Farm Census

Newton County, Missouri

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,414 farms239,381 acres in farms$588 million in farm sales

No other county in Missouri with a published figure sells more farm products than Newton County.

Measured in current dollars, its farm sales had the fifth-largest rise from 2017 to 2022 among the 1,136 counties that sold at least $100 million in 2017.

Poultry and eggs: 90.9%Poultry and eggs90.9%Cattle and calves: 6.2%6.2%Grains and oilseeds: 1.3%1.3%Hay and other crops: 0.5%0.5%Milk: 0.4%0.4%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.2%Vegetables and melons: 0.1%Horses and mules: 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Hogs and pigs: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 90.9%Poultry and eggs90.9%Cattle and calves: 6.2%6.2%Grains and oilseeds: 1.3%1.3%Hay and other crops: 0.5%Milk: 0.4%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.2%Vegetables and melons: 0.1%Horses and mules: 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Hogs and pigs: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: aquaculture products and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$535 million1st of 90
Cattle and calves$36.4 million15th of 103
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$7.9 million84th of 104
Hay and other crops$3.2 million24th of 104
Milk from cows$2.3 million20th of 51
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$1.4 million14th of 59
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$701,00012th of 74
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$527,0007th of 89
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$487,00013th of 73
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$299,00032nd of 95
Hogs and pigs$67,00051st of 74

What the fields held

Newton County harvested 70,112 acres of cropland in 2022, 68th of 114 counties in Missouri. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 75% of that, soybeans 12%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage52,9040.10%
Soybeans8,188under 0.1%
Wheat5,049under 0.1%
Corn for grain3,595under 0.1%
Corn for silage1,434under 0.1%
Grain sorghum240under 0.1%
Orchard land79under 0.1%
Vegetables53under 0.1%
Berries24under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: barley, sunflower, canola, potatoes, apples and pecans.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms59.9%

Newton County ranks 69th of 114 counties in Missouri on this measure.

  • 81,442 acres of cropland, 34% of farmland
  • 135,167 acres of pastureland, 56% of farmland
  • 34,401 acres of woodland, 14% of farmland
  • 413 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Newton County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 77 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 169 acres, 102nd-largest of 114 in Missouri. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 36.9% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 2.3% of the total.

1–96%10–4933%50–17937%180–49917%500–9995%1,000–1,9992%2,000+1%
Newton County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Turkeys960,8150.99%
Broilers sold in 202252,236,9900.57%
Beef cows42,4340.15%
Cattle and calves82,0270.09%
Horses and ponies1,4940.06%
Goats1,4250.06%
Sheep and lambs1,437under 0.1%
Milk cows671under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs226under 0.1%

Withheld: laying hens.

Who farms here

Decisions on Newton County's 1,414 farms are made by 2,538 producers. Their average age is 55.8, 2.1 years below the Missouri average. Women are 39.3% of them.

Under 3510%35–4416%45–5415%55–6428%65–7420%75+12%
Newton County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,588−11.0%
Land in farms, acres261,359−8.4%
Average farm size, acres165+2.4%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$246 million+100%
Turkeys, head644,374+49.1%
Broilers sold, head39,163,640+33.4%
Beef cows, head47,865−11.3%
Hay and haylage, acres56,265−6.0%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Newton County accounts for 4.0% of farm sales in Missouri and 1.6% of the farms in Missouri. Rank Missouri counties for turkeys.

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