Farm Census

Saline County, Missouri

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

832 farms426,061 acres in farms$400 million in farm sales

No other county in Missouri with a published figure has more corn for grain than Saline County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, grains and oilseeds, makes up 73.7% of farm sales, against 47.5% across Missouri.

Grains and oilseeds: 73.7%Grains and oilseeds73.7%Hogs and pigs: 22.6%Hogs and pigs22.6%Cattle and calves: 3.1%Cattle and calves3.1%Hay and other crops: 0.4%0.4%Vegetables and melons: 0.1%Nursery and greenhouse: under 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: under 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: 73.7%Grains and oilseeds73.7%Hogs and pigs: 22.6%Hogs and pigs22.6%Cattle and calves: 3.1%3.1%Hay and other crops: 0.4%Vegetables and melons: 0.1%Nursery and greenhouse: under 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: fruit and nuts, Christmas trees, aquaculture products and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$295 million1st of 104
Hogs and pigs$90.4 million4th of 74
Cattle and calves$12.2 million67th of 103
Hay and other crops$1.6 million71st of 104
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$411,00023rd of 74
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$118,00049th of 59
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$99,00072nd of 95
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$29,00084th of 89
Poultry and eggs$12,00088th of 90

What the fields held

Saline County harvested 322,831 acres of cropland in 2022, third of 114 counties in Missouri. Corn for grain covered acreage equal to 48% of that, soybeans 46%.

CropAcresShare of US
Corn for grain154,6740.19%
Soybeans146,9700.17%
Hay and haylage15,711under 0.1%
Wheat6,303under 0.1%
Barley660under 0.1%
Corn for silage524under 0.1%
Vegetables86under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: potatoes, orchard land, apples and berries.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms88.1%

Saline County ranks ninth of 114 counties in Missouri on this measure.

  • 348,932 acres of cropland, 82% of farmland
  • 38,926 acres of pastureland, 9% of farmland
  • 25,796 acres of woodland, 6% of farmland
  • 1,968 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Saline County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 160 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 512 acres, 11th-largest of 114 in Missouri. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 31.6% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 14.5% of the total.

1–95%10–4917%50–17932%180–49921%500–99911%1,000–1,9998%2,000+7%
Saline County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Hogs and pigs162,7660.22%
Goats1,162under 0.1%
Beef cows9,089under 0.1%
Cattle and calves20,602under 0.1%
Horses and ponies334under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs72under 0.1%
Laying hens1,317under 0.1%
Milk cows5under 0.1%

Withheld: broilers sold.

Who farms here

Decisions on Saline County's 832 farms are made by 1,450 producers. Their average age is 59.9, 2.0 years above the Missouri average. Women are 28.4% of them.

Under 358%35–449%45–5414%55–6425%65–7426%75+17%
Saline County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms882−5.7%
Land in farms, acres441,426−3.5%
Average farm size, acres500+2.4%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$257 million+55.2%
Hogs and pigs, head128,138+27.0%
Corn for grain, acres149,649+3.4%
Soybeans, acres158,890−7.5%
Goats, head254+100%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Saline County accounts for 2.7% of farm sales in Missouri and 0.9% of the farms in Missouri. Rank Missouri counties for hogs and pigs.

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