Counties with the most farmland in New Mexico
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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico, there are 27,899,950 acres of farmland, with native grass being the most common crop.
#25. Hidalgo
- Farmland: 357,691 acres (1.3% of state total)
- Farms: 234
- Most common crop: Native grass (304,457 acres, 85.1% of county farmland)
#24. Dona Ana
- Farmland: 430,043 acres (1.5% of state total)
- Farms: 682
- Most common crop: Native grass (380,717 acres, 88.5% of county farmland)
#23. Sandoval
- Farmland: 469,573 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 177
- Most common crop: Native grass (468,990 acres, 99.9% of county farmland)
#22. Mora
- Farmland: 497,860 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 384
- Most common crop: Native grass (493,493 acres, 99.1% of county farmland)
#21. Luna
- Farmland: 512,957 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 284
- Most common crop: Native grass (477,713 acres, 93.1% of county farmland)
#20. San Miguel
- Farmland: 632,119 acres (2.3% of state total)
- Farms: 411
- Most common crop: Native grass (629,875 acres, 99.6% of county farmland)
#19. Eddy
- Farmland: 654,144 acres (2.3% of state total)
- Farms: 186
- Most common crop: Native grass (630,952 acres, 96.5% of county farmland)
#18. Lincoln
- Farmland: 763,030 acres (2.7% of state total)
- Farms: 154
- Most common crop: Native grass (762,989 acres, 100.0% of county farmland)
#17. Harding
- Farmland: 852,886 acres (3.1% of state total)
- Farms: 304
- Most common crop: Native grass (808,608 acres, 94.8% of county farmland)
#16. DeBaca
- Farmland: 869,941 acres (3.1% of state total)
- Farms: 207
- Most common crop: Native grass (864,266 acres, 99.3% of county farmland)
#15. Guadalupe
- Farmland: 953,985 acres (3.4% of state total)
- Farms: 259
- Most common crop: Native grass (953,025 acres, 99.9% of county farmland)
#14. Grant
- Farmland: 971,422 acres (3.5% of state total)
- Farms: 211
- Most common crop: Native grass (971,011 acres, 100.0% of county farmland)
#13. Torrance
- Farmland: 990,862 acres (3.6% of state total)
- Farms: 353
- Most common crop: Native grass (976,521 acres, 98.6% of county farmland)
#12. Cibola
- Farmland: 1,009,996 acres (3.6% of state total)
- Farms: 113
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,009,536 acres, 100.0% of county farmland)
#11. Otero
- Farmland: 1,030,865 acres (3.7% of state total)
- Farms: 166
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,030,140 acres, 99.9% of county farmland)
#10. Colfax
- Farmland: 1,031,620 acres (3.7% of state total)
- Farms: 251
- Most common crop: Native grass (996,400 acres, 96.6% of county farmland)
#9. Curry
- Farmland: 1,082,567 acres (3.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,146
- Most common crop: Native grass (379,285 acres, 35.0% of county farmland)
#8. Roosevelt
- Farmland: 1,084,447 acres (3.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,085
- Most common crop: Native grass (637,898 acres, 58.8% of county farmland)
#7. Lea
- Farmland: 1,246,202 acres (4.5% of state total)
- Farms: 445
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,151,420 acres, 92.4% of county farmland)
#6. Union
- Farmland: 1,440,955 acres (5.2% of state total)
- Farms: 488
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,368,276 acres, 95.0% of county farmland)
#5. Quay
- Farmland: 1,630,858 acres (5.8% of state total)
- Farms: 903
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,338,682 acres, 82.1% of county farmland)
#4. Chaves
- Farmland: 1,771,267 acres (6.3% of state total)
- Farms: 634
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,699,759 acres, 96.0% of county farmland)
#3. Socorro
- Farmland: 1,947,681 acres (7.0% of state total)
- Farms: 216
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,946,969 acres, 100.0% of county farmland)
#2. Sierra
- Farmland: 2,135,343 acres (7.7% of state total)
- Farms: 256
- Most common crop: Native grass (2,130,541 acres, 99.8% of county farmland)
#1. Catron
- Farmland: 2,362,745 acres (8.5% of state total)
- Farms: 191
- Most common crop: Native grass (2,362,745 acres, 100.0% of county farmland)
