Ahead of Farmer’s Day Oct. 12, LawnStarter compared the 50 states across 42 key metrics to rank 2021’s Best States to Start a Farm or Ranch. Iowa ranked seventh overall in the LawnStarter report.
The rankings considered states with existing farm communities to indicate viability, good infrastructure, and a suitable climate, along with comparing the states based on overhead and ROI potential.
Here’s how Iowa fared in key metrics:
- Increase in Farmland Area Over Past Year – 1st
- Road Quality (Share of Major Roads in Poor or Mediocre Condition) – 4th
- Number of Critical Access Hospitals – 2nd
- Yearly Average Number of Very Hot Days (90 Degrees F or Higher) – 18th
- Natural Hazards Index – 15th
- Farm Workers per 100,000 Residents – 5th
- Yearly Average Rise in Per-Acre Farmland Rental Rate – 36th
- Total Market Value of Agricultural Products Sold – 2nd
The top 10 states in the report: Montana, Kansas, North Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Iowa, Kentucky, Colorado and Wyoming.
To read the full LawnStarter report, click here.
