Farm operations
1,131
Avg 468 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census CO · FIPS 08067 1,131 farms Upper-middle (#31/63) 14% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
LA Plata County, Colorado - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for LA Plata County. Ranked #31 of 63 counties in Colorado.
530K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 14.4% 76K acres
- Other land
- 85.6% 453K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
LA Plata County received $3.29 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.5× the Colorado county median of $6.19.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $3.29
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $6.19
- Colorado county median per acre
- 0.53×
- Colorado 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.
1,131 farms · $33.1M sales
LA Plata County, Colorado reports 1,131 farms and $33.1M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1461 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #31 of 63 counties in Colorado; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #31 of 63
- National payments rank #1461 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 5.3%
Commodity sales
$33.1M
0.93× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$1.7M
5.3% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$-2.8M
2022 cash income -- Net loss
F
Farm economy grade: F -- LA Plata County's net farm income sits at the 5th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the LA Plata County Farm Data Shows
LA Plata County, Colorado reported 1,131 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $33.1M in total commodity sales and receiving $1.7M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($3.29/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $-2.8M. In-state sales rank #31 of 63 in Colorado.
Of 529,782 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 76,417 acres (14.4%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is TRACE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Colorado.
Land Use
$3.29 per acre of agricultural land · the median Colorado county receives $6.19. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
529,782 acres
Cropland
76,417 acres
Avg Farm Size
468 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 14.4%
76,417 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 529,782 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 76,417 | 14.4% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 453,365 | 85.6% |
| Average farm size | 468 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in LA Plata County, Colorado?
LA Plata County, Colorado has 1,131 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 468 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of LA Plata County?
LA Plata County's total commodity sales are $33.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #31 among 63 counties in Colorado.
How much federal farm assistance does LA Plata County receive?
LA Plata County received $1.7M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($3.29/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in LA Plata County?
Net cash farm income for operations in LA Plata County is $-2.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with LA Plata County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for LA Plata (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Columbiana County, OH · HEAVY
$1.7M federal receipts is higher by $1K than LA Plata; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Carver County, MN · MID
$1.7M federal receipts is lower by $2K than LA Plata; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Thayer County, NE · LIGHT
$1.7M federal receipts is lower by $2K than LA Plata; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Hamilton County, TX · TRACE
$1.7M federal receipts is higher by $4K than LA Plata; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Roberts County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Roberts sits near LA Plata on payments-per-acre ($3.30) while total receipts differ.
Bell County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Bell sits near LA Plata on payments-per-acre ($3.40) while total receipts differ.
Colorado ERS state roll-up
LA Plata stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside Colorado's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1461)
LA Plata ranks #1461 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the TRACE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
LA Plata County, Colorado stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1461 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Colorado compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Colorado 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.
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.