From dairy barns in Vermont to cattle ranches in Texas and orchards in Washington: what's farmed where, how the year runs, and who to call for local help in every state.
On the farm this season
Fall across America (October)
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Harvest: corn and soybeans across the Midwest, cotton and peanuts in the South, apples and pumpkins everywhere.Grain bin capacity
A general guide for the lower 48 states. Timing changes a lot with latitude, elevation and the year's weather; your county Extension office knows your local calendar.
Seven farm regions
One country, many kinds of farming.
Rain, soil and growing season change a lot from coast to coast, and so does the farming. Pick a region to see its states.
Northeast
Smaller family farms close to big cities: dairy, hay, apples, maple syrup, vegetables and greenhouse and nursery crops, with plenty of farm stands and farmers markets.
Climate
Cold, snowy winters and warm, humid summers; a shorter growing season the farther north you go. Rain falls through the year.
The farm year
Maple sugaring in late winter, planting from late April to May, hay through summer, apples and pumpkins in the fall.
The Corn Belt: corn and soybeans rotated on deep, fertile soils, plus hogs, dairy, eggs and turkeys. Grain elevators and ethanol plants dot the landscape.
Climate
Hot, humid summers and cold winters, with most rain in spring and summer. Severe storms and tornadoes are possible in spring.
The farm year
Corn and soybeans go in from late April to May and come out from mid-September to November. Winter is for hauling grain, feeding livestock and planning.
Wide-open wheat country and cattle country: winter and spring wheat, sorghum, corn, sunflowers, feedlots and big cow-calf ranches. Irrigation draws on the Ogallala Aquifer in many areas.
Climate
Dry to semi-dry, getting drier toward the west, with hot summers, cold winters, strong winds and hail. Drought comes and goes.
The farm year
Winter wheat is sown in the fall and harvested from late May (Texas) to July (north); spring wheat in North Dakota comes off in August.
Ranching on huge areas of rangeland (much of it public land with grazing permits), irrigated hay and alfalfa, potatoes, sugar beets, barley and wheat, and big dairies in the valleys.
Climate
Dry, high and sunny, with cold winters at elevation and hot deserts in the south. Most farming relies on irrigation from snowmelt.
The farm year
Calving in late winter and spring, cattle move to summer range, several cuttings of hay, and cattle come home and sell in the fall.
California leads the nation in farm sales: fruit, nuts, vegetables and dairy. Washington and Oregon add apples, cherries, hops, wheat, potatoes and grass seed; Alaska and Hawaii farm in very different worlds.
Climate
From Mediterranean (dry summers, wet winters) in California to wet west of the Cascades, dry east of them, subarctic in Alaska and tropical in Hawaii.
The farm year
Something is always being harvested: almonds in late summer, apples and wine grapes in the fall, winter vegetables in the desert valleys.
Tap a state on the map, or filter by region or by what's farmed. Every state links to its current USDA numbers, its Extension service and its department of agriculture.
No state matches those filters. Clear the filters or try another crop.
A general guide written from public USDA and state information: it shows what each state is widely known for, not a ranking. For this year's numbers, open the USDA link on each state. Extension offices are run by each state's land-grant university and give free, local, research-based advice.
