Farm Census

Weld County, Colorado

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

3,881 farms1,987,213 acres in farms$2.38 billion in farm sales

Weld County ranks third of 2,953 US counties for sales of livestock, poultry and their products in 2022.

Among counties with published figures, it also leads the country in sheep and lambs, ranks third for corn for silage, fifth for cattle and calves and sixth for milk cows and producers.

Within Colorado, no other county with a published figure has more land in farms, hay and haylage, beef cows, goats or horses and ponies.

Cattle and calves: 41.2%Cattle and calves41.2%Milk: 34.5%Milk34.5%Grains and oilseeds: 8.0%Grains and oilseeds8.0%Nursery and greenhouse: 4.5%4.5%Hay and other crops: 3.2%3.2%Poultry and eggs: 3.0%3.0%Vegetables and melons: 2.8%2.8%Sheep and goats: 2.4%2.4%Horses and mules: 0.2%Other animals: 0.2%Cattle and calves: 41.2%Cattle and calves41.2%Milk: 34.5%Milk34.5%Grains and oilseeds: 8.0%8.0%Nursery and greenhouse: 4.5%4.5%Hay and other crops: 3.2%3.2%Poultry and eggs: 3.0%3.0%Vegetables and melons: 2.8%2.8%Sheep and goats: 2.4%2.4%Horses and mules: 0.2%Other animals: 0.2%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: fruit and nuts, Christmas trees, hogs and pigs and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Cattle and calves$982 million1st of 50
Milk from cows$822 million1st of 9
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$190 million2nd of 31
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$107 million1st of 29
Hay and other crops$75.1 million1st of 44
Poultry and eggs$72.2 million1st of 41
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$67.4 million4th of 27
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$58.4 million1st of 46
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$4.8 million1st of 43
Other animals and animal products$3.9 million1st of 27

What the fields held

Weld County harvested 410,514 acres of cropland in 2022, third of 54 counties in Colorado. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 31% of that, corn for silage 20%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage126,8180.23%
Corn for silage81,7671.4%
Wheat78,5510.21%
Corn for grain68,2700.08%
Grain sorghum16,7210.36%
Sugar beets8,5270.74%
Vegetables8,2250.19%
Barley3,9880.16%
Dry edible beans3,6740.30%
Sunflower1,2570.08%
Oats359under 0.1%
Orchard land77under 0.1%
of which grapes3under 0.1%
of which apples65under 0.1%
Berries6under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: soybeans and potatoes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms77.9%

Weld County ranks 12th of 59 counties in Colorado on this measure.

  • 875,694 acres of cropland, 44% of farmland
  • 1,076,823 acres of pastureland, 54% of farmland
  • 14,495 acres of woodland, 1% of farmland
  • 274,813 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Weld County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 68 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 512 acres, 37th-largest of 54 in Colorado. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 27.8% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 9.0% of the total.

1–918%10–4928%50–17926%180–49913%500–9997%1,000–1,9993%2,000+6%
Weld County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Sheep and lambs129,4262.5%
Milk cows134,7281.4%
Cattle and calves545,4800.62%
Horses and ponies7,2290.30%
Goats5,9400.23%
Beef cows50,9650.17%
Hogs and pigs1,613under 0.1%
Turkeys491under 0.1%

Withheld: laying hens and broilers sold.

Who farms here

Decisions on Weld County's 3,881 farms are made by 7,350 producers. Their average age is 56.4, 1.9 years below the Colorado average. Women are 40.3% of them.

Under 3510%35–4418%45–5415%55–6422%65–7422%75+13%
Weld County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms4,062−4.5%
Land in farms, acres2,098,803−5.3%
Average farm size, acres517−1.0%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$2.05 billion+16.5%
Sheep and lambs, head180,468−28.3%
Milk cows, head107,387+25.5%
Corn for silage, acres65,970+23.9%
Sugar beets, acres14,520−41.3%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Weld County accounts for 25.9% of farm sales in Colorado and 10.8% of the farms in Colorado. Rank Colorado counties for sheep and lambs.

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