Farm Census

St. Joseph County, Michigan

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

763 farms238,547 acres in farms$340 million in farm sales

No other county in Michigan with a published figure has more corn for grain than St. Joseph County.

Producers aged 65 and over make up the ninth-smallest share of all producers among the 2,346 counties with at least 500 producers.

Grains and oilseeds: 48.6%Grains and oilseeds48.6%Vegetables and melons: 19.9%Vegetables and melons19.9%Milk: 9.4%Milk9.4%Poultry and eggs: 9.1%Poultry and eggs9.1%Hogs and pigs: 7.8%Hogs and pigs7.8%Cattle and calves: 2.5%2.5%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.0%1.0%Hay and other crops: 0.7%0.7%Horses and mules: 0.4%0.4%Other animals: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Grains and oilseeds: 48.6%Grains and oilseeds48.6%Vegetables and melons: 19.9%19.9%Milk: 9.4%Milk9.4%Poultry and eggs: 9.1%9.1%Hogs and pigs: 7.8%Hogs and pigs7.8%Cattle and calves: 2.5%2.5%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.0%Hay and other crops: 0.7%Horses and mules: 0.4%Other animals: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.2%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: fruit and nuts and Christmas trees.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$165 million7th of 76
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$67.8 million2nd of 62
Milk from cows$32.1 million23rd of 52
Poultry and eggs$31.1 million3rd of 67
Hogs and pigs$26.6 million5th of 60
Cattle and calves$8.4 million20th of 74
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$3.5 million28th of 65
Hay and other crops$2.5 million38th of 72
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$1.5 million3rd of 58
Other animals and animal products$718,00017th of 63
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$548,0008th of 61

What the fields held

St. Joseph County harvested 196,415 acres of cropland in 2022, eighth of 81 counties in Michigan. Corn for grain covered acreage equal to 52% of that, soybeans 32%.

CropAcresShare of US
Corn for grain101,2020.13%
Soybeans63,1880.07%
Vegetables13,1340.31%
of which potatoes10,7211.00%
Hay and haylage11,154under 0.1%
Wheat4,345under 0.1%
Oats125under 0.1%
Sunflower50under 0.1%
Berries5under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage, grain sorghum, barley, orchard land, apples and grapes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms74.5%

St. Joseph County ranks fifth of 81 counties in Michigan on this measure.

  • 210,902 acres of cropland, 88% of farmland
  • 5,517 acres of pastureland, 2% of farmland
  • 14,740 acres of woodland, 6% of farmland
  • 132,136 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in St. Joseph County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 53 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 313 acres, fifth-largest of 73 in Michigan. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 39.6% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 8.7% of the total.

1–910%10–4940%50–17925%180–49912%500–9996%1,000–1,9994%2,000+5%
St. Joseph County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Horses and ponies2,0520.09%
Broilers sold in 20225,683,5800.06%
Milk cows4,9680.05%
Sheep and lambs2,209under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs26,328under 0.1%
Goats434under 0.1%
Cattle and calves11,771under 0.1%
Laying hens49,771under 0.1%
Beef cows1,512under 0.1%
Turkeys146under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on St. Joseph County's 763 farms are made by 1,305 producers. Their average age is 52.3, 4.2 years below the Michigan average. Women are 37.6% of them.

Under 3513%35–4421%45–5422%55–6421%65–7415%75+8%
St. Joseph County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms896−14.8%
Land in farms, acres244,952−2.6%
Average farm size, acres273+14.7%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$231 million+47.5%
Potatoes, acres11,752−8.8%
Vegetables, acres14,571−9.9%
Corn for grain, acres100,831+0.4%
Horses and ponies, head1,886+8.8%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

St. Joseph County accounts for 2.8% of farm sales in Michigan and 1.7% of the farms in Michigan. Rank Michigan counties for potatoes.

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