BestFarms.topElite farms and ranches: all 50 states and Canada
Home › Nebraska

Nebraska Farms and Ranches: Agriculture History, How Farms Make Money and Strategy

Guide updated November 2026

Nebraska farms operate on a scale few states can match: the 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 44,479 farms using 44.0 million acres, which is 89.4 percent of the state's land. Those operations sold $29.4 billion of agricultural products, split 52 percent livestock and 48 percent crops, according to USDA NASS. The profiles below show what elite operations look like in a state built on irrigated corn, Sandhills grass and a large cattle and hog sector.

Nebraska agriculture at a glance
Farms and land in farms44,479 farms and 44.0 million acres in 2022; average farm 989 acres (USDA NASS)
Top commoditiesCattle and calves, corn, soybeans and hogs; 6.39 million cattle and 8.65 million acres of corn for grain in 2022
Market value of ag products sold$29.4 billion in 2022, up 34 percent from 2017
State agriculture departmentNebraska Department of Agriculture
Land-grant extensionUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Extension (offices in all 93 counties)
Farm BureauNebraska Farm Bureau Federation

Agriculture in Nebraska: A Short History

Nebraska agriculture grew from homesteading on the Great Plains. Farmers broke the eastern prairie for corn and wheat, while the Sandhills, a vast region of grass-covered dunes, stayed in native range and became cow-calf country. Today 89.4 percent of the state's land is in farms, compared with 38.9 percent nationally, per the 2022 Census.

Irrigation reshaped the state. The census counted 7.97 million acres of irrigated land in 2022, much of it drawing on the Ogallala aquifer and river water, and it underpins high-yield corn and soybeans. Cattle feeding grew alongside, and the Nebraska Studies project describes how industrial cattle feeding turned the state into a beef powerhouse. Consolidation continues: farms fell 4 percent between 2017 and 2022 while average size rose 2 percent.

How Farms in Nebraska Make Money

Commodity sales

Livestock accounted for 52 percent of the $29.4 billion in 2022 sales and crops 48 percent, USDA NASS reports. The census counted 6.39 million head of cattle and calves on inventory and 7.41 million sold, plus 3.61 million hogs and pigs. Crop receipts lean on corn for grain, with 8.65 million acres harvested and 1.44 billion bushels, and soybeans at 5.39 million acres and 265 million bushels.

Value-added and direct sales

Value-added examples include Pillen Family Farms, which links hog production, genetics, milling and a packing-plant ownership stake, and Preferred Popcorn, a Chapman company that markets Nebraska popcorn in many countries according to UNL. Popcorn, dry beans and hogs show how specialty and vertically coordinated channels can lift margins.

Agritourism, leases and diversification

Cash rent and grazing leases are major income sources for landowners. Ranches such as Switzer Ranch near Burwell add lodging and prairie-chicken tours, and Wine Glass Ranch pairs cattle with a diversified crop rotation. Conservation program enrollments such as CRP supply steady income on marginal ground.

Agriculture Strategy for Nebraska Farms

Soils, water and climate

Nebraska moves from humid eastern plains to semi-arid Panhandle and Sandhills, so strategy begins with water. The state's 23 Natural Resources Districts regulate groundwater and offer cost-share, so check with your local NRD before drilling wells, expanding irrigated acres or buying equipment. On irrigated land, soil moisture sensors, scheduling and no-till can cut pumping costs. In the Sandhills, stocking rate and rotational grazing are the main levers, since fragile dune soils are easily damaged by overgrazing.

Production and risk

Revenue risk comes from drought, hail, price swings and input costs. Federal crop insurance, ARC/PLC and the Livestock Risk Protection and pasture, rangeland and forage products from USDA are the baseline tools; the Farm Service Agency state office can help you compare. Integrating cattle with cropland, as at Wine Glass Ranch, spreads risk because residue and cover crops become feed. NRCS programs such as EQIP and CSP can pay for fencing, water development and cover crops.

Technology and inputs

Eighty-three percent of Nebraska farms had internet access in the 2022 Census, compared with 79 percent nationally, which supports precision tools such as variable-rate irrigation, yield mapping and remote well monitoring. Test your soils annually, track input costs per acre and use Nebraska Extension crop and livestock budgets before adding technology.

Farm Business Strategy in Nebraska

Margins and markets

The census reports average net farm income of $172,677 in 2022, up 97 percent from 2017, but averages hide wide variation and higher interest rates and input costs have since squeezed many operations. Know your break-even per bushel or per head, use forward contracts or basis contracts where they fit, and build a relationship with more than one buyer. Ethanol, packers and feed mills are major local outlets for corn and cattle.

Land, credit and succession

Land values averaged $3,437 per acre in the 2022 Census, and the average farm's land and buildings were worth $3.4 million, so succession planning is a serious financial task. The average producer age is 56.9 years, and only 11 percent of producers are 34 or younger. FSA offers direct and guaranteed loans, including programs for beginning farmers, and the FSA Nebraska page points to the Land Link program that connects beginning farmers with landowners. Write a transition plan early, involve a lawyer and lender, and consider leases or partnerships for the next generation.

Marketing and diversification

Diversification works best when it uses existing assets. Switzer Ranch used wildlife habitat for tourism, while seedstock programs, custom grazing, direct beef and specialty crops such as popcorn or dry beans can add margin. Start small, price for costs and labor, and keep the core enterprise healthy.

Farm Insight: Nebraska Trends to Watch

Watch water policy, land values and consolidation. Farm numbers are falling, average size is rising, and one-third of producers are women, so operations that plan for labor, succession and diverse ownership will be best placed. The 2022 Census also shows that livestock slightly outweighs crops in sales, which makes cattle and hog markets central to the state's outlook.

Conservation is also becoming an income strategy. Nebraska's Leopold Conservation Award winners, including Switzer Ranch and Wine Glass Ranch, show that ranches with strong grazing, wildlife and soil records can attract recognition, partners and program support.

With more cattle than most states can count and enough corn to stock a thousand grain bins, Nebraska is a fine place to find the best farm humor, and farm.FM is happy to help. If a Sandhills rancher needs farm satire after a long calving season, or a corn grower wants ranch humor and a few farm jokes about wind, hail and the price of diesel, we think a good laugh is the cheapest risk management there is.

farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.

Elite Farms and Ranches in Nebraska

These 20 operations are profiled in full, with history, how each makes money, lessons for other farms and published contact details.

Elite operations in Nebraska

Notable working farms and ranches in Nebraska

Established, successful commercial operations that are not national headline names but show how good farms in Nebraska actually earn a living.

Who to Contact in Nebraska: Agriculture Offices and Associations

Nebraska Farming FAQ

How many farms are in Nebraska?

The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 44,479 farms covering 44.0 million acres, with an average size of 989 acres.

How much agricultural product does Nebraska sell?

USDA NASS reports $29.4 billion in 2022, with 52 percent from livestock and 48 percent from crops.

Who can help Nebraska farmers with loans and programs?

The USDA Farm Service Agency state office handles loans and ARC/PLC, and Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture offer education and referrals.

How much of Nebraska farmland is irrigated?

The 2022 Census counted 7,965,938 acres of irrigated land on 15,122 farms.

Nebraska farms range from Sandhills cow-calf ranches to integrated hog systems and diversified grain operations. Explore the profiled operations below to see how different Nebraska farms make money, manage risk and plan for the next generation.

More states and provinces