Counties With the Most Farmland in Wisconsin

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Counties with the most farmland in Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, there are 9,466,740 acres of farmland, with yellow corn being the most common crop.

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#25. Jefferson

- Farmland: 169,420 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 2,141
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (71,762 acres, 42.4% of county farmland)

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#24. Clark

- Farmland: 180,683 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 2,010
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (59,415 acres, 32.9% of county farmland)

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#23. Shawano

- Farmland: 181,023 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 2,675
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (65,021 acres, 35.9% of county farmland)

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#22. Pierce

- Farmland: 181,866 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 2,273
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (76,179 acres, 41.9% of county farmland)

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#21. Vernon

- Farmland: 181,981 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 2,631
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (51,240 acres, 28.2% of county farmland)

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#20. Walworth

- Farmland: 193,635 acres (2.0% of state total)
- Farms: 1,783
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (97,870 acres, 50.5% of county farmland)

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#19. Outagamie

- Farmland: 197,083 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 2,016
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (73,217 acres, 37.2% of county farmland)

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#18. Manitowoc

- Farmland: 197,137 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 2,308
- Most common crop: Alfalfa (47,930 acres, 24.3% of county farmland)

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#17. Trempealeau

- Farmland: 201,484 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 2,462
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (74,475 acres, 37.0% of county farmland)

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#16. Sauk

- Farmland: 202,101 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 2,457
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (66,784 acres, 33.0% of county farmland)

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#15. Chippewa

- Farmland: 212,811 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 2,402
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (76,993 acres, 36.2% of county farmland)

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#14. Columbia

- Farmland: 214,252 acres (2.3% of state total)
- Farms: 2,446
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (109,336 acres, 51.0% of county farmland)

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#13. St. Croix

- Farmland: 215,392 acres (2.3% of state total)
- Farms: 2,395
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (84,260 acres, 39.1% of county farmland)

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#12. Iowa

- Farmland: 216,832 acres (2.3% of state total)
- Farms: 2,493
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (64,544 acres, 29.8% of county farmland)

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#11. Portage

- Farmland: 218,286 acres (2.3% of state total)
- Farms: 1,502
- Most common crop: Cereals and other grasses cover crop (29,447 acres, 13.5% of county farmland)