: Cotton upland (27,663 acres, 18.5% of county farmland)
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25 / 25#1. Limestone
- Farmland: 164,873 acres (4.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,945
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (47,788 acres, 29.0% of county farmland)
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