Parker County, Texas
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
4,379 farms341,108 acres in farms$68.5 million in farm sales
Among US counties with published figures, Parker County ranks fourth for number of farms, fifth for horses and ponies, sixth for goats and seventh for sales of horses and mules.
Its number of goats grew between 2017 and 2022, the second-largest increase among the 100 leading goat counties of 2017 with figures in both years.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys | $26.7 million | 1st of 207 |
| Cattle and calves | $22.9 million | 93rd of 230 |
| Other animals and animal products | $7.0 million | 3rd of 161 |
| Hay and other crops | $4.4 million | 71st of 213 |
| Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk | $2.0 million | 21st of 201 |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries | $1.7 million | 21st of 138 |
| Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops | $1.7 million | 54th of 100 |
| Poultry and eggs | $989,000 | 39th of 168 |
| Vegetables, melons and potatoes | $666,000 | 58th of 109 |
What the fields held
Parker County harvested 40,648 acres of cropland in 2022, 98th of 220 counties in Texas. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 94% of that.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Hay and haylage | 38,363 | 0.07% |
| Orchard land | 1,509 | under 0.1% |
| of which grapes | 115 | under 0.1% |
| of which apples | 14 | under 0.1% |
| of which pecans | 1,146 | 0.19% |
| Wheat | 206 | under 0.1% |
| Corn for grain | 153 | under 0.1% |
| Vegetables | 153 | under 0.1% |
| Berries | 27 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: potatoes.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms59.0%
Parker County ranks 184th of 250 counties in Texas on this measure.
- 76,147 acres of cropland, 22% of farmland
- 246,440 acres of pastureland, 72% of farmland
- 37,494 acres of woodland, 11% of farmland
- 2,191 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
The typical farm in Parker County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 17 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 78 acres, 235th-largest of 242 in Texas. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 52.1% of farms. Fewer than 1% of farms have 1,000 acres or more.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Goats | 21,126 | 0.84% |
| Horses and ponies | 12,112 | 0.50% |
| Beef cows | 23,989 | 0.08% |
| Sheep and lambs | 3,268 | 0.06% |
| Cattle and calves | 44,486 | 0.05% |
| Laying hens | 18,552 | under 0.1% |
| Turkeys | 1,090 | under 0.1% |
| Hogs and pigs | 536 | under 0.1% |
| Milk cows | 54 | under 0.1% |
| Broilers sold in 2022 | 2,440 | under 0.1% |
Who farms here
Decisions on Parker County's 4,379 farms are made by 7,778 producers. Their average age is 58.6, 1.3 years below the Texas average. Women are 44.4% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 4,626 | −5.3% |
| Land in farms, acres | 521,702 | −34.6% |
| Average farm size, acres | 113 | −31.0% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $65.0 million | +5.3% |
| Goats, head | 11,681 | +80.9% |
| Horses and ponies, head | 12,303 | −1.6% |
| Pecans, acres | 1,086 | +5.5% |
| Hay and haylage, acres | 52,769 | −27.3% |
Nearest rivals
- Goats between Edwards County, TX and Tom Green County, TX
- Horses and ponies between Fayette County, KY and Lancaster County, PA
- Pecans between Natchitoches Parish, LA and Mobile County, AL
- Beef cows between Ottawa County, OK and Beckham County, OK
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Scott County, Kentucky largest group: horses and mules; mix match 92%
- Bourbon County, Kentucky largest group: horses and mules; mix match 89%
- McClain County, Oklahoma largest group: cattle and calves; mix match 85%
Parker County accounts for 0.2% of farm sales in Texas and 1.9% of the farms in Texas. Rank Texas counties for goats.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.