The article today is inspired by my child’s question “Dad, what is the biggest farm in the US?”. At the time, my answer was “the Stewart & Lynda Resnick farm”.
Later that day, I discovered quite a few different big farms in a number of different industries that piqued my curiosity, like the largest wind farm.
This post today piles up the top 9 biggest farms in the United States with more in-depth information about their specific products, including turkey, cattle, crop, dairy, and even alternative energy sources.
Please be aware that, the list is collected from valuable & latest sources for the date we publish this article (September 2022). We will try to update it once a year and note the date of the edition.
*This post may have affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclaimer for additional details.
What Is The Largest Farm In The US?
The answer to what is the biggest farm in the US depends on what industry you are inquiring about. However, the largest crop farm by acreage is owned by Stewart & Lynda Resnick.
Top 9 LARGEST Farms In The US
1. Biggest Farm In The US: Stewart & Lynda Resnick
Total Farmland: 190,000 acres (297 square miles)
Stewart Resnick is a serial entrepreneur who is famous for brands like the Franklin Mint and Teleflora.
Now, with his wife Lynda, they are the founders of the popular Wonderful Company and brand as well as the Fiji Water brand.
In the 1970s, he purchased 2,500 acres of fire-sale lemons and oranges in Kern County and never looked back.
After that, he bought considerably bigger areas that were eagerly sold by businesses like Prudential Life and Mobil.
These days, the couple’s Wonderful Company, which is worth up to 4 Billion ($USD), provides a variety of high-quality, nutritious goods that feed people all over the world.
Goods such as the Wonderful Almonds, Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Halos Mandarins, Resnicks’ FIJI Water, and POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice.
2. Biggest Solar Farm: Solar Star, California
Total Farmland: 3,200 acres (5 square miles)
Solar Star is the largest solar farm in the United States and also in the world.
Located in California, it was finished being built in June 2015 and contains about 1.7 million panels that spread out across 3,200 acres.
The Solar Star farm is divided into 2 sections – Solar Star 1 and Solar Star 2, each section capable of different watts to serve a wide variety of needs.
Solar Star 1’s capacity is 314MW and Solar Star 2 is 265MW and when combined, the entire farm generates a total of 579MW of electricity.
That is enough electricity to provide power for 255,000 households.
Read more: Top 5 Biggest Farms In The World
3. Largest Cattle Farm: Deseret Ranches, Florida
Total Acreage: 300,000 acres (468.75 square miles)
Deseret Ranches (or Deseret Ranch) is the biggest cattle farm in the US.
Belonging to The Mormon Church (LDS Church, or Latter Day Saints) in Florida, this farm covers about 300,000 acres of land over three counties in Central Florida: Brevard, Orange, and Osceola.
Founded in 1950, the first ideas of establishing this ranch were drawn up in 1949, with the first 45,000 acres of land purchased in 1950.
The Deseret Ranch is primarily a community initiative and is very active in ranching and stewardship.
With a herd of 44,000 Deseret cattle, the Deseret Ranch, at the moment is the largest cattle ranch in the US.
4. Biggest Crop Farm: Gaylon Lawrence JR
Total Acreage: 115,000 acres (234 square miles)
Gaylon Lawrence Jr. is the CEO of The Lawrence Group, originally founded by his father.
The Group manufactures a vast array of products, from banking and commercial real estate to agriculture.
Spanning more than 115,000 acres across the country and in a variety of locations like the Delta, The Lawrence Group’s crops run the gamut.
From cotton to sweet corn and citrus and winter wheat to wine grapes, Gaylon Lawrence Jr.’s estimated net worth is 21 Million ($USD).
The Lawrence Group also purchased a township along the Mississippi River’s Arkansas side in 2010.
Spending about 110 Million ($USD) to buy the Wilson family’s property, they grew their agriculture division by 42,000 acres of farming land. .
Thanks to that decision, this land surrounds one of the biggest contiguous farmlands in the Delta – Wilson.
5. Biggest Wind Farm: Alta Wind Energy Centre
Total Acreage: 3,200 acres (5 square miles)
The biggest wind farm in the US is located in Kern County, California, and has a whopping capacity of about 1,550MW (or 2,080,00 hp) and can serve 257,000 California homes.
The power from the Alta Wind Energy Center (AWEC) is all sold to the company, Southern California Edison.
Terra-Gen Power, the owner of the farm, has made a contract to sell electricity for 25 years to the power utility.
This wind farm is also known as Mojave Wind Farm. Its operation began in 2011 with only 5 units over a long period of only 5 years, this wind farm grew to 600 windmills strong.
In 2010, Vestas, a Danish company that specializes in producing wind turbines, won a supply contract to provide the Alta project with 190 units of their V90-3.0 MW type wind turbine.
6. Biggest Turkey-Producing State: Minnesota
Total Turkey Production: 40 Million
With about 600 turkey farms currently, it is not surprising that Minnesota is one of the biggest turkey producers in the United States.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Minnesota farmers produced 40 million turkeys in 2020, as well as 64 million chickens, along with 3.2 billion eggs from laying hens.
In the same year, Minnesota’s economy received $995 million in sales from eggs, chickens, and turkeys alone.
Although Minnesota is the biggest turkey-producing state, the largest turkey producer company is Butterball LLC located in North Carolina – the second biggest turkey-producing state.
Butterball LLC is a joint venture company of Maxwell Farms Inc. and Smithfield Foods.
These venture companies specialize in producing food products such as turkey, raw roasts, cured deli meats, salads, soups, sandwiches, and entrées.
7. Biggest Pork-Producing State: Iowa
Total Number of Hogs: 31.7 Million
In 2020, there are 5,418 hog farms in Iowa, making up a third of the total number of pigs in the country.
With at least 69% of the pigs in Iowa raised on farms along with 5,000 or even more pigs per farm, this makes Iowa the biggest pork producer in the US.
Pig farms in 5 counties – Plymouth, Hamilton, Lyon, Sioux, Washington, and Iowa – account for 25% of the state’s pig population.
Iowa butchered 32 million pigs in 2021, accounting for nearly a third of the total number of slaughtered pigs in the country that year.
However, the biggest pork producer in America is Smithfield Foods, a company located in Smithfield, Virginia.
This company produces roughly 18 million pigs yearly on their 2,100 contract farms and 530 company-owned across 15 states.
65% of Smithfield Foods’ farms are based in Missouri and North Carolina, with 139 farms in Missouri and 203 farms in North Carolina.
8. Biggest Chicken-Producing State: Iowa
Total Number of Chickens: 60 Million (Per Year)
Apart from being the leading pork-producing state in the US, Iowa is also the state that produces the most chickens and other poultry products.
In 2020, the number of chickens in Iowa ranked the highest in the country with 60 million. Indiana and Ohio are the second and the third respectively, with about 44.5 and 43 million respectively.
Nevertheless, Tyson Foods – interestingly the biggest poultry producer in the US and worldwide is located in Arkansas, not Iowa.
They are famous for not only chicken products but also beef and pork meat.
Aidells, Ball Park, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, State Fair, and Wright Brand are among the most well-known brands within the Tyson Foods umbrella.
9. Biggest US Dairy Company: Dairy Farmers of America, Inc
Total Sales from 2019: 11.36 Billion ($USD)
While DFA is not the biggest dairy farm, it is the biggest dairy company in the United States that is based on a farm-to-table model.
It is also a cooperative, implying that all 16,000 dairy farmers who make up the group are co-owners and share in the profits.
DFA facilities are set up to process, package, and sell the milk produced by these farmers and their several ranches.
Some of their most well-known brands include Sport Shake, Plugrá Butter, Oakhurst Dairy, Live Real Farms, La Vaquita, Kemps, Keller’s Creamery Butter, Guida’s Dairy, Falfurrias Butter, Dairy Maid Dairy, Craigs Creamery, Cass Clay, Cache Valley, Breakstone’s Butter, and Borden Cheese.
Intriguingly, most of these brands source their ingredients from farms in the area that they serve.
FAQs
What is the biggest cattle ranch in the world?
At a whopping 14,000 square miles (or 8,960,000 acres), the Anna Creek Station cattle ranch is the world’s largest and biggest cattle ranch in the world.
Fun fact: The Anna Creek Station cattle ranch has been around since 1863 and has about 10,000 cattle!
Who is the richest rancher in America?
The richest rancher in America is John Malone. He is a media tycoon who also happens to be the largest private landowner in the United States.
As of 2022, his net worth is 9.4 Billion ($USD)
What state produces the most beef cattle?
The state that produces the most beef cattle is Texas at 4.7 million cows as of 2022, with Oklahoma taking up spot #2 at 2.2 million cows.
Who currently owns the King Ranch in Texas?
The King Ranch located in South Texas occupies 825,000 acres (1,289 square miles) and is currently privately owned by 60 descendants of Richard King who all operate as ranch managers in one capacity or another.
Richard King was the original ranch land owner of King Ranch, who made a safe investment to grow to the largest cow farm in the US.
Final words
As can be seen from this list of the biggest farms, the United States is one of the top countries producing the most agricultural gross value due to all of the big farms.
The farming industry in the US has flourished with over 2 million farms producing a multitude of diverse types of products.
If you think there are other farms that should be mentioned in this list of the largest farms in the US, please feel free to leave a comment. Thank you in advance!
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FAQs
What is the biggest farm in the USA? ›
King Ranch, largest ranch in the United States, composed of a group of four tracts of land in southeastern Texas, totaling approximately 825,000 acres (333,800 hectares). The King Ranch was established by Richard King, a steamboat captain born in 1825 in Orange county, New York.
What is the most largest farm? ›What is the Largest Farm in the World? Did you know the largest farm in the entire world is bigger than 11 U.S. states? This massive farm dairy farm is located in Heilongjiang, China. Mudanjiang City Mega Farm has over 100,000 dairy cows and covers an impressive 22.5 million acres.
Where is the biggest farming area in the US? ›Texas had the most farms in the United States in 2021 followed by Missouri and Iowa. Texas accounted for roughly 12% of the farms in the United States in 2021.
Where is the largest cattle farm in the world? ›Anna Creek Station is the world's largest working cattle station. It is located in the Australian state of South Australia.
Who owns the largest ranch in the US? ›The nation's largest private landowners are the Emmerson family in California who own over 2.4 million acres. The bulk of that land is dedicated to timber in Northern California. But the most headline-worthy transaction of 2022 was the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas.
What are the top 10 largest farming states? ›Which are the top 10 agriculture-producing States? The top 10 agriculture-producing States in terms of cash receipts in calendar year 2021 were (in descending order): California, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Indiana, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
What is the largest cattle farm in the US? ›King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. At some 825,000 acres (3,340 km2; 1,289 sq mi) it is larger than the state of Rhode Island and country of Luxembourg. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the Triple Crown winning racehorse Assault.
Where are the richest farmers in the US? ›The wealthiest farmer in the United States lives and farms in California. Stewart Resnick, 81, owner of The Wonderful Company and 65 percent of the nation's pistachios, has had a distinct and sweeping effect on agriculture in the Golden State. Throughout his life, he's rarely given interviews.
Who owns most farms in us? ›People own most farmland. Some 2.6 million owners are individuals or families, and they own more than two thirds of all farm acreage. Fewer than 32,500 non family held corpor ations own farmland, and they own less than 5 percent of all U.S. farmland. Farmland owners hold an aver age of about 280 acres each.
What state has the biggest farms? ›The United States had 895.3 million acres of land in farms in 2021. Texas had the most land in farms in the United States in 2021 followed by Montana and Kansas.
Where is America's best farmland? ›
The best states for farmland in the US include Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, Iowa, Kentucky, Wyoming, and California. Consider factors like profitability, cost of operation, infrastructure, and availability when selecting a location.
What state has the best farmers? ›Qin Yinglin (Chinese: 秦英林; pinyin: Qín Yīnglín, born 1965) is a Chinese agriculture tycoon, billionaire, Communist Party member, and the world's richest farmer. He is the chair and president of the pig farming company Muyuan Foodstuff and is one of the richest people in China. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, ...
What is the largest ranch on earth? ›The largest ranch in the world is Anna Creek Station, a cattle ranch operating in Australia. This ranch measures 2,000,000 acres or 3,100 square miles, larger than Israel and the state of New Hampshire. The ranch is located in a very remote part of the country called South Australia.
What state owns the most cattle? ›Texas, the state with the most cattle in the United States, boasts an impressive population of 4,475,000 cows. With vast expanses of land and a favorable climate for grazing, Texas has long been associated with ranching and cattle production.
Are there billionaire ranchers? ›Other spectacular ranches currently for sale include; billionaire Charles Koch's Matador Ranch in Texas, which will soon hit the market for $124 million, Boone Pickens Mesa Vista Ranch in Texas for $220 million, Tobacco billionaire Brad Kelley's Elk Valley Ranch in New Mexico for $96 million, Hamms Brewing William ...
Who owns the most expensive ranch? ›However, the most expensive ranch ever sold in the U.S. is a title that remains with the W.T. Waggoner Ranch. The sprawling 510,000-acre estate in Texas was purchased in 2016 by billionaire real estate and sports mogul Stan Kroenke for a whopping $725 million.
What is the largest single plot ranch in the US? ›Located in the southeastern part of Texas, King Ranch is the largest single ranch property in America. Noted on the National Register of Historic Places, the King Ranch was founded in 1853, when Captain Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis purchased a creek-fed oasis in the Wild Horse Desert of South Texas.
What state has the richest farmland? ›Texas. Texas is the country's most populous agricultural state. The state also tops the nation in terms of overall area covered by farms and ranches, with 77% of the state's land dedicated for agricultural purposes, totaling more than 130 million acres.
What state is number 1 in agriculture? ›California ranks first in the United States for agricultural cash receipts followed by Iowa, Texas, Nebraska and Illinois.
What is the oldest family owned ranch in the United States? ›
Tuttle Farm, now known as Tender Crop, has often been referred to as the oldest family-owned farm in the United States; however, this claim has been challenged. The Shirley Plantation in Charles City, Virginia, was founded in 1613 and has been in operation since 1638.
What is the oldest cattle farm in the United States? ›The Deep Hollow Ranch, established 1658, is the oldest working Cattle Ranch in the United States and is part of the Suffolk County Parks.
How big is the 6666 Ranch in acres? ›Location of the 6666's Ranch
The 6666's Ranch contains 142,372 acres, more or less, and is located in King County, Texas, which is in the Rolling Plains Region of the state.
Dairy Farming: Dairy farming is one of the most profitable agricultural business ideas. Aside from milk, it also produces manure. There is a high demand for organic dairy products all year round such as milk, cheese, curd, cream and so much more.
How much do farmers make per acre in USA? ›Average four-crop gross income per acre = approximately $790 per acre.
Who is America's wealthiest agriculture family? ›The Microsoft co-founder is considered the largest private owner of farmland in the country with some 269,000 acres across dozens of states, according to last year's edition of the Land Report 100, an annual survey of the nation's largest landowners.
How much land does China own in Missouri? ›A Missouri Department of Agriculture analysis found that the state total of foreign-owned agriculture land is 0.36%, with China owning an estimated 42,596 acres, and New Zealand owning 16,271 acres. No land in Missouri is currently owned by Iran, Russia, Venezuela or North Korea.
What foreign country owns the most land in the United States? ›Despite that increase, it's still only 0.88 percent of the 40 million acres owned by foreign countries at the end of 2021. Canada accounts for the most foreign-owned land in the U.S. at 31 percent, followed by the Netherlands at 12 percent.
Where is the most fertile land in the US? ›Mollisols found in the Midwestern U.S. are the best for agriculture due to the grasslands that were present thousands of years ago. These prairies produced strong and fertile soils because after each year, the grasses would breakdown and contribute nutrients to the ground.
What state has the most farm animals? ›
Surprisingly, the largest state (Alaska) has even fewer farms than the smallest state (Rhode Island): 1,050 versus 1,100.
Where is the cheapest farm land in the USA? ›Oklahoma. Oklahoma currently sits at the lowest cost per acre among the best states for farmland in the US, so this is another state to consider when looking to buy land for agricultural purposes.
What is the easiest state to farm in? ›Montana has won first place as the best state to start a farm in a recent survey conducted by Lawnstarter. Among the 50 states, Montana has the lowest average per-acre cost of farmland. It is the top supplier of beef and it leads the nation's production of organic certified wheat, lentils, flax, dry peas, and honey.
Where is the cheapest place to own a ranch? ›Farm and Ranch Land Prices
The lowest land prices are in Montana ($808), Oklahoma ($1,180), South Dakota ($1,186) and Wyoming ($1,215). On the flip side, the highest cost per acre lies in the states of New Jersey ($12,900), California ($9,340) and Arizona ($8,026).
The largest United States crop in terms of total production is corn, the majority of which is grown in a region known as the Corn Belt. The second largest crop grown in the United States is soybeans.
What state is best for growing food? ›- Florida.
- Arizona.
- Georgia.
- Oregon.
- Michigan.
- North Carolina.
- New York.
- Texas.
1. Pike Place Market (Seattle, Washington) Why visit: Pike Place Market is one of the oldest and largest continuously operating USA farmers markets.
Who is the youngest farmer? ›At just seven years old, Kendall Rae Johnson is Georgia's youngest certified farmer. Born and raised in Atlanta, Kendall Rae fell in love with gardening when she was three years old thanks to her great-grandmother Laura "Kate" Williams, who showed her how to propagate collard greens from a simple bare root.
Who is the current best farmer? ›43-year-old farmer, Nana Yaw Sarpong Serebour, who hails from Asante Juaben with 22 years of experience in farming has been adjudged the National Best Farmer for 2022.
Why are American farmers so rich? ›
Farm operator households have more wealth than the average U.S. household because significant capital assets, like farmland and equipment, are generally necessary to operate a successful farm business. In 2021, the average U.S. farm household had $2,100,879 in wealth.
Who owns the most cattle in the world? ›According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USA), India is the country with the largest number of cows worldwide. This country precisely protects cattle for being "sacred".
What is a ranch vs farm? ›The Distinction of Farm and Ranch
Most farms are large in size, and their product is produced by an animal such as cattle. However, ranches are used for a specific farm function such as raising livestock (e.g. sheep, cattle, goats, and pigs to name a few).
1. Lykes Ranch. For over 100 years, the Lykes Brothers have led the Florida agricultural business. Their operation began with only 500 acres but is now over 600,000, consisting of cattle, farming, forestry, hunting, resource management, and citrus.
What state has the best beef? ›Which states have the best USDA prime beef? Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas are among the top states for producing high-quality beef. These states have ideal conditions for raising cattle, including ample grass for grazing and a suitable climate for growing feed crops.
Which state has least cows? ›This means that the remaining 40 states make up 42.3%. Rhode Island has the fewest cows with 1,100, followed by Delaware with 1,200, and New Hampshire with 4,500.
Who produces the most beef? ›What Country Produces the Most Beef in the World? The largest producer of beef in the world is the United States, which produces 12,379,000 metric tons of beef each year, accounting for 20.44% of world beef production.
Who is the largest privately owned farm in the US? ›The Microsoft co-founder is considered the largest private owner of farmland in the country with some 269,000 acres across dozens of states, according to last year's edition of the Land Report 100, an annual survey of the nation's largest landowners.
Who is the richest farmer in USA? ›The richest farmer in the US is Stewart Resnick, with a net worth of $7.6 billion. He and his wife, Lynda Resnick, own The Wonderful Company, which produces a range of products, including POM Wonderful pomegranate juice, Wonderful Pistachios, and Halos mandarins.
Who owns most land in USA? ›1. EMMERSON FAMILY. The nation's largest private landowners, California's Emmerson family, are a prime example of this trend. Through their Sierra Pacific Industries, the Emmersons increased their landholdings by more than 100 square miles to over 2.4 million acres.
What is the largest privately owned cattle ranch in the US? ›
King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. At some 825,000 acres (3,340 km2; 1,289 sq mi) it is larger than the state of Rhode Island and country of Luxembourg. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the Triple Crown winning racehorse Assault.
What is the largest ranch in the world? ›The largest ranch in the world is Anna Creek Station, a cattle ranch operating in Australia. This ranch measures 2,000,000 acres or 3,100 square miles, larger than Israel and the state of New Hampshire. The ranch is located in a very remote part of the country called South Australia.
What is the highest salary for a farmer? ›| Percentile | Annual Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $71,000 | $34 |
| 75th Percentile | $47,000 | $23 |
| Average | $30,845 | $15 |
| 25th Percentile | $19,000 | $9 |
Most Richest Farmers in the World
Qin Yinglin is a Chinese businessman who founded the Muyuan Foodstuff Company, which is one of China's largest pig breeding and pork processing firms. As of 2021, Qin's net worth is estimated at over $20 billion, making him one of the wealthiest farmers in the world.
Uttar Pradesh is India's top farming state, with considerable state-level crop production including bajra, rice, sugarcane, food grains, and many others.
What state has the most farm? ›The United States had 895.3 million acres of land in farms in 2021. The United States had 895.3 million acres of land in farms in 2021. Texas had the most land in farms in the United States in 2021 followed by Montana and Kansas. Texas accounted for more than 14% of the land in farms in the United States in 2021.
How many acres does Bill Gates own in Iowa? ›How much farmland does Bill Gates own in Iowa? The founder of Microsoft owns 600 acres of Iowa farmland.
Who owns most land in the world? ›The largest landowner in the world currently is King Charles III of England. How much land does the Royal Family own? He and the British Royal Family own more than 6,600,000,000 acres of land around the world. They technically own many territories around the globe, amounting to 1/6 of the surface of the planet.
Who owns the most land in Florida? ›1) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – 672,000 acres. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' total land ownership in Florida isn't clear.