Farm Census

Jo Daviess County, Illinois

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

907 farms309,287 acres in farms$243 million in farm sales

No other county in Illinois with a published figure has more hay and haylage, cattle and calves or beef cows than Jo Daviess County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, grains and oilseeds, makes up 68.2% of farm sales, against 81.6% across Illinois.

Grains and oilseeds: 68.2%Grains and oilseeds68.2%Cattle and calves: 15.2%Cattle and calves15.2%Milk: 10.5%Milk10.5%Vegetables and melons: 2.2%2.2%Hay and other crops: 2.1%2.1%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.4%Fruit and nuts: 0.4%Poultry and eggs: 0.3%Christmas trees: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: 68.2%Grains and oilseeds68.2%Cattle and calves: 15.2%Cattle and calves15.2%Milk: 10.5%Milk10.5%Vegetables and melons: 2.2%2.2%Hay and other crops: 2.1%2.1%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.4%Fruit and nuts: 0.4%Poultry and eggs: 0.3%Christmas trees: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: hogs and pigs, aquaculture products and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$165 million60th of 100
Cattle and calves$36.8 million4th of 81
Milk from cows$25.5 million4th of 30
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$5.4 million7th of 66
Hay and other crops$5.1 million1st of 83
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$970,00027th of 48
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$889,0008th of 52
Poultry and eggs$735,00014th of 68
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$450,0003rd of 15
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$167,00019th of 61
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$134,00032nd of 78

What the fields held

Jo Daviess County harvested 181,840 acres of cropland in 2022, 56th of 102 counties in Illinois. Corn for grain covered acreage equal to 53% of that, soybeans 27%.

CropAcresShare of US
Corn for grain95,5620.12%
Soybeans49,5930.06%
Hay and haylage27,8920.05%
Corn for silage4,6020.08%
Oats9770.11%
Vegetables821under 0.1%
of which potatoes7under 0.1%
Wheat668under 0.1%
Orchard land142under 0.1%
of which grapes79under 0.1%
of which apples50under 0.1%
Berries20under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: grain sorghum.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms80.4%

Jo Daviess County ranks 42nd of 102 counties in Illinois on this measure.

  • 207,282 acres of cropland, 67% of farmland
  • 67,686 acres of pastureland, 22% of farmland
  • 44,001 acres of woodland, 14% of farmland
  • 531 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Jo Daviess County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 127 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 341 acres, 66th-largest of 101 in Illinois. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 36.9% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 7.8% of the total.

1–94%10–4920%50–17937%180–49923%500–9998%1,000–1,9995%2,000+3%
Jo Daviess County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Beef cows20,0390.07%
Cattle and calves51,2030.06%
Milk cows4,7070.05%
Sheep and lambs1,094under 0.1%
Horses and ponies456under 0.1%
Goats226under 0.1%
Laying hens1,094under 0.1%
Turkeys14under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 2022211under 0.1%

Withheld: hogs and pigs.

Who farms here

Decisions on Jo Daviess County's 907 farms are made by 1,548 producers. Their average age is 58.4, 0.2 years below the Illinois average. Women are 30.7% of them.

Under 359%35–4411%45–5415%55–6425%65–7425%75+14%
Jo Daviess County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms947−4.2%
Land in farms, acres289,475+6.8%
Average farm size, acres306+11.4%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$152 million+59.6%
Corn for grain, acres98,799−3.3%
Oats, acres1,021−4.3%
Corn for silage, acres5,190−11.3%
Beef cows, head20,432−1.9%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Jo Daviess County accounts for 0.9% of farm sales in Illinois and 1.3% of the farms in Illinois. Rank Illinois counties for corn for grain.

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