Polk County, Oregon
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
1,158 farms154,851 acres in farms$250 million in farm sales
Among US counties with published figures, Polk County ranks third for sales of Christmas trees.
Its largest product group with a published figure, fruit and nuts, makes up 27.0% of farm sales, against 13.1% across Oregon.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries | $67.3 million | 5th of 25 |
| Hay and other crops | $56.1 million | 6th of 31 |
| Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops | $43.3 million | 2nd of 16 |
| Milk from cows | $29.2 million | 4th of 14 |
| Vegetables, melons and potatoes | $17.1 million | 8th of 27 |
| Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas | $10.4 million | 12th of 27 |
| Cattle and calves | $8.0 million | 24th of 33 |
| Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops | $5.6 million | 13th of 23 |
| Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk | $722,000 | 13th of 31 |
| Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys | $251,000 | 21st of 29 |
| Hogs and pigs | $79,000 | 9th of 21 |
What the fields held
Polk County harvested 95,267 acres of cropland in 2022, tenth of 36 counties in Oregon. Orchard land covered acreage equal to 12% of that, hay and haylage 11%.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Orchard land | 11,713 | 0.19% |
| of which grapes | 4,732 | 0.43% |
| of which apples | 141 | under 0.1% |
| Hay and haylage | 10,054 | under 0.1% |
| Wheat | 6,695 | under 0.1% |
| Vegetables | 3,991 | 0.09% |
| of which potatoes | 1 | under 0.1% |
| Oats | 2,404 | 0.26% |
| Berries | 1,666 | 0.47% |
| Canola | 958 | under 0.1% |
| Barley | 341 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for grain, corn for silage and almonds.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms32.7%
Polk County ranks 12th of 36 counties in Oregon on this measure.
- 117,938 acres of cropland, 76% of farmland
- 13,242 acres of pastureland, 9% of farmland
- 18,373 acres of woodland, 12% of farmland
- 23,616 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
The typical farm in Polk County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 23 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 134 acres, 22nd-largest of 36 in Oregon. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 42.2% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 2.4% of the total.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Sheep and lambs | 3,065 | 0.06% |
| Horses and ponies | 1,360 | 0.06% |
| Goats | 1,390 | 0.05% |
| Milk cows | 5,063 | 0.05% |
| Cattle and calves | 12,349 | under 0.1% |
| Beef cows | 1,897 | under 0.1% |
| Laying hens | 5,756 | under 0.1% |
| Hogs and pigs | 272 | under 0.1% |
| Turkeys | 113 | under 0.1% |
Withheld: broilers sold.
Who farms here
Decisions on Polk County's 1,158 farms are made by 2,240 producers. Their average age is 59.5, 0.9 years above the Oregon average. Women are 42.3% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 1,243 | −6.8% |
| Land in farms, acres | 148,905 | +4.0% |
| Average farm size, acres | 120 | +11.7% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $135 million | +85.3% |
| Berries, acres | 648 | +100% |
| Grapes, acres | 3,804 | +24.4% |
| Oats, acres | 2,983 | −19.4% |
| Orchard land, acres | 14,714 | −20.4% |
Nearest rivals
- Berries between Yamhill County, OR and Polk County, FL
- Grapes between Kings County, CA and Suffolk County, NY
- Oats between Barton County, KS and Benson County, ND
- Orchard land between Maui and Kalawao County, HI and Linn County, OR
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Benton County, Oregon largest group: hay and other crops; mix match 95%
- Yakima County, Washington largest group: fruit and nuts; mix match 83%
- Lanier County, Georgia largest group: fruit and nuts; mix match 77%
Polk County accounts for 3.7% of farm sales in Oregon and 3.3% of the farms in Oregon. Rank Oregon counties for berries.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.