Farm Census

Lancaster County, Nebraska

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,771 farms407,381 acres in farms$264 million in farm sales

No other county in Nebraska with a published figure has more farms than Lancaster County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, grains and oilseeds, makes up 72.3% of farm sales, against 45.7% across Nebraska.

Grains and oilseeds: 72.3%Grains and oilseeds72.3%Hogs and pigs: 8.8%Hogs and pigs8.8%Cattle and calves: 5.4%5.4%Withheld groups: 4.7%4.7%Poultry and eggs: 3.8%3.8%Hay and other crops: 2.4%2.4%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.4%1.4%Fruit and nuts: 0.3%Sheep and goats: 0.3%Vegetables and melons: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.2%Other animals: 0.1%Christmas trees: 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: 72.3%Grains and oilseeds72.3%Hogs and pigs: 8.8%8.8%Cattle and calves: 5.4%5.4%Withheld groups: 4.7%4.7%Poultry and eggs: 3.8%3.8%Hay and other crops: 2.4%2.4%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.4%1.4%Fruit and nuts: 0.3%Sheep and goats: 0.3%Vegetables and melons: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.2%Other animals: 0.1%Christmas trees: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: milk and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$191 million28th of 90
Hogs and pigs$23.2 million15th of 45
Cattle and calves$14.3 million73rd of 82
Poultry and eggs$10.1 million9th of 47
Hay and other crops$6.3 million8th of 68
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$3.7 million4th of 22
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$715,0003rd of 24
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$691,0004th of 66
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$615,0007th of 30
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$441,0007th of 66
Other animals and animal products$296,0008th of 52
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$266,0001st of 6

What the fields held

Lancaster County harvested 331,809 acres of cropland in 2022, 11th of 89 counties in Nebraska. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 46% of that, corn for grain 45%.

CropAcresShare of US
Soybeans151,4280.18%
Corn for grain149,2090.19%
Hay and haylage25,171under 0.1%
Corn for silage2,369under 0.1%
Wheat1,775under 0.1%
Grain sorghum580under 0.1%
Orchard land185under 0.1%
of which grapes84under 0.1%
of which apples40under 0.1%
Vegetables92under 0.1%
of which potatoes1under 0.1%
Berries52under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: oats, almonds and pecans.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms76.0%

Lancaster County ranks 71st of 93 counties in Nebraska on this measure.

  • 352,208 acres of cropland, 86% of farmland
  • 34,736 acres of pastureland, 9% of farmland
  • 7,261 acres of woodland, 2% of farmland
  • 23,626 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Lancaster County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 40 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 230 acres, 85th-largest of 87 in Nebraska. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 41.8% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 6.4% of the total.

1–911%10–4942%50–17925%180–49911%500–9996%1,000–1,9994%2,000+2%
Lancaster County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Horses and ponies1,3950.06%
Goats1,112under 0.1%
Beef cows10,555under 0.1%
Cattle and calves24,796under 0.1%
Milk cows1,904under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 20221,780,730under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs924under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs9,130under 0.1%
Laying hens5,570under 0.1%
Turkeys70under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Lancaster County's 1,771 farms are made by 3,151 producers. Their average age is 59.1, 2.2 years above the Nebraska average. Women are 37.6% of them.

Under 356%35–4411%45–5418%55–6426%65–7425%75+14%
Lancaster County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,786−0.8%
Land in farms, acres422,996−3.7%
Average farm size, acres237−3.0%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$189 million+39.9%
Corn for grain, acres156,158−4.4%
Soybeans, acres157,651−3.9%
Horses and ponies, head1,888−26.1%
Hay and haylage, acres22,719+10.8%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Lancaster County accounts for 0.9% of farm sales in Nebraska and 4.0% of the farms in Nebraska. Rank Nebraska counties for corn for grain.

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