by Bryce Knorr, Contributing market analyst, Farm Futures magazine

Editor’s note: Farm Futures’ exclusive Best Places to Farm report ranks the financial performance of 3,056 counties. By analyzing proprietary data and the recently released results from USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture, Farm Futures averaged weighted ranks of the ratios on return on assets, profit margins and asset turnover for each county.

In this latest installment of Best Places to Farm, high farmland prices slice into financial performance for producers across the country.

In this exclusive report, Farm Futures ranks the financial performance of 3,056 counties. By analyzing proprietary data and the recently released results from the 2022 U.S. Ag Census, Farm Futures averaged weighted ranks of the ratios on return on assets, profit margins and asset turnover for each county.

To say the five years leading up to that 2022 Ag Census were turbulent is an understatement. Starting after 2017’s census, the period began with a trade war, only partly recouped by massive government aid. It was then socked by the pandemic of the century, followed by a surge in inflation and supply chain breakdowns. War in Ukraine came next, joined by stalemates in Congress.

To read the entire report click here.