Who Grows the Most? Ag Census Breaks It Down
The National Agricultural Statistics Service recently released a trove of stats detailing which congressional districts have the most farms, grow the most soybeans, raise the most cattle, and more. The data comes from USDAās 2017 Census of Agriculture released earlier this year. Among highlights:
U.S. Rep. Adrian Smithās (R-Neb.) district is home to 33,294 farms and 55,834 producersāmore than any other congressional district. His district is also No. 1 in corn production, measured by 2017 acres harvested, at 7.1 million.
Steve Kingās (R-Iowa) district has just over 33,000 farms and 54,187 producers.
Despite representing more farmers than anyone else in Congress, neither Smith nor King serve on the House Agriculture Committee (though Smith sits on the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade). King lost all committee assignments this year over remarks considered racist.
North and South Dakota, each represented by a single āat-largeā representative for the whole state, harvested the most soybeans by acre of any districtā7 million and 5.6 million, respectively.
Minnesotaās 7th district, which is represented by Democrat Rep. Collin Peterson, chair of the House Committee on Ag, is next, with 5 million acres.
Kingās Iowa district comes in fourth in acreage, but itās home to the highest number of soybean farms at 18,222.
Oregonās 5th district is a Christmas tree powerhouse, boasting sales of $77.7 million in 2017.
Source: Politico

