Farm Census

Bladen County, North Carolina

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

423 farms146,195 acres in farms$616 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Bladen County ranks tenth for hogs and pigs.

Within North Carolina, no other county with a published figure has more berries.

Hogs and pigs: 49.0%Hogs and pigs49.0%Poultry and eggs: 36.7%Poultry and eggs36.7%Fruit and nuts: 8.4%Fruit and nuts8.4%Grains and oilseeds: 3.8%3.8%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.8%0.8%Hay and other crops: 0.6%0.6%Vegetables and melons: 0.3%Cattle and calves: 0.3%Other animals: under 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Hogs and pigs: 49.0%Hogs and pigs49.0%Poultry and eggs: 36.7%Poultry and eggs36.7%Fruit and nuts: 8.4%8.4%Grains and oilseeds: 3.8%3.8%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.8%Hay and other crops: 0.6%Vegetables and melons: 0.3%Cattle and calves: 0.3%Other animals: under 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: cotton, tobacco, milk and horses and mules.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Hogs and pigs$302 million3rd of 61
Poultry and eggs$226 million13th of 78
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$51.7 million1st of 76
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$23.4 million31st of 91
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$4.9 million28th of 73
Hay and other crops$3.5 million21st of 85
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$1.7 million38th of 78
Cattle and calves$1.6 million45th of 83
Other animals and animal products$13,00054th of 61
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$8,00064th of 68

What the fields held

Bladen County harvested 46,343 acres of cropland in 2022, 35th of 97 counties in North Carolina. Corn for grain covered acreage equal to 40% of that, soybeans 25%.

CropAcresShare of US
Corn for grain18,477under 0.1%
Soybeans11,599under 0.1%
Berries6,3841.8%
Hay and haylage4,583under 0.1%
Wheat3,310under 0.1%
Peanuts2,1560.15%
Orchard land650under 0.1%
of which grapes507under 0.1%
of which apples2under 0.1%
of which pecans112under 0.1%
Vegetables387under 0.1%
of which potatoes13under 0.1%
Tobacco2070.10%
Oats194under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage, cotton, grain sorghum and sunflower.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms26.1%

Bladen County ranks 45th of 97 counties in North Carolina on this measure.

  • 53,874 acres of cropland, 37% of farmland
  • 7,245 acres of pastureland, 5% of farmland
  • 64,429 acres of woodland, 44% of farmland
  • 7,597 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Bladen County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 89 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 346 acres, 22nd-largest of 88 in North Carolina. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 35.0% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 6.4% of the total.

1–99%10–4926%50–17935%180–49917%500–9997%1,000–1,9994%2,000+2%
Bladen County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Hogs and pigs688,8660.93%
Turkeys396,5410.41%
Broilers sold in 202224,927,0160.27%
Goats168under 0.1%
Horses and ponies155under 0.1%
Cattle and calves4,358under 0.1%

Withheld: beef cows, milk cows, laying hens and sheep and lambs.

Who farms here

Decisions on Bladen County's 423 farms are made by 758 producers. Their average age is 58.8, 0.7 years above the North Carolina average. Women are 28.9% of them.

Under 355%35–4411%45–5426%55–6419%65–7424%75+15%
Bladen County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms512−17.4%
Land in farms, acres180,340−18.9%
Average farm size, acres352−1.7%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$446 million+38.0%
Berries, acres5,982+6.7%
Hogs and pigs, head713,011−3.4%
Turkeys, head369,800+7.2%
Broilers sold, head21,605,819+15.4%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Bladen County accounts for 3.3% of farm sales in North Carolina and 1.0% of the farms in North Carolina. Rank North Carolina counties for berries.

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