Agriculture, Mercer County's Foundation

Agriculture, Mercer County's Foundation. . , One of the striking impressions that Celina's lighthouse leaves is that it is not often approached through seas of grain. The level countryside around Celina and Grand Lake represents this area's founding father's dreams, a land of bountiful harvest. The amount of the county's farmland grew rapidly following initial settlement. Forested land was cleared, until today, there are only remnant wood lots left. Mercer County has become a continual leader in production of many agricultural products, and often tops the state in total cash receipts. As we go into the next millennium, the county faces the same problem the rest of this country's agriculture communities face, loss of farmland to development. , The last decades of the 19th century may mark the high point for the local agricultural community. in the 1980's and 1990's the number of farms decreased from 1,710 to less than 1,450. To offset this, the average size of the farms increased from 167 acres to over 194 acres. , Even with this offset, the total number of farm acreage decreased a high of 289,000 acres to less than 282,000 acres. Through changing farm practices, the total cash receipts of the county has risen from $129,562,000 in 1980 to over $309,055,000. , Soybeans and corn are the prime crops grown. They amount to approximately 74% of the acreage planted. Wheat and hay amount to another 25% with oats and other crops accounting for the last 1%. While overall livestock production has increased, the individual totals for cattle, milk, hogs, and sheep have fluctuated through the years. . This historical marker is in Celina in Mercer County Ohio