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IL Ag Census numbers mirror nationwide trends
Recently released data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture shows the number of farms, and the amount of farmland across the country is declining. Illinois is no different. Mark Schleusener, Illinois state statistician with USDA, tells Brownfield…
“The number of farms in Illinois is down about 2% from 5 years ago.” He says, “We have a little bit over 71,000 farms in Illinois and that decline in the number of farms is very consistent across the US.”
He says Illinois farm acreage is also declining…
“Five years ago, we measured 27-million acres of land and farms.” He says, “That’s cropland, pasture, all types of farmland this time is 26.3 million acres. So down 700,000 acres.”
Despite those troubling numbers, Schleusener says Illinois ag sales remain strong…
“So, if you add all the crop sales together, Illinois is the number three state behind California and Iowa,” he says.
The Census of Agriculture takes place every five years to measure all U.S. commodities, and the demographics of those that produce them.
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