Farm Census

DeKalb County, Alabama

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,744 farms219,604 acres in farms$781 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, DeKalb County ranks fourth for broilers sold.

Within Alabama, no other county with a published figure has more farms or hay and haylage, or sells more farm products.

Poultry and eggs: 91.2%Poultry and eggs91.2%Grains and oilseeds: 3.2%3.2%Cattle and calves: 3.0%3.0%Vegetables and melons: 0.7%0.7%Hay and other crops: 0.7%0.7%Cotton: 0.6%0.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.2%Fruit and nuts: 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Christmas trees: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 91.2%Poultry and eggs91.2%Grains and oilseeds: 3.2%3.2%Cattle and calves: 3.0%3.0%Vegetables and melons: 0.7%Hay and other crops: 0.7%Cotton: 0.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.2%Fruit and nuts: 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Christmas trees: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: hogs and pigs and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$712 million1st of 58
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$24.8 million7th of 56
Cattle and calves$23.6 million2nd of 62
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$5.8 million5th of 50
Hay and other crops$5.7 million13th of 67
Cotton and cottonseed$4.5 million25th of 38
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$1.8 million26th of 43
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$888,0006th of 47
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$348,0004th of 56
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$172,00015th of 50
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$33,0004th of 7

What the fields held

DeKalb County harvested 74,524 acres of cropland in 2022, eighth of 67 counties in Alabama. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 50% of that, soybeans 20%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage36,9310.07%
Soybeans15,082under 0.1%
Corn for grain13,730under 0.1%
Cotton5,2880.07%
Wheat3,067under 0.1%
Vegetables656under 0.1%
of which potatoes435under 0.1%
Orchard land83under 0.1%
of which grapes28under 0.1%
of which apples5under 0.1%
Berries14under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: grain sorghum, barley, oats, peanuts and pecans.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms44.2%

DeKalb County ranks fifth of 67 counties in Alabama on this measure.

  • 86,905 acres of cropland, 40% of farmland
  • 91,519 acres of pastureland, 42% of farmland
  • 45,292 acres of woodland, 21% of farmland
  • 794 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in DeKalb County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 60 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 126 acres, 61st-largest of 67 in Alabama. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 39.7% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 1.0% of the total.

1–96%10–4937%50–17940%180–49914%500–9992%1,000–1,9990%2,000+1%
DeKalb County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Broilers sold in 2022108,347,2661.2%
Laying hens1,182,3050.30%
Beef cows31,5920.11%
Goats2,2360.09%
Cattle and calves55,7420.06%
Horses and ponies1,140under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs888under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs1,464under 0.1%
Turkeys17under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on DeKalb County's 1,744 farms are made by 2,942 producers. Their average age is 56.7, 2.0 years below the Alabama average. Women are 35.5% of them.

Under 3510%35–4415%45–5417%55–6423%65–7425%75+10%
DeKalb County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,939−10.1%
Land in farms, acres247,389−11.2%
Average farm size, acres128−1.6%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$573 million+36.3%
Broilers sold, head121,773,866−11.0%
Laying hens, head1,230,837−3.9%
Beef cows, head37,068−14.8%
Goats, head2,120+5.5%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

DeKalb County accounts for 8.6% of farm sales in Alabama and 4.7% of the farms in Alabama. Rank Alabama counties for broilers sold.

Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.