Farm Census

Apache County, Arizona

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

5,343 farms5,534,505 acres in farms$17.0 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Apache County leads the country in land in farms and number of farms, ranks third for horses and ponies, fourth for sheep and lambs and eighth for goats.

Women make up the second-largest share of producers among the 2,346 counties with at least 500 producers.

Cattle and calves: 61.5%Cattle and calves61.5%Vegetables and melons: 13.2%Vegetables and melons13.2%Sheep and goats: 9.7%Sheep and goats9.7%Horses and mules: 8.0%Horses and mules8.0%Grains and oilseeds: 3.1%3.1%Hay and other crops: 3.0%3.0%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.5%Poultry and eggs: 0.4%Fruit and nuts: 0.4%Hogs and pigs: 0.2%Other animals: 0.1%Cattle and calves: 61.5%Cattle and calves61.5%Vegetables and melons: 13.2%13.2%Sheep and goats: 9.7%9.7%Horses and mules: 8.0%8.0%Grains and oilseeds: 3.1%3.1%Hay and other crops: 3.0%3.0%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.5%Poultry and eggs: 0.4%Fruit and nuts: 0.4%Hogs and pigs: 0.2%Other animals: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Cattle and calves$10.5 million4th of 10
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$2.2 million5th of 11
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$1.7 million1st of 12
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$1.4 million5th of 13
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$529,0007th of 10
Hay and other crops$504,00012th of 15
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$82,0007th of 8
Poultry and eggs$70,0007th of 11
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$61,0008th of 9
Hogs and pigs$26,0006th of 6
Other animals and animal products$10,0007th of 8

What the fields held

Apache County harvested 5,369 acres of cropland in 2022, eighth of 13 counties in Arizona. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 65% of that, vegetables 10%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage3,495under 0.1%
Vegetables519under 0.1%
of which potatoes12under 0.1%
Wheat69under 0.1%
Orchard land23under 0.1%
of which apples13under 0.1%
Corn for grain10under 0.1%
Dry edible beans9under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: oats, citrus and grapes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms77.2%

Apache County ranks first of 15 counties in Arizona on this measure.

  • 37,526 acres of cropland, 1% of farmland
  • 4,973,182 acres of pastureland, 90% of farmland
  • 7,729 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Apache County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 5 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 1,036 acres, ninth-largest of 14 in Arizona. The most common size class is 1–9 acres, with 61.7% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 3.1% of the total.

1–962%10–4925%50–1797%180–4992%500–9991%1,000–1,9991%2,000+2%
Apache County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Sheep and lambs69,0901.4%
Goats19,0430.75%
Horses and ponies17,9520.74%
Beef cows21,5860.07%
Cattle and calves37,055under 0.1%
Laying hens4,738under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs580under 0.1%
Turkeys352under 0.1%
Milk cows26under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 2022150under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Apache County's 5,343 farms are made by 8,805 producers. Their average age is 61.3, 1.2 years above the Arizona average. Women are 52.6% of them.

Under 357%35–447%45–5414%55–6427%65–7426%75+19%
Apache County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms5,551−3.7%
Land in farms, acres5,554,963−0.4%
Average farm size, acres1,001+3.5%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$18.0 million−5.7%
Sheep and lambs, head70,838−2.5%
Goats, head24,472−22.2%
Horses and ponies, head22,198−19.1%
Cattle and calves, head38,995−5.0%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Apache County accounts for 0.3% of farm sales in Arizona and 32.0% of the farms in Arizona. Rank Arizona counties for sheep and lambs.

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