The Top 6 Most Valuable Crops Harvested in Alabama

Alabama is a southern state with a reputation for delicious food, college football, and a rich agricultural scene. This state grows some of the more unique crops harvested in America, making it an important part of the country’s overall agricultural industry. From wheat to peanuts, Alabama’s contributions to the agricultural scene of the United States are diverse and impactful.

Alabama has mild winters and extreme heat during the summer months. There’s abundant precipitation in the state, as well. These two factors together make Alabama a brilliant spot for farming. We’ll be looking at the six most valuable crops harvested in Alabama, but a wide variety of fruits and vegetables flourish in the state.

28% of Alabama’s land is dedicated to farmland. That farmland is split over 40,592 farms. That totals 8,200,000 acres of land used for the purpose of supporting Alabama’s agricultural industry. While some of the farms in Alabama are small and others are extremely large, there’s no arguing that Alabama’s farms are important to the nation.

Read on to discover the six crops that provide the most value to the state of Alabama.

6. Wheat

The sixth-most valuable crop grown in the state of Alabama is wheat. In 2022, 180,000 acres were planted and 120,000 acres of wheat were harvested. This reared a total value of $79,920,000. While Alabama did not come in the top 10 wheat-growing states in America in 2022, the state did grow significant amounts of this product.

Alabama grows exclusively winter wheat, which is a type of wheat that is more protein-rich than spring wheat. Spring wheat is sown in the spring but harvested in the fall, while winter wheat is sown in the fall and harvested during the summertime. Alabama’s climate allows winter wheat to survive and thrive because the state does not see extreme cold. Winter wheat is regularly used for the production of pasta and bread, while spring wheat is used in pastries and cakes.

5. Peanuts

One of Alabama’s best-known agricultural products is peanuts. Peanuts take the fifth-place spot for valuable crops grown in the state of Alabama. In 2022, Alabama farmers harvested 163,000 acres of peanuts! 165,000 total acres of peanuts were planted that year, as well. This reared an incredible 554,200,000 pounds of peanuts, resulting in $144,196,000 in value. That’s nuts!

While Alabama has a reputation as an important peanut grower in the states, Georgia put Alabama’s peanut value to shame! In fact, in 2022, the state of Georgia grew 2.9 billion pounds of peanuts. Georgia grew well over 50% of the United States’ total peanut crop. This turned into $716,720,000 in value for the state of Georgia. While Alabama may not compare to Georgia’s production, there are more valuable crops ahead.

4. Soybeans

The fourth most valuable crop grown in Alabama is soybeans. In 2022, farmers planted 360,000 acres of soybeans and harvested 355,000 acres, yielding a total of 14,555,000 BUs of the bean! This massive harvest of soybeans turned into $206,681,000 in value for the state of Alabama. Soybeans are one of the most valuable crops grown in the United States as a whole, and Alabama’s contributions are important.

While Alabama certainly grows a significant amount of soybeans, the state doesn’t rank in the top 10 states for the growth of the crop. Soybeans are a massive component of the US agricultural industry, and the number one grower is the state of Illinois. In 2022, Illinois farmers grew almost 11 million acres of soybeans, producing almost 10 billion dollars of value. Iowa and Minnesota trail behind as the second and third-largest producers of soybeans in America.

3. Hay

The third-most valuable crop grown in the state of Alabama is hay. In 2022, 680,000 acres of hay were harvested, rearing 1,836,000 tons of the product. This resulted in $235,008,000 in value! While hay is the third-most valuable crop in the state, it’s the crop that takes up the most land. 2.7 tons of hay are reared per acre, and each ton is only worth $127 in value. Thus, more hay has to be planted to produce such a profitable outcome!

Again, while Alabama’s hay growth is impressive, it’s not in the top ten hay growers in America. Hay is one of the most commonly grown plants in America, and it makes up a massive portion of the country’s agricultural sector. Texas and Missouri are the 2022 leaders for hay value. In 2022, Texas grew over 4 billion acres of hay, producing 1.2 billion dollars in value. Missouri grew a whopping 2 million tons, producing over 700 million dollars of value. Texas is the clear leader in hay production, though many other states, including Alabama, contribute.

2. Corn

The second-most valuable crop grown in the state of Alabama is corn. Corn is an incredibly important crop to the American agricultural industry, and its value trickles down directly to Alabama. In 2022, farmers harvested 290,000 acres of grain corn and 4,000 acres of silage corn. The grain corn alone produced 34,220,000 BUs of crop, resulting in $244,673,000 of value. Compared to hay, it’s clear that corn produces more value per acre, making it an extremely economically valuable crop.

Corn is a competitive crop in the United States. In fact, farmers grow corn in 41 out of 50 states! Being so competitive, Alabama does not rank in the top ten corn-growing states. The leader in growing corn for grain is Iowa, followed by Illinois and Nebraska. These states are all in the Corn Belt of America, made up primarily of midwestern states that grow massive amounts of the product. For example, in 2022, Illinois alone harvested 10 million acres of corn for grain, producing almost $15 billion in value. It’s hard to keep up with the mass growth of this product!

1. Cotton

Finally, the most important crop grown and harvested in the state of Alabama is cotton. Cotton is one of the most important crops to the entire country’s agricultural industry, and Alabama plays a key role in the cotton sector. In 2022, 430,000 acres of upland cotton were harvested in Alabama. This acreage produced 833,000 480-pound bales of cotton, with each pound being valued at $0.92. The result was $346,349,000 in value for the state of Alabama. An additional $49,680,000 in value was produced from cottonseed.

While cotton is a competitive crop in the United States, Alabama ranked in the top ten growers in 2022. Alabama took the eighth-place spot for upland cotton in 2022. The most valuable cotton grower that year was Texas, growing a whopping 2 million acres of the crop. Texas also planted nearly 8 million acres, so the cotton industry in the state is anticipated to grow.

Conclusion

Overall, Alabama hosts an incredibly valuable and diverse agricultural scene. Growing peanuts, hay, and more, the state sees over a billion dollars produced by its farming. While Alabama isn’t the largest grower in America, it does play an important role in the agricultural industry of the United States.