Farm Census

Where hay and haylage are grown: the leading US counties

2022 Census of Agriculture · Acres harvested in 2022. Counties with a published figure: 2,980

US farms harvested 54,159,397 acres of hay and haylage in 2022, and Imperial County, California, had more than any other county with a published figure.

The ten leading counties hold 4.0% of the national total. Texas is the leading state, ahead of Missouri.

The national figure is down 4.7% on the 2017 census.

Alaska: 29,055 acresAKMaine: 165,521 acresMEWisconsin: 2,122,850 acresWIVermont: 265,275 acresVTNew Hampshire: 60,594 acresNHWashington: 757,714 acresWAIdaho: 1,415,865 acresIDMontana: 2,710,244 acresMTNorth Dakota: 2,530,692 acresNDMinnesota: 1,392,072 acresMNIllinois: 528,857 acresILMichigan: 958,778 acresMINew York: 1,655,850 acresNYMassachusetts: 72,649 acresMAOregon: 975,026 acresORNevada: 445,499 acresNVWyoming: 1,059,449 acresWYSouth Dakota: 2,826,718 acresSDIowa: 1,042,174 acresIAIndiana: 488,227 acresINOhio: 986,874 acresOHPennsylvania: 1,481,905 acresPANew Jersey: 98,972 acresNJConnecticut: 68,916 acresCTRhode Island: 5,267 acresRICalifornia: 1,826,187 acresCAUtah: 628,992 acresUTColorado: 1,373,070 acresCONebraska: 2,250,107 acresNEMissouri: 3,079,498 acresMOKentucky: 1,792,405 acresKYWest Virginia: 604,221 acresWVVirginia: 1,117,726 acresVAMaryland: 182,884 acresMDDelaware: 8,960 acresDEArizona: 423,246 acresAZNew Mexico: 352,191 acresNMKansas: 2,397,302 acresKSArkansas: 1,343,016 acresARTennessee: 1,534,154 acresTNNorth Carolina: 628,117 acresNCSouth Carolina: 305,043 acresSCOklahoma: 2,771,171 acresOKLouisiana: 422,162 acresLAMississippi: 583,634 acresMSAlabama: 821,293 acresALGeorgia: 621,132 acresGAHawaii: 820 acresHITexas: 4,445,285 acresTXFlorida: 501,738 acresFL
none publishedunder 1%1–3%3–7%7–15%15% or moreEach square is a state, shaded by its share of the US total. Select a state for its county table.

The 25 leading counties

Ranked among the 2,980 counties with a published figure. Another 34 counties grow or keep some but have their figure withheld to protect individual farms, so they are not ranked.

#CountyStateAcresShare of US
1Imperial CountyCalifornia436,7280.81%
2Cherry CountyNebraska310,6020.57%
3Holt CountyNebraska244,9760.45%
4Meade CountySouth Dakota234,5870.43%
5Fergus CountyMontana198,4250.37%
6Perkins CountySouth Dakota166,6010.31%
7Grant CountyWashington159,5500.29%
8Tulare CountyCalifornia145,3920.27%
9Morton CountyNorth Dakota139,6950.26%
10Maricopa CountyArizona139,2270.26%
11Grant CountyNorth Dakota139,2090.26%
12Merced CountyCalifornia135,1560.25%
13Harney CountyOregon131,2170.24%
14Lake CountyOregon128,2250.24%
15McHenry CountyNorth Dakota127,7740.24%
16Weld CountyColorado126,8180.23%
17Dunn CountyNorth Dakota125,0000.23%
18Corson CountySouth Dakota124,9770.23%
19Powder River CountyMontana124,7950.23%
20McKenzie CountyNorth Dakota120,4810.22%
21Tripp CountySouth Dakota118,4830.22%
22Modoc CountyCalifornia118,3240.22%
23Harding CountySouth Dakota114,2510.21%
24Carter CountyMontana113,9800.21%
25Jefferson CountyNew York111,5080.21%

Rank every county for hay and haylage, or filter by state

Leading states

StateAcresShare of USSince 2017
Texas4,445,2858.2%+0.1%
Missouri3,079,4985.7%−8.5%
South Dakota2,826,7185.2%−0.7%
Oklahoma2,771,1715.1%−2.6%
Montana2,710,2445.0%+1.2%
North Dakota2,530,6924.7%−1.9%
Kansas2,397,3024.4%−4.0%
Nebraska2,250,1074.2%−5.9%
Wisconsin2,122,8503.9%−10.5%
California1,826,1873.4%+17.4%
Kentucky1,792,4053.3%−13.8%
New York1,655,8503.1%−8.6%
Tennessee1,534,1542.8%−7.3%
Pennsylvania1,481,9052.7%−8.5%
Idaho1,415,8652.6%−6.2%

Source: USDA NASS, 2022 and 2017 Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.