Iowa Farm Facts

Farming in Iowa is a family affair – and very diversified, or different. Farmers raise many different kinds of crops and animals on farms in Iowa. More than 85 percent of Iowa’s land is farmed.

Take a drive around the state and you’ll see their handiwork out every window. Fields of corn, soybeans, and alfalfa wave in the wind.

The barns and buildings you see dotting the countryside are used to care for a animals including cattle, hogs, turkeys, sheep, dairy cows, meat goats, and poultry.

Here are some interesting facts about farming in Iowa:

• 35.7 million: Acres of land in Iowa
• 30,622,731: Acres farmed in Iowa
• 26,256,347: Acres devoted to cropland in Iowa
• 1,294,425: Acres of pastureland in Iowa
• 88,637: Number of farms in Iowa
• 345 acres: Average farm size

Iowa’s has ranked #1 in the United States in producing these crops and farm products:

• 1st: Soybean production
• 1st: Corn production
• 1st: Pork production
• 1st: Egg production

(Source: 2012 State Agriculture Overview- Iowa, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service)

An Acre: How Big is That?

One acre is about the size of a football field. Can you imagine 30 million football fields, all being used to grow crops and raise animals?!