Farm Census

Doña Ana County, New Mexico

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,990 farms713,474 acres in farms$321 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Doña Ana County leads the country in pecans.

Within New Mexico, no other county with a published figure has more orchard land, or sells more farm products.

Its median farm size is the fourth-smallest of the 2,894 counties with at least 100 farms.

Its number of milk cows shrank between 2017 and 2022, the fourth-steepest decline among the 99 leading milk cow counties of 2017 with figures in both years.

Fruit and nuts: 41.5%Fruit and nuts41.5%Milk: 24.7%Milk24.7%Vegetables and melons: 12.5%Vegetables and melons12.5%Nursery and greenhouse: 5.9%5.9%Cotton: 4.9%Cotton4.9%Hay and other crops: 4.2%4.2%Cattle and calves: 3.5%3.5%Grains and oilseeds: 2.0%2.0%Horses and mules: 0.5%Other animals: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 41.5%Fruit and nuts41.5%Milk: 24.7%Milk24.7%Vegetables and melons: 12.5%Vegetables and melons12.5%Nursery and greenhouse: 5.9%5.9%Cotton: 4.9%Cotton4.9%Hay and other crops: 4.2%4.2%Cattle and calves: 3.5%3.5%Grains and oilseeds: 2.0%2.0%Horses and mules: 0.5%Other animals: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: hogs and pigs, poultry and eggs and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$133 million1st of 20
Milk from cows$79.3 million5th of 7
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$40.2 million3rd of 20
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$18.8 million1st of 15
Cotton and cottonseed$15.7 million2nd of 6
Hay and other crops$13.5 million5th of 25
Cattle and calves$11.1 million16th of 25
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$6.4 million7th of 16
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$1.5 million3rd of 28
Other animals and animal products$800,0002nd of 20
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$171,0009th of 22

What the fields held

Doña Ana County harvested 69,044 acres of cropland in 2022, second of 22 counties in New Mexico. Orchard land covered acreage equal to 56% of that, hay and haylage 17%.

CropAcresShare of US
Orchard land38,7900.63%
of which grapes111under 0.1%
of which apples11under 0.1%
of which pecans38,5466.4%
Hay and haylage11,581under 0.1%
Cotton9,8660.13%
Vegetables4,0410.09%
Corn for silage2,474under 0.1%
Wheat2,240under 0.1%
Corn for grain1,315under 0.1%
Grain sorghum249under 0.1%
Peanuts24under 0.1%
Berries8under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: barley and almonds.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms29.3%

Doña Ana County ranks 27th of 30 counties in New Mexico on this measure.

  • 80,104 acres of cropland, 11% of farmland
  • 614,701 acres of pastureland, 86% of farmland
  • 591 acres of woodland, 0% of farmland
  • 62,928 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Doña Ana County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 4 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 359 acres, 30th-largest of 30 in New Mexico. The most common size class is 1–9 acres, with 71.9% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 2.1% of the total.

1–972%10–4915%50–1796%180–4993%500–9992%1,000–1,9991%2,000+1%
Doña Ana County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Milk cows16,1670.17%
Horses and ponies2,2170.09%
Cattle and calves41,400under 0.1%
Goats974under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs1,421under 0.1%
Beef cows5,677under 0.1%
Laying hens5,989under 0.1%
Turkeys255under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs43under 0.1%

Withheld: broilers sold.

Who farms here

Decisions on Doña Ana County's 1,990 farms are made by 3,497 producers. Their average age is 62.2, 1.6 years above the New Mexico average. Women are 37.6% of them.

Under 355%35–448%45–5415%55–6426%65–7428%75+19%
Doña Ana County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,946+2.3%
Land in farms, acres528,270+35.1%
Average farm size, acres271+32.5%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$370 million−13.4%
Pecans, acres34,319+12.3%
Orchard land, acres34,503+12.4%
Milk cows, head32,061−49.6%
Cotton, acres11,626−15.1%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Doña Ana County accounts for 10.9% of farm sales in New Mexico and 9.5% of the farms in New Mexico. Rank New Mexico counties for pecans.

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