Val Verde County, Texas
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
333 farms1,417,386 acres in farms$15.5 million in farm sales
Among US counties with published figures, Val Verde County ranks second for goats.
Harvested cropland takes up the tenth-smallest share of farmland among the 2,502 counties with at least 50,000 acres in farms.
Since 2017 it has had the second-steepest drop in farm numbers among the 1,675 counties that had at least 500 farms in 2017.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk | $8.3 million | 3rd of 201 |
| Cattle and calves | $6.5 million | 178th of 230 |
| Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys | $288,000 | 109th of 207 |
| Hay and other crops | $65,000 | 208th of 213 |
What the fields held
Val Verde County harvested 1,587 acres of cropland in 2022, 215th of 220 counties in Texas. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 97% of that.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Hay and haylage | 1,543 | under 0.1% |
| Orchard land | 39 | under 0.1% |
| of which pecans | 12 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: vegetables and grapes.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms70.4%
Val Verde County ranks 153rd of 250 counties in Texas on this measure.
- 4,197 acres of cropland, 0% of farmland
- 1,405,804 acres of pastureland, 99% of farmland
- 1,375 acres of woodland, 0% of farmland
- 1,727 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
The typical farm in Val Verde County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 58 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 4,256 acres, 15th-largest of 242 in Texas. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 34.2% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 34.5% of the total.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Goats | 50,033 | 2.0% |
| Sheep and lambs | 30,120 | 0.59% |
| Beef cows | 8,018 | under 0.1% |
| Horses and ponies | 492 | under 0.1% |
| Cattle and calves | 11,537 | under 0.1% |
| Laying hens | 751 | under 0.1% |
| Turkeys | 35 | under 0.1% |
| Hogs and pigs | 6 | under 0.1% |
Who farms here
Decisions on Val Verde County's 333 farms are made by 562 producers. Their average age is 60.6, 0.7 years above the Texas average. Women are 29.4% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 528 | −36.9% |
| Land in farms, acres | 1,471,377 | −3.7% |
| Average farm size, acres | 2,787 | +52.7% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $9.4 million | +63.9% |
| Goats, head | 40,984 | +22.1% |
| Sheep and lambs, head | 39,513 | −23.8% |
| Beef cows, head | 5,968 | +34.3% |
| Horses and ponies, head | 1,213 | −59.4% |
Nearest rivals
- Goats between Sutton County, TX and Crockett County, TX
- Sheep and lambs between Harding County, SD and Washakie County, WY
- Beef cows between Covington County, MS and Harrison County, IN
- Horses and ponies between Effingham County, IL and Coffee County, AL
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Sutton County, Texas largest group: cattle and calves; mix match 99%
- Crockett County, Texas largest group: cattle and calves; mix match 98%
- Moffat County, Colorado largest group: cattle and calves; mix match 86%
Val Verde County accounts for under 0.1% of farm sales in Texas and 0.1% of the farms in Texas. Rank Texas counties for goats.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.