Top North Dakota Agriculture Facts From the 2024 Census of Agriculture
In partnership with: North Dakota Department of Agriculture
Download North Dakota Census of Ag Infographic PDF
From corn and canola to beef and honey, North Dakota agriculture supplies the state, nation and world with a diverse range of important commodities. According to the USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture, North Dakota has 25,068 farms with a market value of agricultural products sold totaling more than $12 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 North Dakota has decreased by 5% since 2017 and by 18% since 2002. However, there are still more than 38.5 million acres of farm land in North Dakota, and the state’s average farm size is 1,537 acres.
The market value of crops grown in North Dakota, including nursery and greenhouse crops, totaled more than $10.5 billion in 2022. The market value of livestock, poultry and their products, including beef, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs, came to nearly $1.6 billion.
What Are North Dakota’s Top Agricultural Products?
According to the most recent available cash receipts (the total amount of crops or livestock sold in a calendar year), North Dakota’s top agricultural products include soybeans, wheat, corn, cattle and calves, and canola, to name a few.
See More: North Dakota Agriculture
Who Owns North Dakota Farms?
The Census of Agriculture calculates farm ownership by the farm’s legal status for tax purposes. Like many states, North Dakota farms are primarily owned and operated by families or individuals, with 21,555 family farms as of 2022, or about 86% of all farms in the state. Partnerships accounted for 2,261 farms, or 9%, while just over 750 farms, or 3%, are owned by corporations. Other farms, such as estates or trusts, prison farms, grazing associations, American Indian Reservations, etc., make up about 2% of farms in North Dakota.
North Dakota farmers are predominantly men. According to the Census of Agriculture, there were 30,553 male farmers in North Dakota in 2022, making up 70% of the state’s total producers. North Dakota’s 13,007 women farmers accounted for 30% of the total.
See More: Highlighting North Dakota’s Agricultural Hotspots
How Old Are North Dakota Farmers?
Out of 43,560 farmers in North Dakota, most are over the age of 55. In fact, the average age of a North Dakota farmer is 56.8 years old, up from 56 years in 2017.
Just under a quarter of North Dakota farmers (around 24.7%) fall into the age group of 55 to 64 years, and 24.2% of farmers are ages 65 to 74. Farmers ranging from 45 to 54 years old account for 14.1%, followed by farmers ages 35 to 44 (14%), then farmers aged 75 or older (11.8%). Only 9.4% of farmers are ages 25 to 34, and just 810 North Dakota farmers are under 25, or about 1.9%.
See More: From Pasture to Plate: North Dakota Meat Producers’ Successes
More North Dakota Farm Facts
Though the state counts more than 43,000 agricultural producers, 48% of North Dakota farmers have a primary occupation other than farming. Only about 22,500 respondents to the Census of Agriculture said their primary occupation was farming.
Active duty military members and veterans also account for some farmers. North Dakota has 3,288 farmers with current or past military service.
North Dakota is home to 137 USDA-certified organic farms, up from 128 in 2017.
The state counted 1,582 farms using renewable energy-producing systems in 2022.
There are 4,533 female producers in North Dakota whose primary occupation is farming.
North Dakota’s honey business is also buzzing. The state was home to 114,913 honeybee colonies in 2022 that produced more than 40 million pounds of honey.