Elko County, Nevada
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
437 farms2,081,839 acres in farms$89.2 million in farm sales
Among US counties with published figures, Elko County ranks third for beef cows.
Within Nevada, no other county with a published figure has more land in farms, hay and haylage or cattle and calves.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Cattle and calves | $77.3 million | 1st of 9 |
| Hay and other crops | $7.8 million | 7th of 9 |
| Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk | $1.7 million | 2nd of 6 |
| Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys | $973,000 | 3rd of 6 |
| Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops | $136,000 | 2nd of 4 |
| Other animals and animal products | $126,000 | 3rd of 7 |
What the fields held
Elko County harvested 91,254 acres of cropland in 2022, second of 12 counties in Nevada. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 99% of that.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Hay and haylage | 90,768 | 0.17% |
| Vegetables | 6 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage, potatoes, orchard land, grapes and berries.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms18.9%
Elko County ranks third of 12 counties in Nevada on this measure.
- 164,694 acres of cropland, 8% of farmland
- 1,930,835 acres of pastureland, 93% of farmland
- 2,555 acres of woodland, 0% of farmland
- 149,945 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
Farms in Elko County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 88 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 4,764 acres, second-largest of 11 in Nevada. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 30.4% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 22.7% of the total.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Sheep and lambs | 20,600 | 0.40% |
| Beef cows | 82,082 | 0.28% |
| Cattle and calves | 128,070 | 0.15% |
| Horses and ponies | 3,034 | 0.13% |
| Goats | 485 | under 0.1% |
| Laying hens | 1,245 | under 0.1% |
| Milk cows | 14 | under 0.1% |
| Hogs and pigs | 104 | under 0.1% |
| Turkeys | 86 | under 0.1% |
Withheld: broilers sold.
Who farms here
Decisions on Elko County's 437 farms are made by 798 producers. Their average age is 56.8, 0.6 years below the Nevada average. Women are 43.9% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 526 | −16.9% |
| Land in farms, acres | 2,180,039 | −4.5% |
| Average farm size, acres | 4,145 | +14.9% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $72.2 million | +23.5% |
| Sheep and lambs, head | 17,881 | +15.2% |
| Beef cows, head | 76,103 | +7.9% |
| Hay and haylage, acres | 127,211 | −28.6% |
| Cattle and calves, head | 127,322 | +0.6% |
Nearest rivals
- Sheep and lambs between Montrose County, CO and Campbell County, WY
- Beef cows between Holt County, NE and Meade County, SD
- Hay and haylage between Curry County, NM and Stearns County, MN
- Cattle and calves between Bailey County, TX and Dane County, WI
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Jefferson County, Montana largest group: cattle and calves; mix match 99%
- Las Animas County, Colorado largest group: cattle and calves; mix match 99%
- Albany County, Wyoming largest group: cattle and calves; mix match 99%
Elko County accounts for 9.3% of farm sales in Nevada and 14.0% of the farms in Nevada. Rank Nevada counties for sheep and lambs.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.