Farm operations
836
Avg 466 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census FL · FIPS 12055 Top quartile by state sales MID PASTURE-LED
Highlands County, Florida - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Highlands County. Ranked #14 of 67 counties in Florida.
389,622 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 20.8% 80,896 acres
- Other land
- 79.2% 308,726 acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Highlands County received $7.22 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.0× the Florida county median of $7.22.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $7.22
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.22
- Florida county median per acre
- 1.00×
- Florida 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, Highlands County, Florida is a PASTURE-LED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp MID; commodity sales sit above state median and it shows below-typical federal dependence.
Commodity sales
$225.5M
3.4× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$2.8M
1.2% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$45.6M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Highlands County's net farm income sits at the 66th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Highlands County Farm Data Shows
Highlands County, Florida reads as a PASTURE-LED county with MID federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is under 25% of agricultural land, a mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs; payments per agricultural acre fall in the middle national quintile, $6.98 to $11.30 an acre, a mid-range level of federal support for the land base.
The state comparisons on this page use the 67 of 67 Florida counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 59 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 55 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Florida.
Read with Highlands County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Highlands (MID · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
MID PASTURE-LED
Saline County, NE · MID
$2.8M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Highlands; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Freestone County, TX · MID
$2.8M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Highlands; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Mcculloch County, TX · LIGHT
$2.8M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Highlands; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Calloway County, KY · DENSE
$2.8M federal receipts is lower by $3K than Highlands; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Otoe County (MID $/acre pole)
Otoe sits near Highlands on payments-per-acre ($7.24) while total receipts differ.
Darke County (MID $/acre pole)
Darke sits near Highlands on payments-per-acre ($7.13) while total receipts differ.
Florida ERS state roll-up
Highlands stamps MID · PASTURE-LED inside Florida'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 Highlands under the MID intensity band.
What to do with this
Three places to go next from Highlands County, Florida:
- See how Florida compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Florida 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 Highlands County, Florida?
Highlands County, Florida has 836 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 466 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Highlands County?
Highlands County's total commodity sales are $225.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #14 among 67 counties in Florida.
How much federal farm assistance does Highlands County receive?
Highlands County received $2.8M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping MID on NASS payments-per-acre ($7.22/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Highlands County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Highlands County is $45.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
State Overview
Florida
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 MID · land stamp PASTURE-LED (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.