Farm Census

Benton County, Arkansas

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,796 farms216,914 acres in farms$871 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Benton County ranks second for broilers sold.

Within Arkansas, no other county with a published figure sells more farm products.

Poultry and eggs: 93.9%Poultry and eggs93.9%Cattle and calves: 4.1%4.1%Withheld groups: 0.5%0.5%Hay and other crops: 0.4%Milk: 0.3%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.2%Vegetables and melons: 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 93.9%Poultry and eggs93.9%Cattle and calves: 4.1%Withheld groups: 0.5%Hay and other crops: 0.4%Milk: 0.3%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.2%Vegetables and melons: 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: grains and oilseeds, Christmas trees, hogs and pigs, aquaculture products and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$818 million1st of 60
Cattle and calves$35.9 million2nd of 65
Hay and other crops$3.9 million8th of 68
Milk from cows$2.8 million1st of 7
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$2.1 million5th of 21
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$1.4 million4th of 55
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$810,00011th of 42
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$661,0007th of 34
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$609,0001st of 53

What the fields held

Benton County harvested 58,513 acres of cropland in 2022, 30th of 75 counties in Arkansas. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 97% of that.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage56,6600.10%
Wheat950under 0.1%
Soybeans855under 0.1%
Vegetables162under 0.1%
of which potatoes1under 0.1%
Orchard land124under 0.1%
of which grapes24under 0.1%
of which apples46under 0.1%
Berries55under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage and pecans.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms40.0%

Benton County ranks 39th of 75 counties in Arkansas on this measure.

  • 70,047 acres of cropland, 32% of farmland
  • 120,032 acres of pastureland, 55% of farmland
  • 40,325 acres of woodland, 19% of farmland
  • 843 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Benton County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 50 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 121 acres, 73rd-largest of 74 in Arkansas. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 36.5% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 1.4% of the total.

1–913%10–4936%50–17934%180–49913%500–9993%1,000–1,9991%2,000+0%
Benton County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Broilers sold in 2022122,249,1911.3%
Laying hens1,469,1230.38%
Turkeys355,6860.37%
Beef cows39,0840.13%
Cattle and calves75,4740.09%
Horses and ponies1,9950.08%
Goats1,9070.08%
Sheep and lambs2,034under 0.1%
Milk cows681under 0.1%

Withheld: hogs and pigs.

Who farms here

Decisions on Benton County's 1,796 farms are made by 3,252 producers. Their average age is 56.7, 0.9 years below the Arkansas average. Women are 42.6% of them.

Under 359%35–4414%45–5420%55–6426%65–7420%75+12%
Benton County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,936−7.2%
Land in farms, acres243,753−11.0%
Average farm size, acres126−4.0%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$593 million+46.8%
Broilers sold, head110,165,831+11.0%
Laying hens, head1,365,181+7.6%
Turkeys, head525,762−32.3%
Beef cows, head48,583−19.6%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Benton County accounts for 6.3% of farm sales in Arkansas and 4.8% of the farms in Arkansas. Rank Arkansas counties for broilers sold.

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