Map of North Carolina showing soybean production by county in 2023, with counties color-coded by bushel size; a bar graph illustrates Soybean acres planted and harvested from 2014 to 2023.

Farm Ownership

Because soybeans work well in rotation with other crops like tobacco and can be planted in the same field in the same year following the winter wheat crop, it is a very popular crop with farmers. Despite popular misconception, roughly 95% of farms in North Carolina are family/individually own. These families are dedicated to producing the highest quality soybean for the consumer and take extra care protecting the land on which their livelihood depends.

Pie chart depicting North Carolina farm cash receipts for 2023, showing 69.75% livestock, dairy, and poultry; 30.25% crops. Crops include hogs (17%), poultry (5.1%), and others like vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, cotton, peanuts, wheat, corn, soybeans, tobacco, and miscellaneous. Livestock categories include cattle, calves, turkeys, broilers, and others.

Geographic Distribution

North Carolina farmers plant soybeans in all 100 counties in the state from the mountains to the sea. Most soybean acres, however, are in the eastern part of the state in the coastal plain. At 1.6 million acres in an average year, soybeans have the biggest footprint of any crop in the state. In a good year, the crop is worth as much as $800 million to farmers.

Commodity Influence in NC

Soybeans are the #1 crop produced by farmers in North Carolina! Soybeans rank in the top 5 total commodities by cash receipts in 2023. To continue researching NC Agricultural Statistics click learn more!

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