This census can’t count a town’s heritage or identity, but it’s our definitive source for what American farmers are producing here and now. For consistency, we focus on total acres harvested or the nearest available equivalent, often something like acres grown or, in the case of maple syrup (Franklin County, Vt.), taps.

We placed commodities in loose categories to keep things manageable, but don’t consider these designations canonical. If you amateur agricultural taxonomists out there think we should re-categorize your favorite produce or county, email us.

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Redundant, limited or obscure categories were eliminated. The USDA sometimes suppresses data for smaller geographic areas to prevent folks from gathering intel on specific farmers. To limit data suppression, we’ve restricted our search to the county level.

Berries, nuts and miscellaneous other crops

Monterey County, Calif., is the Strawberry Capital of America.

The duel for Strawberry Capital of America is heated. In fact, we first became fascinated with the business of naming national agricultural capitals during a story about unusually low life expectancies in Stilwell, an eastern-Oklahoma town once proclaimed Strawberry Capital of the World.

They don’t grow many strawberries in the rocky soil of the Ozark foothills these days. The real honors go to Monterey County, Calif., where wide-open fields and powerful farming interests harvest more acres of strawberries (about 11,700) than the rival California counties of Ventura and Santa Barbara, and more than Florida champion Hillsborough County, home to the city of Tampa.

In an era when more and more farm income is earned by a few vast farming operations, the capitals of popular crops such as strawberries tend to be found in counties whose soil and topography are best suited to industrial-scale agriculture.

The unfortunate truth? Stilwell probably needs strawberry-related attention more than Monterey does. Anchored by the city of Salinas, the coastal California county is just one crop behind neighboring Fresno County in the race to be America’s Agricultural Capital. Monterey holds the title for a cornucopia of vegetables, including artichokes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, kale, lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, and sugar and snow peas.

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Berries, nuts and other miscellaneous crops Crop Top county, 2017 Top county, 2012 Almonds Fresno, Calif. Kern, Calif. Blackberries Marion, Ore. Marion, Ore. Blueberries Washington, Maine N/A Boysenberries Marion, Ore. Marion, Ore. Chestnuts Ottawa, Mich. Alachua, Fla. Christmas trees Clackamas, Ore. Clackamas, Ore. Cranberries Plymouth, Mass. Plymouth, Mass. English walnuts San Joaquin, Calif. San Joaquin, Calif. Hazelnuts Marion, Ore. Yamhill, Ore. Hops Yakima, Wash. Yakima, Wash. Macadamias Hawaii, Hawaii Hawaii, Hawaii Maple syrup Franklin, Vt. Somerset, Maine Mushrooms Chester, Pa. Chester, Pa. Peanuts Gaines, Tex. Gaines, Tex. Pecans Dona Ana, N.M. Doña Ana, N.M. Pistachios Kern, Calif. Kern, Calif. Raspberries Whatcom, Wash. Santa Cruz, Calif. Sesame Jones, Tex. Colorado, Tex. Sod Palm Beach, Fla. Palm Beach, Fla. Strawberries Monterey, Calif. Monterey, Calif. Sunflower Sully, S.D. Sully, S.D. Source: USDA Census of Agriculture

Field and grain crops

Pulaski County, Ind., is the popcorn capital of America.

The Midwest is littered with would-be popcorn capitals, from North Loup, Neb., to Marion, Ohio, but the latest data show a surge in production has propelled Pulaski County, in northwest Indiana, into the lead. The two previous censuses placed the popcorn capital in the central Illinois county of Mason.

The overall corn title is more complicated. If you look at grain corn, Brown County in northeast South Dakota takes the top spot, but the nation’s sweet corn capital is now Palm Beach County, Fla., as changing tastes lead to a steep drop in production in many northern counties.

At the state level, Iowa remains the grain-corn capital, while Minnesota retains its sweet-corn title. As a rule, state capitals for each crop change less often, but the geography is too broad for our purposes.

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Field and grain crops Crop Top county, 2017 Top county, 2012 Barley Toole, Mont. Bottineau, N.D. Buckwheat Franklin, Wash. Kidder, N.D. Canola Cavalier, N.D. Cavalier, N.D. Cotton Lynn, Tex. Lynn, Tex. Flaxseed Ward, N.D. Ward, N.D. Grain corn Brown, S.D. Iroquois, Ill. Hay (inc. Haylage) Cherry, Neb. Cherry, Neb. Millet Washington, Colo. Cheyenne, Neb. Oats Aroostook, Maine Aroostook, Maine Popcorn Pulaski, Ind. Mason, Ill. Rice Colusa, Calif. Colusa, Calif. Rye Kingfisher, Okla. Kingfisher, Okla. Safflower Meade, S.D. Box Elder, Utah Sorghum (grain) Nueces, Tex. Hidalgo, Tex. Soybeans Cass, N.D. Cass, N.D. Sugarbeets Polk, Minn. Polk, Minn. Sweet corn Palm Beach, Fla. Grant, Wash. Tobacco Johnston, N.C. Wayne, N.C. Wheat Whitman, Wash. Chouteau, Mont. Wild rice Shasta, Calif. Shasta, Calif. Source: USDA Census of Agriculture

Much of the nation’s farm revenue is concentrated in a handful of fertile Midwestern states, but when it comes time to crowning the beet capital of America, they just can’t compete with specialists like Genesee County, N.Y., outside of Rochester. The farm-belt states tend to pour their energy into headline crops such as soybeans (Cass County, N.D.) and corn (Brown County, S.D.).

Fruit

Hidalgo County, Tex., is the watermelon capital of America.

To the outside observer, it often seems places that declare themselves the nation’s flaxseed (Ward County, N.D.) or cherimoya (Ventura County, Calif.) capital are really just seeking an excuse to invite everyone to an outdoor celebration while the weather’s still nice. Watermelons are more or less synonymous with that sort of party, so of course there’s no shortage of pretenders to the watermelon capital throne.

According to the Orlando-based National Watermelon Promotion Board, watermelon capitals include: Cordele, Ga.; Hope, Ark.; Weatherford, Tex.; Green River, Utah; Naples, Tex.; Beardstown, Ill. and Rush Springs, Okla. But the true capital, USDA data shows, is Hidalgo County, Tex., at the southern extreme of the state along the border with Mexico. Watermelon production has fallen in Texas, however, and on the state level it has ceded its crown to Florida.

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Fruit Crop Top county, 2017 Top county, 2012 Apples Yakima, Wash. Yakima, Wash. Apricots Stanislaus, Calif. Stanislaus, Calif. Avocados Ventura, Calif. San Diego, Calif. Bananas Miami-dade, Fla. Miami-Dade, Fla. Cantaloupe Fresno, Calif. Fresno, Calif. Cherimoyas Ventura, Calif. N/A Coffee Hawaii, Hawaii N/A Dates Riverside, Calif. Riverside, Calif. Figs Madera, Calif. Madera, Calif. Grapefruit St. Lucie, Fla. St. Lucie, Fla. Grapes Fresno, Calif. Fresno, Calif. Guavas Miami-dade, Fla. Miami-Dade, Fla. Honeydew Fresno, Calif. Sutter, Calif. Kiwifruit Tulare, Calif. Tulare, Calif. Kumquats San Diego, Calif. San Diego, Calif. Lemons Ventura, Calif. Ventura, Calif. Limes San Diego, Calif. San Diego, Calif. Mangoes Miami-dade, Fla. Miami-Dade, Fla. Nectarines Fresno, Calif. Fresno, Calif. Olives Tulare, Calif. Tulare, Calif. Oranges Tulare, Calif. Hendry, Fla. Papayas Hawaii, Hawaii Hawaii, Hawaii Passionfruit Miami-dade, Fla. Miami-Dade, Fla. Peaches Fresno, Calif. Fresno, Calif. Pears Hood River, Ore. Hood River, Ore. Persimmons Fresno, Calif. Fresno, Calif. Pineapples Hawaii, Hawaii N/A Plums and prunes Sutter, Calif. Sutter, Calif. Pluots and plumcots Fresno, Calif. Fresno, Calif. Pomegranates Madera, Calif. Kern, Calif. Prunes Sutter, Calif. Sutter, Calif. Pumpkins Mason, Ill. Tazewell, Ill. Squash Oceana, Mich. Miami-Dade, Fla. Sweet cherries San Joaquin, Calif. San Joaquin, Calif. Tangelos Tulare, Calif. Tulare, Calif. Tangerines Tulare, Calif. Kern, Calif. Tart cherries Leelanau, Mich. Oceana, Mich. Watermelon Hidalgo, Tex. Hidalgo, Tex. Source: USDA Census of Agriculture

Vegetables

Oceana County, Mich., is the asparagus capital of America.

Oceana is back! The self-proclaimed “Asparagus Capital of the Nation” hadn’t led the nation in asparagus acreage for years, but in 2012 it wrested its title back from California’s fertile San Joaquin County, home of rival capital Stockton’s San Joaquin Asparagus Festival. It continued to outproduce the California county in 2017.

In fairness, Oceana’s triumph was primarily a function of falling production in California’s Central Valley. Oceana County’s asparagus production has remained fairly steady this millennium, while production in the California county has plunged 86 percent since 2002.

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Vegetables Crop Top county, 2017 Top county, 2012 Artichokes Monterey, Calif. Monterey, Calif. Asparagus Oceana, Mich. Oceana, Mich. Beets Genesee, N.Y. Genesee, N.Y. Bell peppers Palm Beach, Fla. Palm Beach, Fla. Black-eyed peas Jackson, Fla. Autauga, Ala. Broccoli Monterey, Calif. Monterey, Calif. Brussels sprouts Monterey, Calif. Imperial, Calif. Cabbage Monterey, Calif. Hidalgo, Tex. Carrots Kern, Calif. Kern, Calif. Cauliflower Monterey, Calif. Monterey, Calif. Celery Monterey, Calif. Ventura, Calif. Chickpeas Whitman, Wash. N/A Chili peppers Luna, N.M. Ventura, Calif. Chinese cabbage San Luis Obispo, Calif. San Luis Obispo, Calif. Collard greens Colquitt, Ga. Colquitt, Ga. Cucumbers Bay, Mich. Saginaw, Mich. Daikon Fresno, Calif. Fresno, Calif. Dry beans Grand Forks, N.D. N/A Eggplant Fresno, Calif. Fresno, Calif. Escarole & endive Cumberland, N.J. Monterey, Calif. Fresh herbs Ventura, Calif. Hidalgo, Tex. Garlic Fresno, Calif. Fresno, Calif. Ginger root Hawaii, Hawaii Hawaii, Hawaii Ginseng Marathon, Wis. Marathon, Wis. Green onions Imperial, Calif. Fresno, Calif. Horseradish Modoc, Calif. Madison, Ill. Kale Monterey, Calif. Monterey, Calif. Lentils Sheridan, Mont. Williams, N.D. Lettuce Monterey, Calif. Monterey, Calif. Lima beans Sussex, Del. Sussex, Del. Mustard cabbage Palm Beach, Fla. Hawaii, Hawaii Mustard greens Monterey, Calif. Colquitt, Ga. Okra Fannin, Tex. Imperial, Calif. Onions Benton, Wash. Fresno, Calif. Parsley Fresno, Calif. Monterey, Calif. Peas Umatilla, Ore. Umatilla, Ore. Potatoes Bingham, Idaho Bingham, Idaho Radishes Palm Beach, Fla. Palm Beach, Fla. Rhubarb Pierce, Wash. Clackamas, Ore. Snap beans (green and wax) Portage, Wis. Portage, Wis. Spinach Monterey, Calif. Monterey, Calif. Sugar and snow peas Monterey, Calif. Canyon, Idaho Sweet potatoes Merced, Calif. Merced, Calif. Taro Honolulu, Hawaii Kauai, Hawaii Turnip greens Colquitt, Ga. Colquitt, Ga. Turnips Newaygo, Mich. Newaygo, Mich. Watercress Fresno, Calif. Ventura, Calif. Note: Dry beans exclude chickpeas.

Source: USDA Census of Agriculture

Of course, if your favorite county lost its spot on top of the rankings for horseradish (Modoc County, Calif.) or potatoes (Bingham County, Idaho), you’ve got plenty of excuses. County (or equivalent, such as parish) is an inconsistent geographic unit, and gives states with enormous counties, such as Arizona, an advantage over states with smaller ones, such as Virginia.