Fascinating facts about Minnesota agriculture to help you celebrate National Ag Day

Are you ready for National Ag Day? This year, it takes place on March 14. The idea is to help the public understand where their food comes from, and how agriculture maintains a strong economy. In light of that, we rounded up some interesting facts around Minnesota agriculture, and as they show, we have much to celebrate.

Minnesota is home to 73,200 farms. Did you know that just over half the land in all of Minnesota is devoted to agriculture?

• According to the 2018 USDA Minnesota Ag News: Farms and Land in Farms report, Minnesota has 25.9 million acres of land devoted to ag. (That’s some 40,469 square miles.)
• For context, Minnesota has 79,627 square miles of land and 7,309 square miles of water surface.

Look closer and you’ll see that corn fields and soybean fields take up more space than all the water surfaces in Minnesota. Here’s how our crops break down.

• 7.9 million acres of corn (more than 12,000 square miles)
• 7.8 million acres of soybeans
• 1.6 million acres of wheat
• 1.6 million acres of spring wheat

In addition to crops, we also cultivate livestock. When it comes to turkeys and hogs, they easily outnumber the 5.57 million people who call Minnesota home.

• Cattle: 2.3 million
• Hogs: 8.9 million
• Turkeys: 42.5 million

What are Minnesota agriculture products worth? Quite a bit, actually.

Minnesota ranks fifth in the nation for the value of its agricultural products.

• Value of Minnesota crops (including greenhouses): $13.9 billion
• Value of Minnesota livestock: $7.4 billion

Top 5 Minnesota crops

1. Corn
2. Soybeans
3. Hay, grass silage and greenchop
4. Wheat
5. Spring wheat

Top 4 livestock in Minnesota

1. Turkeys
2. Chickens (laying)
3. Chickens (broilers)
4. Hogs and pigs

Source: 2018 Minnesota Agriculture Overview from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Minnesota feeds the world

In the U.S., Minnesota ranks No. 4 in agricultural exports, sending out $7.1 billion worth of products, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Ag products are Minnesota’s top export by far, outranking other industries, including medical, machinery and pharmaceuticals.

Top exports of Minnesota agricultural products

1. Soybeans: 30 percent
2. Corn: 14 percent
3. Feeds: 10 percent
4. Pork: 10 percent
5. Soybean Meal: 5 percent

What are you doing to observe Ag Week?

Get involved: Reach out to your county’s Farm Bureau or Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom and ask how you can connect with teachers in your state and community.

Share your story: Hop on social media and share your photos, videos and stories. Show the world what you do every day to feed the world!

• Share vintage photos from your operation to show how long your family has been there, and how far you’ve come.
• Share nuggets of wisdom and favorite sayings, whether they come from you or your mentor. Because farmers have a few, right?
• Talk about what being a farmer means to you, and what keeps you going.

At Minnwest Bank, we have the expert lenders and resources to help farmers like you succeed. Check out our cash management services to make your life easier, or meet with one of our helpful ag bankers today.