Farm Census

Johnson County, Iowa

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,212 farms259,760 acres in farms$327 million in farm sales

No other county in Iowa with a published figure has more goats than Johnson County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, grains and oilseeds, makes up 59.5% of farm sales, against 52.7% across Iowa.

Grains and oilseeds: 59.5%Grains and oilseeds59.5%Hogs and pigs: 23.2%Hogs and pigs23.2%Cattle and calves: 7.4%Cattle and calves7.4%Poultry and eggs: 3.5%3.5%Sheep and goats: 2.7%2.7%Milk: 1.4%Milk1.4%Hay and other crops: 0.8%0.8%Withheld groups: 0.8%0.8%Fruit and nuts: 0.6%Horses and mules: 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: 59.5%Grains and oilseeds59.5%Hogs and pigs: 23.2%Hogs and pigs23.2%Cattle and calves: 7.4%7.4%Poultry and eggs: 3.5%3.5%Sheep and goats: 2.7%2.7%Milk: 1.4%Hay and other crops: 0.8%Withheld groups: 0.8%Fruit and nuts: 0.6%Horses and mules: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: vegetables and melons, nursery and greenhouse crops, Christmas trees, aquaculture products and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$194 million64th of 99
Hogs and pigs$75.8 million48th of 91
Cattle and calves$24.0 million46th of 85
Poultry and eggs$11.5 million19th of 51
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$8.7 million1st of 85
Milk from cows$4.7 million20th of 33
Hay and other crops$2.7 million22nd of 84
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$1.9 million1st of 54
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$347,00016th of 68

What the fields held

Johnson County harvested 203,457 acres of cropland in 2022, 62nd of 99 counties in Iowa. Corn for grain covered acreage equal to 48% of that, soybeans 43%.

CropAcresShare of US
Corn for grain98,5780.12%
Soybeans88,2500.10%
Hay and haylage13,838under 0.1%
Oats9480.10%
Corn for silage931under 0.1%
Orchard land278under 0.1%
of which grapes40under 0.1%
of which apples188under 0.1%
of which pecans1under 0.1%
Wheat260under 0.1%
Vegetables142under 0.1%
of which potatoes3under 0.1%
Berries42under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: barley.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms66.1%

Johnson County ranks 93rd of 99 counties in Iowa on this measure.

  • 222,627 acres of cropland, 86% of farmland
  • 16,976 acres of pastureland, 7% of farmland
  • 14,091 acres of woodland, 5% of farmland
  • 1,003 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Johnson County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 83 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 214 acres, 97th-largest of 99 in Iowa. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 34.4% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 3.8% of the total.

1–97%10–4929%50–17934%180–49918%500–9998%1,000–1,9993%2,000+1%
Johnson County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Goats11,7260.46%
Hogs and pigs162,3010.22%
Sheep and lambs3,7580.07%
Horses and ponies1,2470.05%
Laying hens167,451under 0.1%
Beef cows7,147under 0.1%
Cattle and calves20,708under 0.1%
Milk cows1,179under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 202265,943under 0.1%

Withheld: turkeys.

Who farms here

Decisions on Johnson County's 1,212 farms are made by 2,201 producers. Their average age is 57.0, 0.6 years below the Iowa average. Women are 34.3% of them.

Under 3511%35–4414%45–5414%55–6425%65–7422%75+14%
Johnson County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,257−3.6%
Land in farms, acres304,239−14.6%
Average farm size, acres242−11.6%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$220 million+48.7%
Goats, head10,933+7.3%
Hogs and pigs, head90,685+79.0%
Corn for grain, acres118,135−16.6%
Soybeans, acres107,687−18.0%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Johnson County accounts for 0.7% of farm sales in Iowa and 1.4% of the farms in Iowa. Rank Iowa counties for goats.

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