Nebraska 

Agriculture

Fact Card 

A cooperative effort of the

Nebraska Department of Agriculture 

USDA, NASS, Nebraska Field Office 

Nebraska Bankers Association 

Nebraska AgRelations Council 

February 2010 

Nebraska's Top National Rankings 

1st Commercial red meat production, 2009 – 7,171,500,000 lbs. (3,252,937,123 kg) 

 Commercial cattle slaughter, 2009 – 6,772,700 head 

 Commercial cattle slaughter, 2009, live weight – 9,113,088,000 lbs. (4,133,626,474 kg) 

 Great Northern beans production, 2009 – 779,000 cwt. (35,334,839 kg) 

 Irrigated land, 2007 - 8,558,559 acres (3,463,539 ha) 

 Popcorn production, 2007 – 294,541,958 lbs. (133,602,004 kg) 

2nd All cattle and calves, Jan. 1, 2010 – 6,250,000 head 

 All cattle on feed, Jan. 1, 2010 – 2,500,000 head 

 Pinto beans production, 2009 – 1,305,000 cwt. (59193794 kg) 

 Proso millet production, 2009 - 2,340,000 bu (82,459 m3)

3rd Corn for grain production, 2009 – 1,575,300,000 bu (55,512,113 m3) 

 Grain sorghum production, 2009 – 13,020,000 bu (458,812 m3)

4th Cash receipts from all farm commodities, 2008 – $17,315,688,000 

 Cash receipts from all livestock and products, 2008 – $8,320,129,000 

 Land in farms and ranches, 2008 – 45,600,000 acres (18,453,738 ha) 

 On-farm grain storage capacity, Dec. 1, 2009 – 1,110,000,000 bu (39,115,372 m3) 

 Off-farm commercial grain storage capacity, Dec. 1, 2009 – 779,300,000 bu (27,461,810 m3) 

 All dry edible beans production, 2009 – 2,461,000 cwt. (111,629,063 kg) 

5th Soybean production, 2009 – 259,420,000 bushels (914,172 m3) 

 Net farm income, 2008 – $4,026,379,000 

 Cash receipts from all crops, 2008 – $8,995,559,000 

6th All hogs and pigs on farms, Dec. 1, 2009 – 3,150,000 head 

 Harvested acres of principal crops, 2009 – 18,618,000 acres (7,534,467 ha) 

 Winter wheat production, 2009 – 76,800,000 bu (2,706,360 m3)

7th Alfalfa hay production, 2009 – 3,610,000 tons (3,979,343 t) 

 All hay production, 2009 – 6,235,000 tons (6,872,911 t) 

 Commercial hog slaughter, 2009 – 7,691,700 head 

 Commercial hog slaughter, 2009, live weight – 2,068,094,000 lbs. (938,071,497 kg) 

10th

Table egg layers (flocks of 30,000+), Dec. 2009 – 9,455,000 layers 

Nebraska Ag Facts 

 Cash receipts from farm marketings contributed over $17 billion to Nebraska’s economy in 2008 and 5 percent of the United States total. 

 Nebraska’s ten leading commodities (in order of importance) for cash receipts are cattle and calves, corn, soybeans, hogs, wheat, chicken eggs, dairy products, hay, dry beans, 

and sorghum grain, which represent 98 percent of the state’s total cash receipts. 

 Every dollar in agricultural exports generates $1.40 in economic activities such as transportation, financing, warehousing, and production. Nebraska’s $5.9 billion in 

agricultural exports translate into $8.3 billion in additional economic activity. 

 Nebraska has 47,400 farms and ranches; the average operation consists of 962 acres (389 ha); average net income per farm averaged $65,279 during the 2004-2008 period. 

 In 2009, Nebraska ranked second in ethanol production capacity, with 23 operating plants having production capacity of 1.8 billion gallons (6,813,739,982 L). Over 40% of the 

state’s 2008 corn crop was utilized in ethanol production. 

 The Nebraska livestock industry accounted for 48% of the state’s total agricultural cash receipts during 2008. Livestock or poultry operations were found on 50% of Nebraska 

farms. 

The top five counties ranked by agricultural sales in 2007 were Cuming, Dawson, Custer, Phelps, and Lincoln. 

 In 2005, Nebraska was ninth nationally in certified organic cropland acres (77,820) (31,493 ha) and 10th in certified organic pasture acres (17,655) (7,144 ha). 

Nebraska's Natural Resources 

 Nebraska’s farms and ranches utilize 45.6 million acres (18,453,838 ha) – 93% of the state’s total land area. 

 Nebraska is fortunate to have aquifers below it. If poured over the surface of the state, the water in those aquifers would have a depth of 37.9 feet (12 meters). The state has 

92,233 registered, active irrigation wells supplying water to over 8.5 million acres (3,439,841 ha) of harvested cropland and pasture. Of the total cropland harvested during 2007, 

46 percent was irrigated. 

 Nearly 24,000 miles (38,624 km) of rivers and streams add to Nebraska’s bountiful natural resources. 

 There are nearly 23 million acres (9,307,807 ha) of rangeland and pastureland in Nebraska – half of which are in the Sandhills. 

Source: USDA NASS Nebraska Field Office 

(More detailed list of rankings available from USDA, NASS, 

Nebraska Field Office) Phone (402) 437-5541 

To receive more information or request this card in another format, call the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at (402) 471-2341.