Farm Census

Washington County, Arkansas

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

2,099 farms301,969 acres in farms$702 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Washington County ranks ninth for sales of poultry and eggs.

Within Arkansas, no other county with a published figure has more farms or hay and haylage.

Poultry and eggs: 91.7%Poultry and eggs91.7%Cattle and calves: 5.5%5.5%Hay and other crops: 0.8%0.8%Hogs and pigs: 0.8%0.8%Vegetables and melons: 0.3%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.2%Grains and oilseeds: 0.2%Milk: 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 91.7%Poultry and eggs91.7%Cattle and calves: 5.5%5.5%Hay and other crops: 0.8%Hogs and pigs: 0.8%Vegetables and melons: 0.3%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.2%Grains and oilseeds: 0.2%Milk: 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$644 million2nd of 60
Cattle and calves$38.4 million1st of 65
Hay and other crops$6.0 million3rd of 68
Hogs and pigs$5.7 million4th of 36
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$2.2 million6th of 42
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$1.5 million7th of 21
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$1.4 million3rd of 55
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$1.1 million41st of 43
Milk from cows$886,0004th of 7
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$869,0004th of 34
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$313,0007th of 53
Other animals and animal products$147,0006th of 38

What the fields held

Washington County harvested 72,588 acres of cropland in 2022, 27th of 75 counties in Arkansas. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 97% of that.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage70,2720.13%
Soybeans1,074under 0.1%
Corn for grain509under 0.1%
Vegetables210under 0.1%
of which potatoes5under 0.1%
Wheat200under 0.1%
Orchard land194under 0.1%
of which grapes59under 0.1%
of which apples25under 0.1%
of which pecans81under 0.1%
Corn for silage180under 0.1%
Berries36under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: oats.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms50.1%

Washington County ranks 28th of 75 counties in Arkansas on this measure.

  • 86,582 acres of cropland, 29% of farmland
  • 148,660 acres of pastureland, 49% of farmland
  • 84,971 acres of woodland, 28% of farmland
  • 755 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Washington County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 60 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 144 acres, 70th-largest of 74 in Arkansas. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 35.1% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 1.8% of the total.

1–99%10–4935%50–17934%180–49917%500–9994%1,000–1,9991%2,000+1%
Washington County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Broilers sold in 202281,652,2760.89%
Turkeys414,1580.43%
Laying hens987,5030.25%
Beef cows48,5510.17%
Horses and ponies2,4950.10%
Cattle and calves85,2080.10%
Goats1,7630.07%
Sheep and lambs1,589under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs4,699under 0.1%
Milk cows232under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Washington County's 2,099 farms are made by 3,847 producers. Their average age is 57.6, the same as the Arkansas average. Women are 42.0% of them.

Under 359%35–4412%45–5417%55–6425%65–7425%75+11%
Washington County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms2,279−7.9%
Land in farms, acres316,738−4.7%
Average farm size, acres139+3.6%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$509 million+37.8%
Broilers sold, head97,065,615−15.9%
Turkeys, head471,713−12.2%
Laying hens, head753,511+31.1%
Hay and haylage, acres72,054−2.5%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Washington County accounts for 5.1% of farm sales in Arkansas and 5.6% of the farms in Arkansas. Rank Arkansas counties for broilers sold.

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