Farm operations
397
Avg 1,333 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census CO · FIPS 08089 397 farms Top quartile (#12/63) 14% cropland HEAVY PASTURE-LED
Otero County, Colorado - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Otero County. Ranked #12 of 63 counties in Colorado.
529K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 14.4% 76K acres
- Other land
- 85.6% 453K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Otero County received $14.44 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 2.3× the Colorado county median of $6.19.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $14.44
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $6.19
- Colorado county median per acre
- 2.33×
- 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.
397 farms · $132.6M sales
Otero County, Colorado reports 397 farms and $132.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #378 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #12 of 63 counties in Colorado; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #12 of 63
- National payments rank #378 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 5.8%
Commodity sales
$132.6M
3.7× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$7.6M
5.8% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$51.6M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Otero County's net farm income sits at the 69th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Otero County Farm Data Shows
Otero County, Colorado reported 397 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $132.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $7.6M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($14.44/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $51.6M. In-state sales rank #12 of 63 in Colorado.
Of 529,274 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 76,011 acres (14.4%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Colorado.
Land Use
$14.44 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
529,274 acres
Cropland
76,011 acres
Avg Farm Size
1,333 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 14.4%
76,011 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 529,274 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 76,011 | 14.4% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 453,263 | 85.6% |
| Average farm size | 1,333 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Otero County, Colorado?
Otero County, Colorado has 397 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 1,333 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Otero County?
Otero County's total commodity sales are $132.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #12 among 63 counties in Colorado.
How much federal farm assistance does Otero County receive?
Otero County received $7.6M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($14.44/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Otero County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Otero County is $51.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Otero County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Otero (HEAVY · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY PASTURE-LED
Major County, OK · HEAVY
$7.6M federal receipts is higher by $3K than Otero; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Johnson County, MO · DENSE
$7.7M federal receipts is higher by $11K than Otero; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Hill County, TX · HEAVY
$7.6M federal receipts is lower by $37K than Otero; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Butte County, CA · DENSE
$7.7M federal receipts is higher by $38K than Otero; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Frontier County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Frontier sits near Otero on payments-per-acre ($14.42) while total receipts differ.
Blaine County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Blaine sits near Otero on payments-per-acre ($14.48) while total receipts differ.
Colorado ERS state roll-up
Otero stamps HEAVY · PASTURE-LED inside Colorado's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#378)
Otero ranks #378 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the HEAVY intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Otero County, Colorado stamps HEAVY · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #378 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.