The 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture County Profiles have been released. The United States Dept. of Agriculture facilitates this census once every five years and this survey is used to look at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures of all the farmers and ranchers.  

 

According to the 2017 census there are 1,338 farms in Wright County. There is a vast difference in the sizes of those 1,338 farms, all the way from 1-9 acres and well into the thousands. Nearly 80% of the farms are under 180 acres, with the average size also being 180 acres.

 

With over 240,000 acres of farmland, the variety of uses is very diverse. Most land, 85%, is used as crop land, 5% as woodland, 4% pastureland, and 6% as other. Farmland is used for many exciting and different purposes in Wright County.  

 

With all this farmland, what is it being used to grow and raise? In 2017, Wright County agricultural sales had a total value of  $196.5 million. Of those sales, $84 million were in grains, oilseeds, and dry beans. The grand total of Wright County crops sales was just under $113 million. Wright County is ranked in the top 5 of sales in the state for fruit, tree nuts, berries, nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod. 

 

As for livestock, poultry, and other animal products, Wright County produced $83.6 million in sales. Poultry and eggs account for $34.3 million of those sales. Wright County is ranked top 10 in cattle and calves sales, and ranked #1 in horses, ponies, mules, burros, and donkeys sales in the state. With 97% of Wright County’s farms identified as family farms, it is pretty impressive that it has such high sales ranks in so many different areas, and showcases the success of the county’s farmers. 

 

Stay updated with events happening in Wright County by visiting the County Extension Webpage:

 

https://local.extension.umn.edu/local/wright,  or call the office at (763) 682-7394.