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, 2023-24, 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. Below are the most recent finalized statistics available.
Statewide in 2023, Indiana ranked as follows on crops among all states: corn for grain, 5th; soybeans, 4th; peppermint, 4th; spearmint, 3rd; watermelon, 5th; and pumpkins, 3rd. For livestock, Indiana ranks 5th in all hogs (as of Dec. 1, 2023), and 3rd in all chickens (as of Dec. 1, 2023). We ranked 9th in pig crop, 4th in turkeys raised, and 3rd in total eggs produced. Indiana was not among the top 10 producing states for other crops and livestock.
Indiana farmers received $17.1 billion in cash receipts from marketings in 2023, down 7% from 2022. Marketed crops totaled $11.2 billion (65.7%), while livestock receipts came in at $5.9 billion (34.3%).
Corn was the leading source of income for Indiana farmers in 2023, amounting to $5.62 billion. Soybeans were second at $4.78 billion. Poultry and eggs were again third at $2.53 billion, followed by meat animals at $2.08 billion, and dairy at $955 million.
These five commodity groups accounted for nearly 93% of cash receipts in 2023. Food grains, vegetables, melons, and other livestock and crops (including fruit and nuts) make up the difference.
2023 Indiana cash receipts in categories by percentage were: feed crops, 33.4%; oil crops, 27.9%; meat animals, 12.2%; poultry & eggs, 14.8%; dairy, 5.6%; other crops, 2.8%; other livestock, 1.8%; food grains, 1.1%; and vegetables and melons, 0.5%.
Indiana corn production in 2023 totaled 1.08 billion bushels, almost 11 percent above 2022. Corn acreage harvested for grain totaled 5.31 million acres, up over 3 percent from 2022. The average yield of 203.0 bushels per acre was 13 bushels above 2022 yields.
Indiana soybean production in 2023 totaled 334.28 million bushels, down just 0.28 percent from 2022. Harvested acreage was 5.48 million acres, down 6 percent from 2022. The average yield of 61.0 bushels per acre was 3.5 bushels above 2022 yields.
No county-level yield data is available at this time for 2024. However, according to the bulletin for average crop yields in Whitley County in 2023, corn came in at 181.9 bushels per acre, soybeans were 53.3 bushels per acre, and wheat was 81.5 bushels per acre.
Among all Indiana counties for crop production in 2023, Whitley County ranked 43rd in corn, 42nd in soybeans, and 12th in wheat. For livestock production, Whitley County ranked 37th in the number of beef cows, and 27th in the number of milk cows (as of Jan. 2024).
Total ag receipts in Whitley County in 2022 totaled $197.439 million, with crops contributing $135.818 million, and livestock contributing $61.621 million.
2022 realized net income (total income minus total expenses) to Whitley County farmers was $59.948 million. This net was $58.1 million in 2021, $36.7 million in 2020, $30.3 million in 2019, almost $7.1 million in 2018, and almost $8.6 million in 2017.
From the 2022 USDA Ag Census, Whitley County ranked 12th in all hogs, 73rd in all sheep, and 60th in chickens.
Of the 214,764 total acres in Whitley County, 162,338 of those acres were in farms (2022 Census of Agriculture), a loss of 13,917 farm acres from the 2017 Census. 145,401 acres were in cropland, 2,474 acres were pastureland, and 9,469 acres were woodlands. There were 647 Whitley County farms in 2022, with an average size of 251 acres/farm. This is a drop of 49 farms compared to the 2017 Census.
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 (2023-24) and past reports at: