As Mason County makes comprehensive plans for the future, we must consider data from the trends that brought us to this point. Mason County harvested 24,000 more crop acres in 2017 than in 1974, although the total farmland available shrank.  

USDA records show – corn acres harvested increased to 8,400 in 2021 from only 4,500 in 2000.

Mason County’s Soybean harvest exploded to 11,100 acres in 2021 from only 900 acres in 2000. This 10,200 acres increase in soybeans is particularly troubling because soybeans cause a higher rate of soil erosion than corn or almost any other crop