Farm Census

Washington County, Indiana

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

783 farms190,434 acres in farms$258 million in farm sales

No other county in Indiana with a published figure has more broilers sold than Washington County.

Its number of turkeys grew between 2017 and 2022, the third-largest increase among the 86 leading turkey counties of 2017 with figures in both years.

Poultry and eggs: 51.3%Poultry and eggs51.3%Grains and oilseeds: 39.2%Grains and oilseeds39.2%Withheld groups: 2.7%2.7%Cattle and calves: 2.7%2.7%Hogs and pigs: 2.5%2.5%Hay and other crops: 1.0%1.0%Milk: 0.4%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Fruit and nuts: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 51.3%Poultry and eggs51.3%Grains and oilseeds: 39.2%Grains and oilseeds39.2%Withheld groups: 2.7%2.7%Cattle and calves: 2.7%2.7%Hogs and pigs: 2.5%2.5%Hay and other crops: 1.0%1.0%Milk: 0.4%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Fruit and nuts: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: vegetables and melons, nursery and greenhouse crops, horses and mules and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$132 million6th of 62
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$101 million59th of 92
Cattle and calves$6.9 million18th of 79
Hogs and pigs$6.3 million46th of 71
Hay and other crops$2.7 million8th of 80
Milk from cows$1.1 million31st of 38
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$514,0004th of 72
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$121,00032nd of 48

What the fields held

Washington County harvested 123,975 acres of cropland in 2022, 51st of 92 counties in Indiana. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 46% of that, corn for grain 36%.

CropAcresShare of US
Soybeans57,1490.07%
Corn for grain44,7840.06%
Hay and haylage18,308under 0.1%
Wheat1,327under 0.1%
Corn for silage258under 0.1%
Orchard land33under 0.1%
of which grapes7under 0.1%
of which apples3under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: oats, potatoes, vegetables, pecans and berries.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms57.9%

Washington County ranks 58th of 92 counties in Indiana on this measure.

  • 132,342 acres of cropland, 69% of farmland
  • 25,552 acres of pastureland, 13% of farmland
  • 30,413 acres of woodland, 16% of farmland
  • 406 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Washington County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 67 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 243 acres, 59th-largest of 92 in Indiana. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 33.3% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 5.5% of the total.

1–97%10–4932%50–17933%180–49917%500–9996%1,000–1,9993%2,000+2%
Washington County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Turkeys973,6701.0%
Broilers sold in 202214,424,4000.16%
Sheep and lambs2,8330.06%
Laying hens162,368under 0.1%
Horses and ponies798under 0.1%
Beef cows9,661under 0.1%
Goats777under 0.1%
Cattle and calves16,215under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs13,480under 0.1%
Milk cows216under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Washington County's 783 farms are made by 1,411 producers. Their average age is 55.8, 0.2 years below the Indiana average. Women are 35.6% of them.

Under 3513%35–4415%45–5416%55–6424%65–7418%75+14%
Washington County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms865−9.5%
Land in farms, acres211,941−10.1%
Average farm size, acres245−0.8%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$161 million+60.8%
Turkeys, head507,182+92.0%
Broilers sold, head18,299,166−21.2%
Soybeans, acres70,414−18.8%
Corn for grain, acres45,135−0.8%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Washington County accounts for 1.4% of farm sales in Indiana and 1.5% of the farms in Indiana. Rank Indiana counties for turkeys.

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