National Ag Day is March 22, and we can’t let the day pass without noting that ag power is alive and well in Minnesota. It’s more than just another day of feeding the world. It’s a time to take pride, and give yourself a pat on the back. To help you celebrate, we rounded up some fun facts about the many contributions you as producers contribute to our state and its economy.
If you create a social post of your farm to share with the world, we hope one of these fun facts about Minnesota agriculture helps you get the word out.
With its rich topsoil and ample rainfall, Minnesota offers some of the best agricultural conditions around.
Minnesota is home to 67,400 farming operations.
Odds are strong that any one of these 67,000 operations produces one of these five commodities:
Total number of Minnesota acres operated for agricultural use: 25.4 million acres.
By and large, corn and soybeans are the top crops.
Other crops include hay, wheat, sugar beets, oats and barley.
We don’t boast of our dairy cred as much as our neighbors to the east. When you consider we have 460,000 milk cows in the state and 10.5 trillion pounds of milk production, we have plenty to be proud of. Here are some fun facts:
Minnesota ranks fourth in the U.S. in value of manufactured dairy products.
Minnesota also ranks:
Did you know that half of U.S. corn production comes from four states: Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska? Now's a good time to give a shout-out to sweet corn, because Minnesota is the second-highest producer of the summertime favorite in the U.S.
What is Minnesota corn used for?
Minnesota is the fourth largest corn exporter in the U.S., exporting to:
Source: USDA
Minnesota is the third highest producer in soybeans in the U.S. and one quarter of Minnesota’s ag exports is soybeans.
Source: Minnesota Soybean
Where are Minnesota soybeans exported?
Here’s a look at some of the demographics for Minnesota farmers, according to the USDA’s Ag Census.
Average age of a farmer: 56.4 years
New and young producers
Minnesota female producers
Minnesota male producers
How many producers work outside the farm?
Primary occupation
Minnwest Bank wants to celebrate the accomplishments of our wonderful Minnesota farmers and producers who contribute to our economy and our dinner plates!
When it comes to your finances, whether it's cash-management tools, operation loans or crop insurance, Minnwest Bank's ag bankers have the expertise to guide you. We live and work in your community, and most of our ag bankers have firsthand experience on the farm, so we know what's at stake.
Find an ag banker at your local Minnwest Bank and let us know how we can help!