Download Minnesota Census of Ag Infographic PDF
Minnesota agriculture is a booming industry. With about half the state’s land area devoted to farms, it’s no wonder Minnesota ranks among the top states in the nation for the production of several commodities, including sugar beets, hogs, soybeans, corn, cheese, milk, honey and many more. According to the USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture, there are 65,531 farms in Minnesota with a market value of agricultural products sold totaling nearly $28.5 billion. (The 2022 Census of Agriculture data was released in February 2024 and is the most recent census data available.)
The number of farms in Minnesota has decreased by 5% since 2017 and by 19% since 2002. However, there are still more than 25 million acres of farm land in Minnesota, and the state’s average farm size is 388 acres.
The market value of crops grown in Minnesota, including nursery and greenhouse crops, totaled more than $17.1 billion in 2022. The market value of livestock, poultry and their products, including beef, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs, came to more than $11.3 billion.
What Are Minnesota’s Top Agricultural Products?
According to the most recent available cash receipts (the total amount of crops or livestock sold in a calendar year), Minnesota’s top agricultural products include corn, soybeans, hogs, milk and other dairy products, cattle and calves, and turkeys, to name a few.
See More: Minnesota Agriculture
Who Owns Minnesota Farms?
The Census of Agriculture calculates farm ownership by the farm’s legal status for tax purposes. Like many states, Minnesota farms are primarily owned and operated by families or individuals, with 55,532 family farms as of 2022, or about 84.7% of all farms in the state. Partnerships accounted for 5,022 farms, or 7.7%, while corporations own just over 3,800 farms, or 5.8%. Other farms, such as estates or trusts, prison farms, grazing associations, American Indian Reservations, etc., make up about 1.8% of farms in Minnesota.
Minnesota farmers are predominantly men. According to the Census of Agriculture, there were 79,245 male farmers in Minnesota in 2022, making up 69% of the state’s total producers. Minnesota’s 35,623 women farmers accounted for 31% of the total.
See More: Minnesota’s Top Agricultural Commodities
How Old Are Minnesota Farmers?
Out of 114,868 farmers in Minnesota, most are over the age of 55. In fact, the average age of a Minnesota farmer is 57.1 years old, up from 56.5 years in 2017.
Just over a quarter of Minnesota farmers (around 26%) fall into the age group of 55 to 64 years, and 23.7% of farmers are ages 65 to 74. Farmers ranging from 45 to 54 years old account for 14.6%, followed by farmers ages 35 to 44 (14.1%), then farmers aged 75 or older (11.7%). Only 8.2% of farmers are ages 25 to 34, and just 1,900 Minnesota farmers are under 25, or about 1.7%.
More Minnesota Farm Facts
Though the state counts more than 114,000 agricultural producers, 55% of Minnesota farmers have a primary occupation other than farming. Only about 51,122 respondents to the Census of Agriculture said their primary occupation was farming.
Active duty military members and veterans also account for some farmers, as Minnesota has 9,265 farmers with current or past military service.
See More: What’s Growing in Minnesota?
According to the census, Minnesota is home to 754 producers of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin, up from 651 five years earlier.
Minnesota counts 582 USDA-certified organic farms.
The state has 4,247 farms using renewable energy-producing systems, up from 3,591 in 2017.
In 2022, Minnesota farmers harvested 153,600 Christmas trees.
See More: Minnesota’s Growing Century Farm Legacy
The post Top Minnesota Agriculture Facts From the 2024 Census of Agriculture appeared first on Farm Flavor.