What Crops Does Alabama Grow?
Alabama grows cotton, peanuts, corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay as its principal field crops, alongside poultry, eggs, catfish, timber, and many fruits and vegetables. Cotton and peanuts are especially closely associated with the state, but broiler chickens, not a field crop, are Alabama’s biggest individual farm commodity. Here’s how the state’s crops, animal agriculture, and regional differences fit together.
Alabama Agriculture at a Glance
Alabama agriculture includes broad-acre row crops, livestock feed, poultry houses, fish ponds, forests, nurseries, and small fruit and vegetable farms. The following 2021 snapshot shows the scale of several signature crops and the farm base behind them.
| Category | Alabama’s 2021 Output or Scale | U.S. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Peanuts | 610 million pounds | No. 2 |
| Cotton lint | 690 thousand bales | No. 8 |
| Hay | 2.17 million tons | No. 25 |
| Farm operations | 38.5 thousand farms | No. 23 |
| Land in farms | 8.20 million acres | No. 32 |
These figures come from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Alabama Agricultural Facts.
Alabama’s familiar field crops tell you what grows in its fields, but poultry and forestry explain much of agriculture’s economic weight.
The state’s crop list also changes depending on what someone means by “major.” A crop may be widely planted, valuable at market, important as livestock feed, or nationally significant in total production. Those are related measures, but they are not the same thing.
Major Field Crops in Alabama
Cotton, peanuts, corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay form Alabama’s major field-crop mix, supporting farm, feed, and livestock operations.
Cotton
Cotton is one of Alabama’s defining agricultural crops. It is grown in 59 of Alabama’s 67 counties, giving it a broad footprint across the state rather than confining it to one small farming region.
Alabama’s cotton lint production placed it eighth nationally in 2021. Cotton is a fiber crop, so it is different from the food and feed crops that dominate a backyard garden, but it remains an important row crop for the state’s farm economy.
Cotton is also financially important alongside corn. In 2021, cotton lint and seed generated $288 million in cash receipts, while corn generated $286 million. Corn belongs in any current list of Alabama’s leading row crops.
Peanuts
Peanuts are another signature Alabama crop, especially in the southeastern part of the state. Alabama ranked second in the nation for peanut production in 2021, with 610 million pounds produced.
Peanuts are a food crop, an oil crop, and a rotation crop for commercial farms. They are also one reason Alabama is often grouped with neighboring southeastern states in discussions of U.S. peanut production.
Corn, Soybeans, and Wheat
Corn, soybeans, and wheat are major parts of Alabama’s field-crop mix.
- Corn is grown for grain, livestock feed, and other commercial uses.
- Soybeans are an important oilseed and feed crop.
- Wheat is commonly grown as a grain crop and is part of many larger farm rotations.
- Hay is harvested forage, mainly used to feed cattle and other livestock.
There is no official fixed “big three” crops for Alabama. If you need a quick shorthand for the most recognizable field crops, cotton, peanuts, and corn are a fair starting point. But soybeans, wheat, and hay are too important to leave out of the larger picture.
Hay and Other Feed Crops
Hay is not one of Alabama’s highest national rankings, but it is a major in-state feed crop. Alabama produced 2.17 million tons of hay in 2021, supporting cattle operations and other livestock farms throughout the state.
That matters because agriculture is connected: row crops, forage, cattle, poultry, and feed markets all support one another. A hay field may not attract the attention of cotton or peanuts, but it is essential to many farm operations.
What Grows in North and South Alabama
Alabama is divided into six USDA Agricultural Statistical Districts. The districts group counties with similar geography, climate, and cropping practices, but they should not be treated as hard lines where one crop suddenly stops and another begins.
Northern Alabama
Northern Alabama’s USDA Agricultural District 20 includes Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Marshall, and St. Clair Counties.
Agricultural District 20 has the greatest agricultural-production contribution of any Alabama district. That does not mean one crop dominates every county; it means the area has a particularly large overall agricultural output. Northern Alabama’s farm mix includes field crops, hay, poultry, cattle, and local food production.
Southwest and Coastal Alabama
Southwest and coastal Alabama are grouped in Agricultural District 50: Baldwin, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, Washington, and Wilcox Counties.
This region includes both coastal-influenced counties and inland farm country. Cotton, peanuts, corn, soybeans, hay, poultry, forestry, and local produce all contribute to the agricultural landscape.
Southeast Alabama
Agricultural District 60 includes Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Pike, and Russell Counties.
Southeast Alabama is especially associated with peanuts and cotton, while corn, soybeans, wheat, livestock, and poultry remain part of the regional mix. It is one of the areas most people have in mind when they refer to Alabama peanut country.
The county groupings and regional economic analysis come from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s agricultural district breakdown.
What Alabama Produces Most
Broiler chickens are Alabama’s largest individual agricultural commodity by farm cash receipts. A broiler is a chicken raised for meat, and Alabama ranked second nationally in 2021 with 1.17 billion broilers produced.
Poultry is much larger than many people realize when they first think of Alabama agriculture. The state also produced 2.42 billion chicken eggs in 2021, ranking 13th nationally.
Aquaculture is another important part of the food system. Alabama ranked second for foodsize catfish inventory, with 46.5 million fish in 2021.
If the question is about the state’s largest agricultural industry rather than its largest crop, poultry is the clearest answer. If the question includes the larger food-and-fiber economy, forestry processing is the largest statewide sector. Trees are not an annual field crop, but timber production, forest products, and processing are central to Alabama’s rural economy.
How to Use Alabama Crop Information for a Home Garden
Commercial crop rankings are useful context, but they are not a planting plan. Commercial crops are not always the best use of a small backyard bed.
Step 1: Separate Farm Commodities From Garden Food
Start by deciding whether you want to understand agriculture or choose food crops for your household.
For a home garden, prioritize crops your household will eat. Peanuts and sweet potatoes can be interesting garden crops, but cotton and hay generally take space that could produce more useful food for most home growers.
Step 2: Choose Crops That Fit Your Site
Look at sunlight, drainage, available bed space, and the time of year before choosing crops. Alabama’s heat and humidity can support a long growing season, but they also make airflow, disease-resistant varieties, and regular observation important.
Warm-season garden choices often include tomatoes, peppers, beans, southern peas, okra, squash, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and melons. Cool-season gardens can include leafy greens, onions, carrots, peas, broccoli, and cabbage.
Step 3: Confirm What Works Near You
Confirm which varieties thrive under your area’s heat, humidity, and growing season before buying seed or transplants.
Finish your plan by choosing a short list of crops, buying suitable seed or transplants, and preparing the soil before planting.
How to Read Agricultural Rankings
A crop ranking can mean several different things, so it helps to read the label before comparing crops.
Production Is Not the Same as Cash Receipts
Production measures how much was produced, such as pounds of peanuts, bales of cotton, or tons of hay. Cash receipts measure farm income from sales. A crop can have high production but lower value per unit, while another crop may bring in more money from fewer acres.
Inventory Is Not the Same as Annual Harvest
Foodsize catfish figures are inventory numbers: fish being held at market size. They show the scale of commercial catfish farming, but they are not the same as pounds of catfish harvested during a year.
A State Rank Does Not Describe Every County
County soils, processing facilities, weather patterns, markets, and farm history all shape local production.
The Year Matters
Agricultural output shifts with weather, prices, disease pressure, planting decisions, and demand. Use the report year when comparing crop figures, especially when deciding whether a statistic describes a long-term pattern or a single season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Alabama grow fruits and vegetables as well as row crops?
Yes, Alabama grows fruits and vegetables as well as row crops. Its agriculture includes small fruit and vegetable farms alongside broad-acre row crops, and local produce contributes to the agricultural landscape in northern and southwest and coastal Alabama. Alabama’s statewide agricultural statistics emphasize major commodities such as poultry, cotton, peanuts, corn, and hay, but growers also produce fruits and vegetables.
Why does hay count as a crop in Alabama?
Hay is a harvested forage crop grown to feed livestock. Alabama produced 2.17 million tons of hay in 2021, even though its national rank was No. 25, because hay is important for the state’s cattle and livestock farms.
What does foodsize catfish mean?
Foodsize catfish are fish large enough to be sold for consumption. Alabama had an inventory of 46.5 million foodsize catfish in 2021, ranking No. 2 nationally; that figure reflects fish on farms rather than an annual harvest total.