Farm Census

Butler County, Kansas

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,399 farms821,264 acres in farms$345 million in farm sales

No other county in Kansas with a published figure has more hay and haylage than Butler County.

Its largest product group, cattle and calves, makes up 69.4% of farm sales, against 56.7% across Kansas.

Cattle and calves: 69.4%Cattle and calves69.4%Grains and oilseeds: 22.8%Grains and oilseeds22.8%Hogs and pigs: 3.4%Hogs and pigs3.4%Hay and other crops: 2.8%2.8%Horses and mules: 0.7%0.7%Cotton: 0.3%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Vegetables and melons: 0.1%Other animals: 0.1%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.1%Poultry and eggs: under 0.1%Fruit and nuts: under 0.1%Cattle and calves: 69.4%Cattle and calves69.4%Grains and oilseeds: 22.8%Grains and oilseeds22.8%Hogs and pigs: 3.4%3.4%Hay and other crops: 2.8%2.8%Horses and mules: 0.7%Cotton: 0.3%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Vegetables and melons: 0.1%Other animals: 0.1%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.1%Poultry and eggs: under 0.1%Fruit and nuts: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Cattle and calves$239 million9th of 88
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$78.7 million37th of 101
Hogs and pigs$11.8 million7th of 48
Hay and other crops$9.6 million5th of 84
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$2.4 million1st of 70
Cotton and cottonseed$1.1 million13th of 15
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$537,00012th of 81
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$456,0006th of 33
Other animals and animal products$381,0004th of 41
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$331,00011th of 26
Poultry and eggs$147,00017th of 70
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$117,00016th of 28

What the fields held

Butler County harvested 285,589 acres of cropland in 2022, 13th of 105 counties in Kansas. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 32% of that, hay and haylage 30%.

CropAcresShare of US
Soybeans92,3520.11%
Hay and haylage85,3640.16%
Corn for grain71,7390.09%
Wheat43,3260.12%
Corn for silage7,8530.13%
Cotton3,000under 0.1%
Grain sorghum2,131under 0.1%
Canola270under 0.1%
Vegetables52under 0.1%
Orchard land21under 0.1%

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

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms89.7%

Butler County ranks 44th of 105 counties in Kansas on this measure.

  • 321,178 acres of cropland, 39% of farmland
  • 477,875 acres of pastureland, 58% of farmland
  • 11,983 acres of woodland, 1% of farmland
  • 5,653 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Butler County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 90 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 587 acres, 74th-largest of 105 in Kansas. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 31.5% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 14.4% of the total.

1–96%10–4931%50–17924%180–49916%500–9998%1,000–1,9998%2,000+7%
Butler County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Horses and ponies4,4410.18%
Cattle and calves135,5670.15%
Goats2,9490.12%
Beef cows25,6180.09%
Sheep and lambs2,080under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs18,568under 0.1%
Laying hens3,875under 0.1%
Milk cows35under 0.1%
Turkeys39under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 202246under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Butler County's 1,399 farms are made by 2,530 producers. Their average age is 57.5, 0.7 years below the Kansas average. Women are 37.2% of them.

Under 3510%35–4413%45–5415%55–6425%65–7425%75+13%
Butler County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,471−4.9%
Land in farms, acres798,408+2.9%
Average farm size, acres543+8.1%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$266 million+29.6%
Horses and ponies, head4,289+3.5%
Hay and haylage, acres83,639+2.1%
Cattle and calves, head120,420+12.6%
Corn for silage, acres5,510+42.5%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Butler County accounts for 1.4% of farm sales in Kansas and 2.5% of the farms in Kansas. Rank Kansas counties for horses and ponies.

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