Farm Census

Emmons County, North Dakota

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

510 farms961,340 acres in farms$265 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Emmons County ranks second for sunflower.

Its largest product group with a published figure, grains and oilseeds, makes up 77.5% of farm sales, against 79.8% across North Dakota.

Grains and oilseeds: 77.5%Grains and oilseeds77.5%Cattle and calves: 16.0%Cattle and calves16.0%Withheld groups: 6.4%Withheld groups6.4%Horses and mules: 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: 77.5%Grains and oilseeds77.5%Cattle and calves: 16.0%Cattle and calves16.0%Withheld groups: 6.4%6.4%Horses and mules: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: vegetables and melons, hay and other crops, milk, poultry and eggs, sheep and goat products and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$206 million19th of 53
Cattle and calves$42.4 million9th of 49
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$248,00013th of 34

What the fields held

Emmons County harvested 472,876 acres of cropland in 2022, 18th of 53 counties in North Dakota. Corn for grain covered acreage equal to 26% of that, soybeans 21%.

CropAcresShare of US
Corn for grain121,9610.15%
Soybeans101,1620.12%
Sunflower61,1523.8%
Wheat60,7940.16%
Hay and haylage58,8770.11%
Barley20,5210.84%
Corn for silage18,0270.30%
Dry edible beans15,2161.2%
Oats4,3880.48%
Canola3,8220.18%

Withheld to protect individual farms: potatoes and vegetables.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms99.4%

Emmons County ranks eighth of 53 counties in North Dakota on this measure.

  • 549,564 acres of cropland, 57% of farmland
  • 401,927 acres of pastureland, 42% of farmland
  • 3,636 acres of woodland, 0% of farmland
  • 8,404 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Emmons County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 800 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 1,885 acres, 15th-largest of 53 in North Dakota. The most common size class is 2,000+ acres, with 30.0% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 46.1% of the total.

1–91%10–496%50–17914%180–49919%500–99913%1,000–1,99916%2,000+30%
Emmons County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Beef cows38,2920.13%
Cattle and calves72,8690.08%
Horses and ponies777under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs285under 0.1%
Goats105under 0.1%
Laying hens184under 0.1%

Withheld: broilers sold.

Who farms here

Decisions on Emmons County's 510 farms are made by 869 producers. Their average age is 53.0, 3.8 years below the North Dakota average. Women are 26.1% of them.

Under 3516%35–4414%45–5417%55–6428%65–7419%75+6%
Emmons County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms516−1.2%
Land in farms, acres811,583+18.5%
Average farm size, acres1,573+19.8%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$162 million+63.6%
Sunflower, acres52,912+15.6%
Barley, acres7,019+100%
Oats, acres3,197+37.3%
Corn for silage, acres4,344+100%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Emmons County accounts for 2.2% of farm sales in North Dakota and 2.0% of the farms in North Dakota. Rank North Dakota counties for sunflower.

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