Farm Census

Kershaw County, South Carolina

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

575 farms100,593 acres in farms$365 million in farm sales

No other county in South Carolina with a published figure has more laying hens or turkeys, or sells more farm products than Kershaw County.

Measured in current dollars, its farm sales had the largest rise from 2017 to 2022 among the 1,136 counties that sold at least $100 million in 2017.

Poultry and eggs: 96.1%Poultry and eggs96.1%Grains and oilseeds: 1.3%Horses and mules: 0.7%Hay and other crops: 0.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.6%Cattle and calves: 0.3%Vegetables and melons: 0.3%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Aquaculture: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 96.1%Poultry and eggs96.1%Grains and oilseeds: 1.3%Horses and mules: 0.7%Hay and other crops: 0.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.6%Cattle and calves: 0.3%Vegetables and melons: 0.3%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Aquaculture: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: fruit and nuts, cotton, milk and hogs and pigs.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$350 million1st of 41
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$4.7 million22nd of 38
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$2.6 million2nd of 37
Hay and other crops$2.2 million23rd of 43
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$2.1 million20th of 34
Cattle and calves$1.1 million21st of 35
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$942,00022nd of 34
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$103,00013th of 31
Aquaculture$52,0006th of 8
Other animals and animal products$22,00019th of 28

What the fields held

Kershaw County harvested 19,806 acres of cropland in 2022, 27th of 46 counties in South Carolina. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 48% of that, soybeans 26%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage9,527under 0.1%
Soybeans5,219under 0.1%
Wheat3,572under 0.1%
Corn for grain878under 0.1%
Orchard land120under 0.1%
of which grapes15under 0.1%
of which pecans7under 0.1%
Vegetables119under 0.1%
Berries10under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: cotton, grain sorghum, oats and apples.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms21.6%

Kershaw County ranks 26th of 46 counties in South Carolina on this measure.

  • 27,514 acres of cropland, 27% of farmland
  • 14,402 acres of pastureland, 14% of farmland
  • 46,773 acres of woodland, 46% of farmland
  • 211 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Kershaw County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 55 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 175 acres, 30th-largest of 46 in South Carolina. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 36.9% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 4.7% of the total.

1–98%10–4937%50–17937%180–49910%500–9994%1,000–1,9994%2,000+1%
Kershaw County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Turkeys1,744,8141.8%
Laying hens3,006,1400.77%
Horses and ponies1,160under 0.1%
Goats854under 0.1%
Beef cows2,248under 0.1%
Cattle and calves3,999under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs44under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 2022180under 0.1%

Withheld: sheep and lambs.

Who farms here

Decisions on Kershaw County's 575 farms are made by 958 producers. Their average age is 60.2, 1.3 years above the South Carolina average. Women are 37.4% of them.

Under 355%35–4414%45–5412%55–6422%65–7430%75+17%
Kershaw County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms466+23.4%
Land in farms, acres79,055+27.2%
Average farm size, acres170+2.9%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$138 million+100%
Turkeys, head1,771,925−1.5%
Horses and ponies, head1,336−13.2%
Goats, head948−9.9%
Hay and haylage, acres5,212+82.8%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Kershaw County accounts for 8.2% of farm sales in South Carolina and 2.5% of the farms in South Carolina. Rank South Carolina counties for turkeys.

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