The counties in New Jersey with the most farmland, according to data

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Counties with the most farmland in New Jersey

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 Jersey 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 Jersey, there are 307,703 acres of farmland, with common soybeans being the most common crop.

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#16. Cape May

- Farmland: 187 acres (.1% of state total)
- Farms: 6
- Most common crop: Oysters (136 acres, 72.9% of county farmland)

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#15. Ocean

- Farmland: 1,212 acres (.4% of state total)
- Farms: 35
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (285 acres, 23.5% of county farmland)

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#14. Camden

- Farmland: 1,639 acres (.5% of state total)
- Farms: 60
- Most common crop: Highbush blueberries (325 acres, 19.8% of county farmland)

Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#13. Morris, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic

- Farmland: 3,374 acres (1.1% of state total)
- Farms: 70
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (810 acres, 24.0% of county farmland)

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#12. Mercer

- Farmland: 7,451 acres (2.4% of state total)
- Farms: 157
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (3,342 acres, 44.8% of county farmland)

FotosForTheFuture // Shutterstock

#11. Somerset, Union

- Farmland: 7,583 acres (2.5% of state total)
- Farms: 173
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (2,166 acres, 28.6% of county farmland)

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#10. Atlantic

- Farmland: 7,811 acres (2.5% of state total)
- Farms: 179
- Most common crop: Highbush blueberries (5,047 acres, 64.6% of county farmland)

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#9. Middlesex

- Farmland: 9,057 acres (2.9% of state total)
- Farms: 100
- Most common crop: Honey (3,813 acres, 42.1% of county farmland)

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#8. Sussex

- Farmland: 10,489 acres (3.4% of state total)
- Farms: 222
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (2,509 acres, 23.9% of county farmland)

Andrew F. Kazmierski // Shutterstock

#7. Monmouth

- Farmland: 12,286 acres (4.0% of state total)
- Farms: 203
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (4,866 acres, 39.6% of county farmland)

Khairil Azhar Junos // Shutterstock

#6. Cumberland

- Farmland: 25,709 acres (8.4% of state total)
- Farms: 474
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (6,132 acres, 23.9% of county farmland)

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#5. Gloucester

- Farmland: 29,397 acres (9.6% of state total)
- Farms: 578
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (10,470 acres, 35.6% of county farmland)

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#4. Hunterdon

- Farmland: 31,296 acres (10.2% of state total)
- Farms: 737
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (7,354 acres, 23.5% of county farmland)

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#3. Warren

- Farmland: 35,455 acres (11.5% of state total)
- Farms: 548
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (14,285 acres, 40.3% of county farmland)

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#2. Burlington

- Farmland: 46,037 acres (15.0% of state total)
- Farms: 588
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (20,312 acres, 44.1% of county farmland)

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#1. Salem

- Farmland: 78,720 acres (25.6% of state total)
- Farms: 981
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (22,177 acres, 28.2% of county farmland)