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1 / 23#23. Teton
- Farmland: 12,552 acres (.1% of state total)
- Farms: 32
- Most common crop: Native grass (8,227 acres, 65.5% of county farmland)
Counties with the most farmland in Wyoming
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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming, there are 20,497,162 acres of farmland, with native grass being the most common crop.
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2 / 23#22. Hot Springs
- Farmland: 218,816 acres (1.1% of state total)
- Farms: 211
- Most common crop: Native grass (209,165 acres, 95.6% of county farmland)
Alberto Loyo // Shutterstock
3 / 23#21. Big Horn
- Farmland: 302,219 acres (1.5% of state total)
- Farms: 639
- Most common crop: Native grass (213,704 acres, 70.7% of county farmland)
Michele Vacchiano // Shutterstock
4 / 23#20. Lincoln
- Farmland: 383,777 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 541
- Most common crop: Native grass (319,248 acres, 83.2% of county farmland)
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5 / 23#19. Washakie
- Farmland: 392,271 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 406
- Most common crop: Native grass (342,062 acres, 87.2% of county farmland)
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6 / 23#18. Sublette
- Farmland: 447,946 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 306
- Most common crop: Native grass (373,096 acres, 83.3% of county farmland)
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7 / 23#17. Park
- Farmland: 486,632 acres (2.4% of state total)
- Farms: 715
- Most common crop: Native grass (391,475 acres, 80.4% of county farmland)
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8 / 23#16. Uinta
- Farmland: 511,671 acres (2.5% of state total)
- Farms: 385
- Most common crop: Native grass (452,865 acres, 88.5% of county farmland)
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9 / 23#15. Sweetwater
- Farmland: 561,686 acres (2.7% of state total)
- Farms: 202
- Most common crop: Native grass (538,599 acres, 95.9% of county farmland)
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10 / 23#14. Carbon
- Farmland: 650,547 acres (3.2% of state total)
- Farms: 269
- Most common crop: Native grass (613,526 acres, 94.3% of county farmland)
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Canva
11 / 23#13. Albany
- Farmland: 707,971 acres (3.5% of state total)
- Farms: 152
- Most common crop: Native grass (663,213 acres, 93.7% of county farmland)
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12 / 23#12. Sheridan
- Farmland: 785,437 acres (3.8% of state total)
- Farms: 419
- Most common crop: Native grass (732,578 acres, 93.3% of county farmland)
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13 / 23#11. Goshen
- Farmland: 804,080 acres (3.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,082
- Most common crop: Native grass (529,474 acres, 65.8% of county farmland)
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14 / 23#10. Platte
- Farmland: 1,021,670 acres (5.0% of state total)
- Farms: 663
- Most common crop: Native grass (785,926 acres, 76.9% of county farmland)
sean_in_307 // Shutterstock
15 / 23#9. Fremont
- Farmland: 1,114,247 acres (5.4% of state total)
- Farms: 1,074
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,026,829 acres, 92.2% of county farmland)
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16 / 23#8. Weston
- Farmland: 1,128,934 acres (5.5% of state total)
- Farms: 427
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,083,336 acres, 96.0% of county farmland)
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17 / 23#7. Laramie
- Farmland: 1,163,843 acres (5.7% of state total)
- Farms: 909
- Most common crop: Native grass (817,845 acres, 70.3% of county farmland)
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
18 / 23#6. Converse
- Farmland: 1,220,085 acres (6.0% of state total)
- Farms: 300
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,196,460 acres, 98.1% of county farmland)
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
19 / 23#5. Crook
- Farmland: 1,254,661 acres (6.1% of state total)
- Farms: 794
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,113,768 acres, 88.8% of county farmland)
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20 / 23#4. Niobrara
- Farmland: 1,441,686 acres (7.0% of state total)
- Farms: 391
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,314,078 acres, 91.1% of county farmland)
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21 / 23#3. Johnson
- Farmland: 1,631,294 acres (8.0% of state total)
- Farms: 519
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,585,064 acres, 97.2% of county farmland)
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22 / 23#2. Natrona
- Farmland: 1,968,349 acres (9.6% of state total)
- Farms: 336
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,954,501 acres, 99.3% of county farmland)
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23 / 23#1. Campbell
- Farmland: 2,286,786 acres (11.2% of state total)
- Farms: 808
- Most common crop: Native grass (2,123,542 acres, 92.9% of county farmland)
