Mercer County, Ohio
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
1,292 farms270,984 acres in farms$1.09 billion in farm sales
Among US counties with published figures, Mercer County ranks sixth for laying hens and tenth for turkeys.
Its largest product group with a published figure, poultry and eggs, makes up 45.5% of farm sales, against 17.3% across Ohio.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Poultry and eggs | $494 million | 2nd of 65 |
| Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas | $217 million | 4th of 86 |
| Hogs and pigs | $146 million | 2nd of 68 |
| Milk from cows | $131 million | 2nd of 61 |
| Cattle and calves | $94.0 million | 1st of 75 |
| Hay and other crops | $1.9 million | 42nd of 79 |
| Other animals and animal products | $630,000 | 10th of 66 |
| Vegetables, melons and potatoes | $225,000 | 59th of 72 |
| Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops | $221,000 | 61st of 67 |
| Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk | $185,000 | 57th of 79 |
What the fields held
Mercer County harvested 240,463 acres of cropland in 2022, third of 88 counties in Ohio. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 45% of that, corn for grain 42%.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Soybeans | 107,287 | 0.13% |
| Corn for grain | 101,258 | 0.13% |
| Wheat | 11,420 | under 0.1% |
| Hay and haylage | 11,297 | under 0.1% |
| Corn for silage | 11,064 | 0.19% |
| Oats | 233 | under 0.1% |
| Vegetables | 44 | under 0.1% |
| Orchard land | 15 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: sunflower, potatoes, apples and berries.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms91.6%
Mercer County ranks fifth of 88 counties in Ohio on this measure.
- 251,791 acres of cropland, 93% of farmland
- 2,904 acres of pastureland, 1% of farmland
- 8,726 acres of woodland, 3% of farmland
- 288 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
Farms in Mercer County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 80 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 210 acres, 26th-largest of 88 in Ohio. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 27.9% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 3.3% of the total.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Turkeys | 1,826,696 | 1.9% |
| Laying hens | 5,822,729 | 1.5% |
| Hogs and pigs | 242,661 | 0.33% |
| Milk cows | 24,231 | 0.26% |
| Cattle and calves | 90,442 | 0.10% |
| Sheep and lambs | 875 | under 0.1% |
| Goats | 367 | under 0.1% |
| Horses and ponies | 327 | under 0.1% |
| Beef cows | 2,558 | under 0.1% |
Withheld: broilers sold.
Who farms here
Decisions on Mercer County's 1,292 farms are made by 2,291 producers. Their average age is 54.0, 2.3 years below the Ohio average. Women are 23.9% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 1,231 | +5.0% |
| Land in farms, acres | 268,958 | +0.8% |
| Average farm size, acres | 218 | −3.7% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $632 million | +72.0% |
| Turkeys, head | 1,885,956 | −3.1% |
| Laying hens, head | 5,687,390 | +2.4% |
| Hogs and pigs, head | 317,040 | −23.5% |
| Milk cows, head | 17,490 | +38.5% |
Nearest rivals
- Turkeys between Dubois County, IN and Daviess County, IN
- Laying hens between Allegan County, MI and Meeker County, MN
- Hogs and pigs between Lenoir County, NC and Greene County, IA
- Milk cows between Owyhee County, ID and Clinton County, NY
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Dauphin County, Pennsylvania largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 98%
- Darke County, Ohio largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 98%
- Morrison County, Minnesota largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 98%
Mercer County accounts for 7.0% of farm sales in Ohio and 1.7% of the farms in Ohio. Rank Ohio counties for turkeys.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.