Farm Census

Daviess County, Kentucky

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

974 farms271,336 acres in farms$336 million in farm sales

No other county in Kentucky with a published figure has more corn for grain, soybeans or turkeys than Daviess County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, grains and oilseeds, makes up 58.1% of farm sales, against 38.8% across Kentucky.

Grains and oilseeds: 58.1%Grains and oilseeds58.1%Poultry and eggs: 23.2%Poultry and eggs23.2%Withheld groups: 16.3%Withheld groups16.3%Tobacco: 1.3%Tobacco1.3%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.5%Hay and other crops: 0.4%0.4%Vegetables and melons: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: 58.1%Grains and oilseeds58.1%Poultry and eggs: 23.2%Poultry and eggs23.2%Withheld groups: 16.3%Withheld groups16.3%Tobacco: 1.3%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.5%Hay and other crops: 0.4%Vegetables and melons: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: fruit and nuts, Christmas trees, cattle and calves, milk, hogs and pigs and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$195 million1st of 105
Poultry and eggs$78.0 million7th of 100
Tobacco$4.4 million12th of 60
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$1.6 million14th of 76
Hay and other crops$1.3 million78th of 115
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$425,00035th of 98
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$214,00010th of 101
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$57,00077th of 95
Other animals and animal products$56,00031st of 70

What the fields held

Daviess County harvested 215,413 acres of cropland in 2022, first of 116 counties in Kentucky. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 53% of that, corn for grain 41%.

CropAcresShare of US
Soybeans114,6780.14%
Corn for grain87,2620.11%
Hay and haylage10,677under 0.1%
Wheat5,355under 0.1%
Tobacco9850.47%
Orchard land88under 0.1%
of which apples34under 0.1%
Vegetables66under 0.1%
of which potatoes3under 0.1%
Berries9under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage, pecans and grapes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms92.5%

Daviess County ranks third of 120 counties in Kentucky on this measure.

  • 226,806 acres of cropland, 84% of farmland
  • 17,547 acres of pastureland, 6% of farmland
  • 19,145 acres of woodland, 7% of farmland
  • 12,244 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Daviess County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 42 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 279 acres, 13th-largest of 110 in Kentucky. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 47.2% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 6.9% of the total.

1–97%10–4947%50–17926%180–4999%500–9993%1,000–1,9993%2,000+4%
Daviess County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Turkeys255,0030.26%
Broilers sold in 202210,779,0040.12%
Beef cows7,395under 0.1%
Goats630under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs1,175under 0.1%
Horses and ponies495under 0.1%
Cattle and calves13,254under 0.1%
Milk cows202under 0.1%
Laying hens1,554under 0.1%

Withheld: hogs and pigs.

Who farms here

Decisions on Daviess County's 974 farms are made by 1,692 producers. Their average age is 56.1, 1.0 years below the Kentucky average. Women are 28.8% of them.

Under 358%35–4417%45–5419%55–6424%65–7421%75+10%
Daviess County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms919+6.0%
Land in farms, acres237,989+14.0%
Average farm size, acres259+7.7%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$186 million+80.7%
Tobacco, acres2,967−66.8%
Soybeans, acres99,142+15.7%
Broilers sold, head7,058,200+52.7%
Corn for grain, acres69,601+25.4%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Daviess County accounts for 4.2% of farm sales in Kentucky and 1.4% of the farms in Kentucky. Rank Kentucky counties for tobacco.

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