Public Information Office CB95-33 (301)457-2794 (301)763-4067 (TDD) Agriculture and Financial Embargo until February 6, 1995 Statistics Division (800)523-3215 Top-ranking Agricultural States and Counties Reported by the Bureau of the Census California leads the nation in agricultural production, followed by Texas, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, according to the 1992 Census of Agriculture, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau reported today. California farmers sold $17.1 billion of agricultural products in 1992, one-tenth of the United States' total of $162.6 billion. Texas, the leading cattle state, ranked second with total sales of $12.0 billion. Iowa, with $10.1 billion, was third, followed by Kansas, $8.3 billion, and Nebraska, $8.2 billion. Fresno County, California, is the first U.S. county to have topped $2 billion in a census year. Four other counties each exceeded $1 billion in agricultural sales: Tulare, Kern and Monterey in California; and Weld, in northern Colorado, which with 925,210 cattle sold, led all U.S. counties in value of livestock sold. The Commerce Department's Census Bureau "1992 Ranking of States and Counties" report ranks up to 20 leading states and 100 leading counties in 90 crop, livestock, farm economic and resource categories. Among the report's crop rankings, the leading wheat state was North Dakota, followed by Kansas. Together, these states accounted for one-third of the nation's wheat production. The top ranking corn producing states of Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Indiana and Minnesota produced two-thirds of the nation's corn. Well over one-half of the soybeans were produced in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota and Missouri. Texas is the ranking cotton state, followed by California and Mississippi. Those three states harvested over one-half of the cotton crop. One out of six cattle sold in the nation was produced in Texas, making it the leader in cattle sold. Kansas and Nebraska were in second and third place. Iowa is the leading hog state, accounting for about one-quarter of all hogs sold. North Carolina registered a 108 percent growth in number of hogs sold between 1987 and 1992. It bypassed traditional hog producing states such as Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Nebraska, to become the second ranked state in 1992. Arkansas is the leading poultry state. Two of its northwest counties, Benton and Washington, sold 93 million broilers apiece, ranking them third and fourth among U.S. counties. First place still belongs to Sussex, Delaware with 194 million and second place to Cullman, Alabama with 121 million broilers sold.
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