Farm Census

Vernon County, Missouri

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,241 farms495,559 acres in farms$259 million in farm sales

No other county in Missouri with a published figure has more land in farms than Vernon County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, hogs and pigs, makes up 41.0% of farm sales, against 10.7% across Missouri.

Hogs and pigs: 41.0%Hogs and pigs41.0%Grains and oilseeds: 33.0%Grains and oilseeds33.0%Cattle and calves: 13.1%Cattle and calves13.1%Poultry and eggs: 7.1%7.1%Withheld groups: 3.2%3.2%Hay and other crops: 1.4%1.4%Vegetables and melons: 0.5%0.5%Fruit and nuts: 0.4%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.3%Other animals: under 0.1%Hogs and pigs: 41.0%Hogs and pigs41.0%Grains and oilseeds: 33.0%Grains and oilseeds33.0%Cattle and calves: 13.1%Cattle and calves13.1%Poultry and eggs: 7.1%7.1%Withheld groups: 3.2%3.2%Hay and other crops: 1.4%Vegetables and melons: 0.5%Fruit and nuts: 0.4%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.3%Other animals: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: milk, sheep and goat products and horses and mules.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Hogs and pigs$106 million2nd of 74
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$85.5 million33rd of 104
Cattle and calves$33.9 million20th of 103
Poultry and eggs$18.5 million20th of 90
Hay and other crops$3.5 million17th of 104
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$1.2 million5th of 74
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$1.1 million7th of 73
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$700,00023rd of 59
Other animals and animal products$42,00034th of 62

What the fields held

Vernon County harvested 265,367 acres of cropland in 2022, sixth of 114 counties in Missouri. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 49% of that, corn for grain 24%.

CropAcresShare of US
Soybeans130,7350.15%
Corn for grain63,6110.08%
Hay and haylage55,3450.10%
Wheat18,8270.05%
Orchard land5,3050.09%
of which grapes4under 0.1%
Grain sorghum2,132under 0.1%
Corn for silage1,847under 0.1%
Vegetables154under 0.1%
of which potatoes4under 0.1%
Oats26under 0.1%
Berries24under 0.1%

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

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms93.7%

Vernon County ranks fourth of 114 counties in Missouri on this measure.

  • 317,445 acres of cropland, 64% of farmland
  • 146,253 acres of pastureland, 30% of farmland
  • 39,724 acres of woodland, 8% of farmland
  • 7,986 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Vernon County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 134 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 399 acres, 27th-largest of 114 in Missouri. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 36.0% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 9.8% of the total.

1–94%10–4919%50–17936%180–49924%500–9997%1,000–1,9994%2,000+6%
Vernon County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Hogs and pigs178,8820.24%
Cattle and calves73,0200.08%
Turkeys78,1070.08%
Sheep and lambs4,0650.08%
Laying hens215,7180.06%
Horses and ponies1,3020.05%
Goats815under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 20221,307under 0.1%

Withheld: beef cows and milk cows.

Who farms here

Decisions on Vernon County's 1,241 farms are made by 2,253 producers. Their average age is 55.0, 2.9 years below the Missouri average. Women are 37.5% of them.

Under 3515%35–4415%45–5416%55–6421%65–7419%75+13%
Vernon County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,265−1.9%
Land in farms, acres435,671+13.7%
Average farm size, acres344+16.0%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$216 million+20.1%
Soybeans, acres99,760+31.0%
Hay and haylage, acres46,747+18.4%
Orchard land, acres5,555−4.5%
Cattle and calves, head75,360−3.1%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Vernon County accounts for 1.8% of farm sales in Missouri and 1.4% of the farms in Missouri. Rank Missouri counties for hogs and pigs.

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