Covington County, Mississippi
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
422 farms71,060 acres in farms$266 million in farm sales
No other county in Mississippi with a published figure has more cattle and calves or turkeys than Covington County.
Its largest product group with a published figure, poultry and eggs, makes up 80.6% of farm sales, against 50.3% across Mississippi.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Poultry and eggs | $214 million | 8th of 63 |
| Cattle and calves | $43.6 million | 1st of 64 |
| Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas | $2.6 million | 49th of 66 |
| Cotton and cottonseed | $1.6 million | 34th of 36 |
| Hay and other crops | $1.5 million | 19th of 71 |
| Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys | $932,000 | 1st of 60 |
| Other animals and animal products | $864,000 | 2nd of 38 |
| Vegetables, melons and potatoes | $253,000 | 27th of 54 |
What the fields held
Covington County harvested 16,204 acres of cropland in 2022, 48th of 82 counties in Mississippi. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 59% of that, soybeans 16%.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Hay and haylage | 9,630 | under 0.1% |
| Soybeans | 2,642 | under 0.1% |
| Cotton | 1,947 | under 0.1% |
| Peanuts | 790 | 0.06% |
| Corn for grain | 526 | under 0.1% |
| Vegetables | 107 | under 0.1% |
| Orchard land | 38 | under 0.1% |
| of which pecans | 34 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: wheat, corn for silage and berries.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms26.8%
Covington County ranks 44th of 82 counties in Mississippi on this measure.
- 20,018 acres of cropland, 28% of farmland
- 36,340 acres of pastureland, 51% of farmland
- 16,286 acres of woodland, 23% of farmland
- 69 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
The typical farm in Covington County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 71 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 168 acres, 66th-largest of 81 in Mississippi. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 41.7% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 2.6% of the total.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Broilers sold in 2022 | 33,445,877 | 0.36% |
| Cattle and calves | 32,943 | under 0.1% |
| Beef cows | 8,021 | under 0.1% |
| Laying hens | 102,650 | under 0.1% |
| Horses and ponies | 396 | under 0.1% |
| Goats | 203 | under 0.1% |
| Sheep and lambs | 195 | under 0.1% |
| Hogs and pigs | 263 | under 0.1% |
| Turkeys | 153 | under 0.1% |
Who farms here
Decisions on Covington County's 422 farms are made by 666 producers. Their average age is 56.8, 2.8 years below the Mississippi average. Women are 30.8% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 523 | −19.3% |
| Land in farms, acres | 89,150 | −20.3% |
| Average farm size, acres | 170 | −1.2% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $254 million | +4.8% |
| Broilers sold, head | 48,865,351 | −31.6% |
| Cattle and calves, head | 50,962 | −35.4% |
| Beef cows, head | 9,199 | −12.8% |
| Laying hens, head | 206,877 | −50.4% |
Nearest rivals
- Broilers sold between Union Parish, LA and Cherokee County, AL
- Peanuts between Lubbock County, TX and Houston County, GA
- Cattle and calves between Hillsborough County, FL and Moffat County, CO
- Beef cows between Inyo County, CA and Val Verde County, TX
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Madison County, Texas largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 99%
- Franklin County, Arkansas largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 99%
- Simpson County, Mississippi largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 99%
Covington County accounts for 3.2% of farm sales in Mississippi and 1.3% of the farms in Mississippi. Rank Mississippi counties for broilers sold.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.