Farm Census

Elkhart County, Indiana

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,809 farms195,094 acres in farms$498 million in farm sales

Elkhart County's producers are among the youngest in the country, with the second-lowest average age of the 2,346 counties that have at least 500 producers.

Its number of horses and ponies grew between 2017 and 2022, the third-largest increase among the 100 leading horse counties of 2017 with figures in both years.

Poultry and eggs: 38.3%Poultry and eggs38.3%Grains and oilseeds: 26.9%Grains and oilseeds26.9%Milk: 17.1%Milk17.1%Cattle and calves: 6.7%6.7%Hogs and pigs: 5.2%5.2%Horses and mules: 2.4%2.4%Hay and other crops: 1.0%1.0%Vegetables and melons: 0.8%0.8%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.6%0.6%Sheep and goats: 0.5%Other animals: 0.4%Poultry and eggs: 38.3%Poultry and eggs38.3%Grains and oilseeds: 26.9%26.9%Milk: 17.1%Milk17.1%Cattle and calves: 6.7%6.7%Hogs and pigs: 5.2%5.2%Horses and mules: 2.4%2.4%Hay and other crops: 1.0%Vegetables and melons: 0.8%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.6%Sheep and goats: 0.5%Other animals: 0.4%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: fruit and nuts and Christmas trees.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$191 million5th of 62
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$134 million41st of 92
Milk from cows$85.3 million2nd of 38
Cattle and calves$33.3 million3rd of 79
Hogs and pigs$25.8 million19th of 71
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$12.0 million2nd of 61
Hay and other crops$4.8 million2nd of 80
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$3.9 million8th of 61
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$3.0 million5th of 53
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$2.4 million1st of 72
Other animals and animal products$1.8 million2nd of 65

What the fields held

Elkhart County harvested 157,231 acres of cropland in 2022, 30th of 92 counties in Indiana. Corn for grain covered acreage equal to 45% of that, soybeans 37%.

CropAcresShare of US
Corn for grain70,2340.09%
Soybeans57,4430.07%
Hay and haylage17,618under 0.1%
Corn for silage8,2870.14%
Wheat2,022under 0.1%
Vegetables1,375under 0.1%
of which potatoes12under 0.1%
Orchard land74under 0.1%
of which apples60under 0.1%
Oats46under 0.1%
Berries20under 0.1%
Barley19under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: almonds, pecans and grapes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms65.8%

Elkhart County ranks 46th of 92 counties in Indiana on this measure.

  • 165,733 acres of cropland, 85% of farmland
  • 17,063 acres of pastureland, 9% of farmland
  • 8,774 acres of woodland, 4% of farmland
  • 32,158 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Elkhart County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 19 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 108 acres, 87th-largest of 92 in Indiana. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 43.3% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 2.2% of the total.

1–926%10–4943%50–17920%180–4996%500–9992%1,000–1,9991%2,000+1%
Elkhart County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Horses and ponies9,2560.38%
Laying hens876,3090.23%
Milk cows15,3890.17%
Broilers sold in 202211,241,5100.12%
Sheep and lambs6,0100.12%
Goats2,3920.09%
Hogs and pigs62,4500.08%
Cattle and calves47,1660.05%
Beef cows2,613under 0.1%
Turkeys69under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Elkhart County's 1,809 farms are made by 3,394 producers. Their average age is 46.8, 9.2 years below the Indiana average. Women are 36.6% of them.

Under 3523%35–4427%45–5418%55–6416%65–7411%75+4%
Elkhart County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,667+8.5%
Land in farms, acres174,929+11.5%
Average farm size, acres105+2.9%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$298 million+66.9%
Horses and ponies, head6,626+39.7%
Laying hens, head460,792+90.2%
Milk cows, head21,448−28.2%
Corn for silage, acres13,625−39.2%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Elkhart County accounts for 2.8% of farm sales in Indiana and 3.4% of the farms in Indiana. Rank Indiana counties for horses and ponies.

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