Farm operations
421
Avg 282 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census AL · FIPS 01045 Top quartile by state sales DENSE MIXED
Dale County, Alabama - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Dale County. Ranked #8 of 67 counties in Alabama.
118,588 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 38.2% 45,359 acres
- Other land
- 61.8% 73,229 acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Dale County received $26.01 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 6.6× the Alabama county median of $3.96.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $26.01
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $3.96
- Alabama county median per acre
- 6.57×
- Alabama median per acre
Payments per acre use the same NASS county table for receipts and acreage. Census county totals are not a roll-up of the USDA ERS state payment series.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Dale County, Alabama is a MIXED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp DENSE; commodity sales sit above state median and it shows below-typical federal dependence.
Commodity sales
$319.3M
4.1× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$3.1M
1.0% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$123.0M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Dale County's net farm income sits at the 89th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Dale County Farm Data Shows
Dale County, Alabama reads as a MIXED county with DENSE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 25% to 50% of agricultural land with the balance in pasture, range, woodland or farmsteads, so row-crop and livestock-side programs are both in play; payments per agricultural acre fall in the highest national quintile, $18.39 an acre or more, federal receipts concentrated on a small farmed base.
The state comparisons on this page use the 67 of 67 Alabama counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 65 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 62 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Alabama.
Read with Dale County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Dale (DENSE · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE MIXED
Motley County, TX · MID
$3.1M federal receipts is higher by - than Dale; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs MIXED.
Steuben County, NY · MID
$3.1M federal receipts is higher by $4K than Dale; land stamp CROP-LED vs MIXED.
Hall County, NE · MID
$3.1M federal receipts is lower by $5K than Dale; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Kearney County, NE · MID
$3.1M federal receipts is higher by $6K than Dale; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Appling County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Appling sits near Dale on payments-per-acre ($26.36) while total receipts differ.
Harnett County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Harnett sits near Dale on payments-per-acre ($25.51) while total receipts differ.
Alabama ERS state roll-up
Dale stamps DENSE · MIXED inside Alabama's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Dale under the DENSE intensity band.
What to do with this
Three ways to keep going from Dale County, Alabama:
- See how Alabama compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Alabama state page
- Browse the full county table to compare payment intensity across the country. All counties
- Understand what actually drives county-level farm payments. Read the guide
County figures (2022 NASS Census of Agriculture) are a separate population from USDA ERS state and national payment series and must not be summed together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Dale County, Alabama?
Dale County, Alabama has 421 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 282 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Dale County?
Dale County's total commodity sales are $319.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #8 among 67 counties in Alabama.
How much federal farm assistance does Dale County receive?
Dale County received $3.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($26.01/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Dale County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Dale County is $123.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
State Overview
Alabama
67 counties · View state farm data
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 2022 Census of Agriculture · 2022
Dollar values reflect calendar year 2022 farm operations data.
PlainFarmData is an independent data portal, not affiliated with USDA, FSA, or any government agency. For official program eligibility or application guidance, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office.
Intensity stamp DENSE · land stamp MIXED (NASS payments-per-acre / cropland share bands).
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Verify with USDA NASS Census of Agriculture →
County farm figures on this page are rendered from the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture, no number is typed in by an editor. Census county totals are not a roll-up of the USDA ERS state payment series. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.