Farm Census

Lawrence County, Missouri

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,599 farms312,640 acres in farms$255 million in farm sales

No other county in Missouri with a published figure has more cattle and calves or turkeys than Lawrence County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, poultry and eggs, makes up 57.3% of farm sales, against 18.7% across Missouri.

Poultry and eggs: 57.3%Poultry and eggs57.3%Cattle and calves: 29.2%Cattle and calves29.2%Grains and oilseeds: 5.1%5.1%Nursery and greenhouse: 3.5%3.5%Milk: 2.0%Milk2.0%Hay and other crops: 1.7%1.7%Fruit and nuts: 0.6%0.6%Horses and mules: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Other animals: 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 57.3%Poultry and eggs57.3%Cattle and calves: 29.2%Cattle and calves29.2%Grains and oilseeds: 5.1%5.1%Nursery and greenhouse: 3.5%3.5%Milk: 2.0%2.0%Hay and other crops: 1.7%1.7%Fruit and nuts: 0.6%Horses and mules: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Other animals: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: vegetables and melons, Christmas trees, hogs and pigs and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$146 million6th of 90
Cattle and calves$74.4 million1st of 103
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$13.1 million74th of 104
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$8.9 million4th of 59
Milk from cows$5.2 million12th of 51
Hay and other crops$4.4 million10th of 104
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$1.4 million3rd of 73
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$483,00010th of 89
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$395,00016th of 95
Other animals and animal products$146,00014th of 62

What the fields held

Lawrence County harvested 97,465 acres of cropland in 2022, 60th of 114 counties in Missouri. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 67% of that, soybeans 13%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage65,0540.12%
Soybeans12,996under 0.1%
Corn for grain8,392under 0.1%
Wheat8,013under 0.1%
Corn for silage2,9990.05%
Oats399under 0.1%
Berries2060.06%
Orchard land182under 0.1%
of which grapes9under 0.1%
of which apples23under 0.1%
of which pecans102under 0.1%
Vegetables33under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: grain sorghum, barley and potatoes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms79.9%

Lawrence County ranks 23rd of 114 counties in Missouri on this measure.

  • 113,536 acres of cropland, 36% of farmland
  • 176,689 acres of pastureland, 57% of farmland
  • 37,111 acres of woodland, 12% of farmland
  • 1,967 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Lawrence County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 75 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 196 acres, 100th-largest of 114 in Missouri. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 36.1% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 3.4% of the total.

1–95%10–4936%50–17932%180–49917%500–9996%1,000–1,9993%2,000+1%
Lawrence County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Turkeys1,095,5601.1%
Beef cows51,4950.18%
Broilers sold in 202213,985,1500.15%
Cattle and calves116,8620.13%
Laying hens330,3510.09%
Horses and ponies1,6160.07%
Goats1,3300.05%
Sheep and lambs1,781under 0.1%
Milk cows1,472under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs630under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Lawrence County's 1,599 farms are made by 2,850 producers. Their average age is 55.6, 2.3 years below the Missouri average. Women are 39.4% of them.

Under 3514%35–4415%45–5414%55–6424%65–7422%75+12%
Lawrence County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,697−5.8%
Land in farms, acres302,325+3.4%
Average farm size, acres178+10.1%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$241 million+5.6%
Turkeys, head1,438,025−23.8%
Beef cows, head52,362−1.7%
Broilers sold, head17,822,235−21.5%
Cattle and calves, head112,336+4.0%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Lawrence County accounts for 1.7% of farm sales in Missouri and 1.8% of the farms in Missouri. Rank Missouri counties for turkeys.

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