McDonald County is a leader in the state regarding livestock production. The processing of millions of chickens every year in the two poultry processing plants of Tyson Foods and Simmons Foods puts the county near the top in that category.
McDonald County was third in the state in the 2012 Census of Agriculture in sales of poultry and eggs with total sales of $155,725,000. The county had almost 6.5 million broilers and over 300,000 layers in inventory, which also ranked it third in the state.
Turkeys are also hatched and produced in McDonald County on a large scale; the county held 13th place in that category with over 116,571 turkeys.
McDonald County is no slouch when it comes to cattle production, either.
The latest numbers from state agricultural reporting services places 22,500 head of beef cattle in the county in 2013. Total cattle and calves in the county were at 51,150, representing a value of $51,150,000.
Dairy cattle numbered 600.
McDonald County showed 31,200 acres used for the production of hay in 2013, resulting in a harvest of 69,000 tons.
Land prices in McDonald County averaged just $95 per acre in 1964. The value jumped to $193 in 1969, $342 in 1974, $696 in 1978, $775 in 1982, dropped back to $757 in 1987, then rose steadily from $885 in 1992, to $1,256 in 1997, $2,029 in 2002, $2,370 in 2007 and was at $2,477 in 2012.
In comparison, 2012 prices for neighboring counties were: Newton, $2,577 per acre; Barry County, $2,538; and Jasper County, $2,337.
According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture in Missouri, McDonald County had 926 farms, down seven percent from the previous census in 2007. Those farms accounted for 186,599 acres that year, also down seven percent from 2007.
That's an average size farm of 202 acres, which was unchanged from 2007.
Community on 02/26/2015