Agriculture is Mississippi’s number one industry, employing approximately 11.4% of the state’s workforce either directly or indirectly. Agriculture in Mississippi is a 9.5 billion-dollar industry. There are approximately 31,290 farms in the state covering 10.3 million acres. The average size farm is composed of 328 acres. Agriculture makes a significant contribution to all 82 counties. In celebration of the efforts of those who work so hard to feed and clothe us, we present this overview of Mississippi’s top 15 agricultural crops.
Mississippi's Top 15 Commodities - 2025 Agriculture Snapshot
#1
Poultry / Eggs - $3.73 Billion
- Approximately 752 million broilers were produced
- Broilers: $3.38 billion value of production
- 3003 broiler farms
- 1454 million eggs produced
- Eggs: $351 million value of production
- 234 farms with 100+ layers
#2
Forestry / Timber – $1.5 Billion
- 18,907,718 acres
- 120,000 forest landowners
#3
Soybeans – $1.02 Billion
- 1,2780,000 acres harvested
- 97,900,000 bushels produced
- 2926 farms
#4
Cattle / Calves – $482 Million
- 810,000 head
- 13,631 farms
#5
Corn – $619 Million
- 880,000 acres harvested
- 155,760,000 bushels produced
- 1,495 farms
#6
Cotton – $333 Million
- 515,000 acres harvested
- 1,250,000 bales produced
- 788 farms
#7
Catfish – $196 Million
- 28,100 acres of production
- 129 operations
#8
Hay – $186.3 Million
- 1.38 million tons produced
- 600,000 acres harvested
- 9945 farms
#9
Rice – $125 Million
- 11,840,000 hundredweight rice produced
- 188 farms
#10
Horticultural Crops – $117 Million
Horticulture crops include vegetables, melons, potatoes, fruits, tree nuts, berries, nursery, greenhouses, floriculture, sod and Christmas trees.
#11
Hogs – $92 Million
- 177,541 hogs and pigs
- 709 farms
#12
Sweet Potatoes – $84 Million
- 3.78 million hundredweight produced
- 31,500 acres harvested
- 156 farms
#13
Peanuts – $19 Million
- 80 million pounds produced
- 20,000 acres harvested
- 36 farms
#14
Wheat – $13 Million
- 2,700,000 bushels produced
- 45,000 acres harvested
- 355 farms
#15
Milk – $13 Million
- 5,500 milk cows
- 32 Grade A dairy herds
Mississippi Value of Production Estimates, December 2025.
Source: Mississippi State University, Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine;
Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation