Farm Census

Colusa County, California

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

715 farms465,843 acres in farms$553 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Colusa County ranks eighth for almonds and tenth for orchard land.

Its rice acreage shrank between 2017 and 2022, the fifth-steepest decline among the 89 leading rice counties of 2017 with figures in both years.

Fruit and nuts: 52.1%Fruit and nuts52.1%Grains and oilseeds: 20.2%Grains and oilseeds20.2%Vegetables and melons: 17.7%Vegetables and melons17.7%Withheld groups: 7.2%Withheld groups7.2%Cattle and calves: 2.8%2.8%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 52.1%Fruit and nuts52.1%Grains and oilseeds: 20.2%20.2%Vegetables and melons: 17.7%Vegetables and melons17.7%Withheld groups: 7.2%Withheld groups7.2%Cattle and calves: 2.8%2.8%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: nursery and greenhouse crops, hay and other crops, milk, hogs and pigs and sheep and goat products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$288 million17th of 52
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$112 million5th of 34
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$97.7 million18th of 48
Cattle and calves$15.2 million29th of 52
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$128,00042nd of 47
Poultry and eggs$12,00040th of 41
Other animals and animal products$3,00036th of 36

What the fields held

Colusa County harvested 169,808 acres of cropland in 2022, 15th of 54 counties in California. Orchard land covered acreage equal to 60% of that, rice 22%.

CropAcresShare of US
Orchard land101,6101.6%
of which almonds77,6684.8%
of which grapes3,2580.29%
of which citrus21under 0.1%
of which apples5under 0.1%
of which pecans1,2350.20%
Rice36,9071.6%
Vegetables15,5200.36%
Wheat6,353under 0.1%
Hay and haylage5,555under 0.1%
Sunflower2,6130.16%
Dry edible beans546under 0.1%
Corn for grain338under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: barley and berries.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms63.3%

Colusa County ranks ninth of 55 counties in California on this measure.

  • 276,014 acres of cropland, 59% of farmland
  • 173,410 acres of pastureland, 37% of farmland
  • 7,131 acres of woodland, 2% of farmland
  • 171,743 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Colusa County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 135 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 652 acres, 11th-largest of 52 in California. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 24.3% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 14.4% of the total.

1–99%10–4922%50–17924%180–49920%500–99910%1,000–1,9998%2,000+6%
Colusa County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Sheep and lambs3,8940.08%
Cattle and calves22,909under 0.1%
Horses and ponies624under 0.1%
Goats260under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs474under 0.1%
Laying hens367under 0.1%

Withheld: beef cows and milk cows.

Who farms here

Decisions on Colusa County's 715 farms are made by 1,380 producers. Their average age is 59.6, 0.3 years below the California average. Women are 33.1% of them.

Under 357%35–4411%45–5415%55–6423%65–7429%75+14%
Colusa County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms751−4.8%
Land in farms, acres456,873+2.0%
Average farm size, acres608+7.2%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$554 million−0.2%
Almonds, acres55,372+40.3%
Orchard land, acres76,318+33.1%
Rice, acres125,348−70.6%
Vegetables, acres11,083+40.0%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Colusa County accounts for 0.9% of farm sales in California and 1.1% of the farms in California. Rank California counties for almonds.

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