Field crops · NASS annual estimates, 2025
Where is hay grown?
Texas grows the most hay: 8% of the 123 million tons grown in the US in 2025.
Next come Oklahoma (5%) and Missouri (5%).
- US total, 2025
- 123 million tonsNASS estimate
- Top state
- Texas8% of total
- Farms reporting, 2022
- 612,946in 50 states
- Farm value, 2025
- $17.2 billionvalue of production
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. State view: NASS annual estimates, 2025. County view: 2022 Census of Agriculture (production). Dry hay, including alfalfa, grown mostly to feed cattle, horses and other livestock. Haylage and silage are not included.
Which state grows the most hay?
Texas grows the most hay: 8% of the 123 million tons grown in the US in 2025. Ranked by NASS's 2025 estimate.
Which counties grow the most hay?
From the 2022 Census of Agriculture, which reports hay for 3,039 counties. NASS withholds 55 of those county figures to protect individual farms, so a withheld county could be larger than some listed here.
| County | Tons | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial County, CA | 2,914,604 | 3% |
| Grant County, WA | 932,837 | under 1% |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 869,276 | under 1% |
| Riverside County, CA | 544,156 | under 1% |
| Lake County, OR | 504,919 | under 1% |
| La Paz County, AZ | 489,286 | under 1% |
| Pinal County, AZ | 482,336 | under 1% |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 457,703 | under 1% |
| Modoc County, CA | 430,062 | under 1% |
| Merced County, CA | 393,931 | under 1% |
| Kern County, CA | 381,729 | under 1% |
| San Joaquin County, CA | 375,530 | under 1% |
| Cherry County, NE | 374,559 | under 1% |
| Franklin County, WA | 363,565 | under 1% |
| Twin Falls County, ID | 354,276 | under 1% |
How has US production of hay changed?
NASS annual estimates, 2000 to 2025.
Hay by the numbers
Each note is calculated from USDA NASS data; the source is listed under it.
How concentrated
The top three states, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri, account for 18% of the hay grown in the US.
NASS annual estimates, 2025
How widespread
Farms in 50 states reported hay in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, 612,946 farms in all.
2022 Census of Agriculture
Top county
Imperial County, California has 3% of the hay grown in the US, more than any other county.
2022 Census of Agriculture
Ten-year change
US production of hay fell 9% between 2015 and 2025, from 135 million tons to 123 million tons.
NASS annual estimates
Biggest year
The biggest year in NASS estimates since 2000 was 2004, at 158 million tons.
NASS annual estimates
Long-time leader
Texas has led NASS's state estimates for hay every year since 2012.
NASS annual estimates
Farm value
NASS puts the value of US hay production in 2025 at $17.2 billion.
NASS annual estimates
Census to Census
US production of hay fell 24% between the 2002 and 2022 Censuses of Agriculture, from 138 million tons to 105 million tons.
Censuses of Agriculture, 2002 to 2022
About this data
Dry hay, including alfalfa, grown mostly to feed cattle, horses and other livestock. Haylage and silage are not included.
State and national figures come from NASS's annual estimates (final 2025 figures; in-season forecasts are not used). County figures and the county map come from the 2022 Census of Agriculture, the only source that covers every county. NASS withholds some figures, marked "withheld", to avoid disclosing data for individual farms.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats. Series: HAY - PRODUCTION, MEASURED IN TONS; HAY - PRODUCTION, MEASURED IN TONS. Data processed 2026-11-06. Methodology.