Farm Census

Limestone County, Alabama

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

996 farms255,290 acres in farms$172 million in farm sales

No other county in Alabama with a published figure has more land in farms, soybeans or wheat than Limestone County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, grains and oilseeds, makes up 40.6% of farm sales, against 6.3% across Alabama.

Grains and oilseeds: 40.6%Grains and oilseeds40.6%Poultry and eggs: 38.4%Poultry and eggs38.4%Cotton: 13.1%Cotton13.1%Cattle and calves: 5.5%5.5%Withheld groups: 1.2%1.2%Hay and other crops: 1.0%1.0%Horses and mules: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: 40.6%Grains and oilseeds40.6%Poultry and eggs: 38.4%Poultry and eggs38.4%Cotton: 13.1%Cotton13.1%Cattle and calves: 5.5%5.5%Withheld groups: 1.2%Hay and other crops: 1.0%Horses and mules: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: vegetables and melons, fruit and nuts, nursery and greenhouse crops, Christmas trees, hogs and pigs, aquaculture products and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$69.8 million1st of 56
Poultry and eggs$66.0 million27th of 58
Cotton and cottonseed$22.5 million3rd of 38
Cattle and calves$9.5 million19th of 62
Hay and other crops$1.8 million42nd of 67
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$207,00012th of 50
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$152,00014th of 56

What the fields held

Limestone County harvested 138,103 acres of cropland in 2022, first of 67 counties in Alabama. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 41% of that, wheat 22%.

CropAcresShare of US
Soybeans56,4920.07%
Wheat30,5190.08%
Corn for grain27,890under 0.1%
Cotton26,5990.34%
Hay and haylage16,089under 0.1%
Vegetables194under 0.1%
of which potatoes51under 0.1%
Orchard land145under 0.1%
of which apples35under 0.1%
of which pecans61under 0.1%
Berries12under 0.1%
Barley3under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: rice and grapes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms71.2%

Limestone County ranks first of 67 counties in Alabama on this measure.

  • 150,019 acres of cropland, 59% of farmland
  • 51,379 acres of pastureland, 20% of farmland
  • 22,104 acres of woodland, 9% of farmland
  • 14,605 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Limestone County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 47 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 256 acres, 30th-largest of 67 in Alabama. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 42.5% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 5.4% of the total.

1–99%10–4942%50–17927%180–49912%500–9994%1,000–1,9993%2,000+2%
Limestone County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Broilers sold in 202210,637,7270.12%
Goats1,3860.05%
Beef cows14,9760.05%
Horses and ponies906under 0.1%
Cattle and calves24,248under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs885under 0.1%
Laying hens48,195under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs514under 0.1%
Turkeys34under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Limestone County's 996 farms are made by 1,615 producers. Their average age is 58.1, 0.6 years below the Alabama average. Women are 35.5% of them.

Under 358%35–4415%45–5415%55–6425%65–7424%75+14%
Limestone County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,156−13.8%
Land in farms, acres224,822+13.6%
Average farm size, acres194+32.0%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$131 million+30.9%
Cotton, acres28,058−5.2%
Broilers sold, head10,000,873+6.4%
Wheat, acres24,282+25.7%
Soybeans, acres58,679−3.7%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Limestone County accounts for 1.9% of farm sales in Alabama and 2.7% of the farms in Alabama. Rank Alabama counties for cotton.

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