Box Elder County, Utah
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
1,248 farms1,176,650 acres in farms$195 million in farm sales
No other county in Utah with a published figure has more corn for grain, wheat, hay and haylage, cattle and calves or beef cows than Box Elder County.
Its largest product group with a published figure, cattle and calves, makes up 24.0% of farm sales, against 18.3% across Utah.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Cattle and calves | $46.9 million | 1st of 26 |
| Milk from cows | $46.8 million | 5th of 11 |
| Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas | $30.3 million | 1st of 18 |
| Hay and other crops | $29.5 million | 4th of 29 |
| Vegetables, melons and potatoes | $19.0 million | 1st of 18 |
| Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk | $5.9 million | 2nd of 22 |
| Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys | $1.8 million | 3rd of 25 |
| Poultry and eggs | $473,000 | 4th of 20 |
| Other animals and animal products | $188,000 | 12th of 23 |
What the fields held
Box Elder County harvested 121,263 acres of cropland in 2022, first of 29 counties in Utah. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 51% of that, wheat 30%.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Hay and haylage | 61,440 | 0.11% |
| Wheat | 36,780 | 0.10% |
| Corn for grain | 7,120 | under 0.1% |
| Corn for silage | 4,782 | 0.08% |
| Barley | 3,021 | 0.12% |
| Vegetables | 1,595 | under 0.1% |
| of which potatoes | 4 | under 0.1% |
| Orchard land | 919 | under 0.1% |
| of which apples | 90 | under 0.1% |
| Oats | 54 | under 0.1% |
| Berries | 20 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: dry edible beans and grapes.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms32.0%
Box Elder County ranks eighth of 29 counties in Utah on this measure.
- 239,338 acres of cropland, 20% of farmland
- 920,896 acres of pastureland, 78% of farmland
- 25,726 acres of woodland, 2% of farmland
- 85,487 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
The typical farm in Box Elder County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 24 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 943 acres, fifth-largest of 27 in Utah. The most common size class is 1–9 acres, with 33.6% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 14.4% of the total.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Sheep and lambs | 25,702 | 0.50% |
| Horses and ponies | 3,050 | 0.13% |
| Beef cows | 36,151 | 0.12% |
| Cattle and calves | 80,926 | 0.09% |
| Milk cows | 8,099 | 0.09% |
| Goats | 1,333 | 0.05% |
| Laying hens | 3,394 | under 0.1% |
| Turkeys | 234 | under 0.1% |
| Hogs and pigs | 145 | under 0.1% |
| Broilers sold in 2022 | 368 | under 0.1% |
Who farms here
Decisions on Box Elder County's 1,248 farms are made by 2,346 producers. Their average age is 55.4, 1.2 years below the Utah average. Women are 33.8% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 1,187 | +5.1% |
| Land in farms, acres | 1,220,773 | −3.6% |
| Average farm size, acres | 1,028 | −8.3% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $134 million | +45.5% |
| Sheep and lambs, head | 46,914 | −45.2% |
| Horses and ponies, head | 2,735 | +11.5% |
| Barley, acres | 2,280 | +32.5% |
| Beef cows, head | 36,455 | −0.8% |
Nearest rivals
- Sheep and lambs between Mills County, TX and Johnson County, WY
- Horses and ponies between Worcester County, MA and Coal County, OK
- Barley between Lincoln County, ID and Castro County, TX
- Beef cows between Kern County, CA and Henry County, MO
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Fayette County, Pennsylvania largest group: milk; mix match 97%
- Monroe County, Tennessee largest group: milk; mix match 96%
- Cassia County, Idaho largest group: milk; mix match 94%
Box Elder County accounts for 8.3% of farm sales in Utah and 7.2% of the farms in Utah. Rank Utah counties for sheep and lambs.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.