Counties with the most farmland in Tennessee
Farmland across the U.S. is disappearing by the millions of acres each decade by some estimates as sprawling urban development driven by rising housing costs pushes further into rural pastures.
The farmland that still exists in the U.S. is heavily dedicated to growing plants that Americans can't consume—grass. That grass, accounting for more than 300 million acres now, feeds our livestock, provides sod for new development, and serves as a cover crop to protect soil health between harvests.
Demand for major crops like corn and soybeans to feed Americans is only forecast by the USDA to grow in the coming decade, and demand for U.S. agricultural exports is expected to grow similarly.
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way people purchased and consumed food, placing renewed attention on an increasingly consolidated agricultural industry where family farms have been swallowed up by large food corporations.
And after shifting behaviors caused massive economic swings in the U.S. and elsewhere, the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced food producers to once again account for yet another shock with so much of the world's grain capital taken offline by warfare.
War and corporate interests aside, farms have also had to reckon with a changing climate. Wheat fields were once commonplace across the country, but drought conditions of late have caused farmers to give up growing the crop entirely. Agitated by climate change, the shortage of water in parts of the country coupled with higher interest rates and the ongoing war in Ukraine are making agricultural businesses harder to run profitably.
To illustrate where American farms still persevere, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most farmland in Tennessee using data from the Agriculture Department's Farm Service Agency. Farmers reported the data as mandated by participation in USDA income support programs, including Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage as well as loan assistance. Counties are ranked by total acres of farmland.
In Tennessee, there are 4,908,101 acres of farmland, with common soybeans being the most common crop.
#25. Warren
- Farmland: 68,872 acres (1.4% of state total)
- Farms: 933
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (21,826 acres, 31.7% of county farmland)
#24. Shelby
- Farmland: 74,642 acres (1.5% of state total)
- Farms: 487
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (35,251 acres, 47.2% of county farmland)
#23. Hardeman
- Farmland: 76,246 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 859
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (26,346 acres, 34.6% of county farmland)
#22. Lake
- Farmland: 76,375 acres (1.6% of state total)
- Farms: 435
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (46,937 acres, 61.5% of county farmland)
#21. Maury
- Farmland: 81,698 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,063
- Most common crop: 2+ interseeded grass mix mixed forage (34,094 acres, 41.7% of county farmland)
#20. Montgomery
- Farmland: 82,361 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 699
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (22,033 acres, 26.8% of county farmland)
#19. Franklin
- Farmland: 83,425 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,087
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (28,368 acres, 34.0% of county farmland)
#18. Henderson
- Farmland: 87,863 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 1,201
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (33,167 acres, 37.7% of county farmland)
#17. Coffee
- Farmland: 90,149 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 1,109
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (31,631 acres, 35.1% of county farmland)
#16. Lawrence
- Farmland: 102,489 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,507
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (29,629 acres, 28.9% of county farmland)
#15. Giles
- Farmland: 103,587 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,203
- Most common crop: 2+ interseeded grass mix mixed forage (47,413 acres, 45.8% of county farmland)
#14. Lincoln
- Farmland: 109,707 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,692
- Most common crop: 2+ interseeded grass mix mixed forage (40,441 acres, 36.9% of county farmland)
#13. Madison
- Farmland: 122,269 acres (2.5% of state total)
- Farms: 1,675
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (43,674 acres, 35.7% of county farmland)
#12. Henry
- Farmland: 128,108 acres (2.6% of state total)
- Farms: 1,457
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (42,825 acres, 33.4% of county farmland)
#11. Carroll
- Farmland: 139,843 acres (2.8% of state total)
- Farms: 1,616
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (35,507 acres, 25.4% of county farmland)
#10. Crockett
- Farmland: 152,122 acres (3.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,535
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (53,160 acres, 34.9% of county farmland)
#9. Fayette
- Farmland: 157,017 acres (3.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,344
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (52,902 acres, 33.7% of county farmland)
#8. Tipton
- Farmland: 158,563 acres (3.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,362
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (77,563 acres, 48.9% of county farmland)
#7. Lauderdale
- Farmland: 162,370 acres (3.3% of state total)
- Farms: 1,265
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (76,545 acres, 47.1% of county farmland)
#6. Robertson
- Farmland: 170,313 acres (3.5% of state total)
- Farms: 1,410
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (51,974 acres, 30.5% of county farmland)
#5. Haywood
- Farmland: 199,933 acres (4.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,625
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (77,582 acres, 38.8% of county farmland)
#4. Weakley
- Farmland: 208,738 acres (4.3% of state total)
- Farms: 2,393
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (84,860 acres, 40.7% of county farmland)
#3. Obion
- Farmland: 228,205 acres (4.6% of state total)
- Farms: 1,661
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (102,375 acres, 44.9% of county farmland)
#2. Dyer
- Farmland: 230,122 acres (4.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,529
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (104,943 acres, 45.6% of county farmland)
#1. Gibson
- Farmland: 277,142 acres (5.6% of state total)
- Farms: 2,569
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (109,263 acres, 39.4% of county farmland)
