Farmland Totals for Clark County

Wednesday, June 7th, 2023 -- 11:01 AM

(Stacker) -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. In Wisconsin, there are 9,466,740 acres of farmland, with yellow corn being the most common crop.

Clark County came in at number 24, on a list of the top 25 counties with the most farmland in the state, with 180,683 acres of farmland or 1.9% of the state total; the County has 2,010 farms; and the most common crop is yellow corn at 59,415 acres or 32.9% of county farmland.

A couple of our neighboring counties also made the list. Chippewa came in at 15 with 212,811 acres of farmland or 2.2% of state total; there are 2,402 farms; and the most common crop is yellow corn at 76,993 acres or 36.2% of county farmland.

Marathon came in at number 6 with 272,497 acres or 2.9% of the state total; the County has 3,915 farms; the most common crop being yellow corn at 81,120 acres or 29.8% of county farmland.

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