Where did Whitley County rank recently in corn production among all other Indiana counties? What was a recent state-wide yield for soybeans? These and other questions are addressed in the annual Indiana Agricultural Statistics Bulletin, 2022-23, recently posted online. If you are interested in a paper copy, we have a few available free of charge in the Whitley County Extension office.
Statewide in 2022, Indiana ranked as follows on crops among all states: corn for grain, 5th; soybeans, 4th; peppermint, 4th; spearmint, 4th; watermelon, 5th; and pumpkins, 2nd. In livestock, Indiana ranks 5th on all hogs (as of Dec. 1, 2022), and 3rd in all chickens (as of Dec. 1, 2022). We ranked 9th in pig crop, 4th in turkeys raised, and 2nd in total eggs produced.
Indiana farmers received $18.4 billion in cash receipts from marketings in 2022, up 29% from 2021. Marketed crops totaled $12.03 billion (65.5% of the total), while livestock receipts came in at $6.35 billion, for 34.5% of the total.
Corn was the leading source of income for Indiana farmers in 2022, amounting to $6.43 billion. Soybeans were second at $4.81 billion. Poultry and eggs moved from fourth to third at $2.89 billion, followed by meat animals at $2.02 billion, and dairy at $1.12 billion.
These five commodity groups accounted for nearly 94% of cash receipts in 2022. Food grains, vegetables, melons, and other livestock and crops (including fruit and nuts) make up the difference.
2022 Indiana cash receipts in categories by percentage were: feed crops, 35.6%; oil crops, 26.1%; meat animals, 11.0%; poultry & eggs, 15.7%; dairy, 6.1%; other crops, 2.3%; other livestock, 1.7%; food grains, 0.9%; and vegetables and melons, 0.6%.
Indiana corn production in 2022 totaled 974.7 million bushels, over 5 percent below 2021. Corn acreage harvested for grain totaled 5.13 million acres, down nearly 3 percent from 2021. The average yield of 190 bushels per acre was 5 bushels below 2021 yields.
Indiana soybean production in 2022 totaled 335.225 million bushels, down almost 1 percent from 2021. Harvested acreage was 5.83 million acres, up over 3 percent from 2021. The average yield of 57.5 bushels per acre was 2.5 bushels below 2021 yields.
No county-level yield data is available at this time for 2023.
According to the 2022-23 Indiana Agricultural Statistics bulletin for average crop yields in Whitley County in 2022, corn came in at 186.7 bushels per acre, soybeans were 54.6 bushels per acre, and wheat was 75.5 bushels per acre.
Among all Indiana counties for crop production in 2022, Whitley County ranked 41st in corn, 45th in soybeans, and 9th in wheat. For livestock production, Whitley County ranked 54th in the number of beef cows, and 30th in the number of milk cows (as of Jan. 2023).
Total ag receipts in Whitley County in 2021 totaled $162.993 million, with crops contributing $108.996 million, and livestock contributing $54.027 million.
2021 realized net income (total income minus total expenses) to Whitley County farmers was $58.121 million. This net was $36.7 million in 2020, $30.3 million in 2019, almost $7.1 million in 2018, almost $8.6 million in 2017, and just less than $13.40 million in 2016.
From the 2017 USDA Ag Census, Whitley County ranked 13th in all hogs, 56th in all sheep, 28th in chickens, and 57th in turkeys. Of the 214,764 total acres in Whitley County, 176,255 of those acres were in farms (2017 Census of Agriculture). 154,095 acres were in cropland, 3748 acres were pastureland, and 10,252 acres were woodlands. There were 696 Whitley County farms in 2017, with an average size of 253 acres/farm.
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Indiana Field Office, publishes the Indiana Agricultural Statistics bulletin each year. It contains current and historical data for all major crops, livestock, economic, and related data. Find the current (2022-23) and past reports at: