Top Wyoming Agriculture Facts From the 2024 Census of Agriculture
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Agriculture is big business in Wyoming, with farms across the state producing everything from beef and milk to hogs, hay and more. According to the USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture, there are 10,544 farms in Wyoming with a market value of agricultural products sold totaling more than $1.6 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 Wyoming has decreased by 12% since 2017. However, there are still more than 28 million acres of farm land in Wyoming, and the state’s average farm size is 2,729 acres.
The market value of crops grown in Wyoming, including nursery and greenhouse crops, totaled more than $358 million in 2022. The market value of livestock, poultry and their products, including beef, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs, came to over $1.2 billion.
What Are Wyoming’s Top Agricultural Products?
According to the most recent available cash receipts (the total amount of crops or livestock sold in a calendar year), Wyoming’s top agricultural products include cattle and calves, hay, hogs, milk and other dairy products, and corn, to name a few.
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Who Owns Wyoming Farms?
The Census of Agriculture calculates farm ownership by the farm’s legal status for tax purposes. Like many states, Wyoming farms are primarily owned and operated by families or individuals, with 8,025 family farms as of 2022, or about 76% of all farms in the state. Corporations accounted for 1,157 farms, or 11%, while 914 farms, or 8.7%, are owned by partnerships. Other farms, such as estates or trusts, prison farms, grazing associations, American Indian Reservations, etc., make up about 4.2% of farms in Wyoming.
Wyoming farmers are predominantly men. According to the Census of Agriculture, there were 11,879 male farmers in Wyoming in 2022, making up 59% of the state’s total producers. Wyoming’s 8,313 women farmers accounted for 41% of the total.
See More: What’s In Season? Wyoming Produce Calendar
How Old Are Wyoming Farmers?
Out of 20,192 farmers in Wyoming, most are over the age of 55. In fact, the average age of a Wyoming farmer is 58.5 years old, up from 57.1 years in 2017.
More than a quarter of Wyoming farmers (around 28.2%) fall into the age group of 65 to 74 years, and 22.3% of farmers are ages 55 to 64. Farmers aged 75 or older account for 13.9%, followed by farmers ranging from 45 to 54 years old 13.4%), then farmers ages 35 to 44 (13.1%). Only 7.5% of farmers are ages 25 to 34, and just 318 Wyoming farmers are under 25, or about 1.6%.
The state counts 1,833 young producers (age 34 or younger).
More Wyoming Farm Facts
Though the state counts more than 20,000 agricultural producers, 54% of Wyoming farmers have a primary occupation other than farming. Only about 9,000 respondents to the Census of Agriculture said their primary occupation was farming.
Active duty military members and veterans also account for some farmers, as Wyoming has 1,833 farmers with current or past military service.
See More: Foods that Grow in Wyoming
In 2022, Wyoming had 5,494 new and beginning producers.
Wyoming is home to 67 USDA-certified organic farms.
Wyoming’s cattle and calf inventory totaled an impressive 1,247,971 in 2022.