Farm Census

Ottawa County, Michigan

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,040 farms144,491 acres in farms$727 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Ottawa County ranks ninth for berries.

Within Michigan, no other county with a published figure has more turkeys, or sells more farm products.

Its silage corn acreage shrank between 2017 and 2022, the fourth-steepest decline among the 100 leading silage corn counties of 2017 with figures in both years.

Nursery and greenhouse: 32.2%Nursery and greenhouse32.2%Poultry and eggs: 22.5%Poultry and eggs22.5%Fruit and nuts: 12.5%Fruit and nuts12.5%Milk: 12.2%Milk12.2%Grains and oilseeds: 7.6%Grains and oilseeds7.6%Vegetables and melons: 4.6%4.6%Cattle and calves: 4.2%4.2%Hogs and pigs: 3.5%Hogs and pigs3.5%Hay and other crops: 0.6%Other animals: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Horses and mules: 0.1%Christmas trees: 0.1%Nursery and greenhouse: 32.2%Nursery and greenhouse32.2%Poultry and eggs: 22.5%22.5%Fruit and nuts: 12.5%Fruit and nuts12.5%Milk: 12.2%Milk12.2%Grains and oilseeds: 7.6%7.6%Vegetables and melons: 4.6%4.6%Cattle and calves: 4.2%4.2%Hogs and pigs: 3.5%3.5%Hay and other crops: 0.6%Other animals: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Horses and mules: 0.1%Christmas trees: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$234 million1st of 65
Poultry and eggs$163 million2nd of 67
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$90.5 million3rd of 67
Milk from cows$88.3 million9th of 52
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$55.5 million29th of 76
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$33.2 million5th of 62
Cattle and calves$30.8 million7th of 74
Hogs and pigs$25.2 million6th of 60
Hay and other crops$4.1 million26th of 72
Other animals and animal products$613,00020th of 63
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$511,0009th of 61
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$469,00022nd of 58
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$433,00012th of 48

What the fields held

Ottawa County harvested 104,327 acres of cropland in 2022, 28th of 81 counties in Michigan. Corn for grain covered acreage equal to 33% of that, soybeans 21%.

CropAcresShare of US
Corn for grain34,566under 0.1%
Soybeans22,244under 0.1%
Hay and haylage16,807under 0.1%
Berries8,4302.4%
Corn for silage6,9280.12%
Orchard land4,2100.07%
of which apples3,7740.92%
Vegetables4,0100.09%
of which potatoes69under 0.1%
Wheat3,192under 0.1%
Oats18under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: grapes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms40.1%

Ottawa County ranks 23rd of 81 counties in Michigan on this measure.

  • 112,531 acres of cropland, 78% of farmland
  • 4,850 acres of pastureland, 3% of farmland
  • 8,835 acres of woodland, 6% of farmland
  • 23,221 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Ottawa County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 30 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 139 acres, 57th-largest of 73 in Michigan. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 45.4% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 3.1% of the total.

1–917%10–4945%50–17922%180–4999%500–9993%1,000–1,9992%2,000+1%
Ottawa County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Turkeys1,316,9631.4%
Milk cows13,9940.15%
Hogs and pigs70,2410.10%
Goats1,100under 0.1%
Cattle and calves38,173under 0.1%
Horses and ponies983under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs1,856under 0.1%
Beef cows2,866under 0.1%

Withheld: laying hens and broilers sold.

Who farms here

Decisions on Ottawa County's 1,040 farms are made by 1,905 producers. Their average age is 56.4, 0.1 years below the Michigan average. Women are 31.7% of them.

Under 3510%35–4415%45–5417%55–6427%65–7423%75+10%
Ottawa County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,130−8.0%
Land in farms, acres171,883−15.9%
Average farm size, acres152−8.6%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$507 million+43.4%
Berries, acres6,790+24.2%
Turkeys, head1,641,912−19.8%
Apples, acres4,131−8.6%
Milk cows, head15,058−7.1%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Ottawa County accounts for 5.9% of farm sales in Michigan and 2.3% of the farms in Michigan. Rank Michigan counties for berries.

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