Farm operations
449
Avg 364 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IL · FIPS 17009 449 farms Bottom quartile (#89/102) 54% cropland DENSE CROP-LED
Brown County, Illinois - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Brown County. Ranked #89 of 102 counties in Illinois.
163K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 54.1% 88K acres
- Other land
- 45.9% 75K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Brown County received $20.11 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.7× the Illinois county median of $12.05.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $20.11
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $12.05
- Illinois county median per acre
- 1.67×
- Illinois 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.
449 farms · $84.9M sales
Brown County, Illinois reports 449 farms and $84.9M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #947 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #89 of 102 counties in Illinois; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #89 of 102
- National payments rank #947 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 3.9%
Commodity sales
$84.9M
0.36× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$3.3M
3.9% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$39.0M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Brown County's net farm income sits at the 63th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Brown County Farm Data Shows
Brown County, Illinois reported 449 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $84.9M in total commodity sales and receiving $3.3M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($20.11/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $39.0M. In-state sales rank #89 of 102 in Illinois.
Of 163,236 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 88,340 acres (54.1%) - a CROP-LED profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is DENSE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Illinois.
Land Use
$20.11 per acre of agricultural land · the median Illinois county receives $12.05. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
163,236 acres
Cropland
88,340 acres
Avg Farm Size
364 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 54.1%
88,340 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 163,236 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 88,340 | 54.1% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 74,896 | 45.9% |
| Average farm size | 364 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Brown County, Illinois?
Brown County, Illinois has 449 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 364 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Brown County?
Brown County's total commodity sales are $84.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #89 among 102 counties in Illinois.
How much federal farm assistance does Brown County receive?
Brown County received $3.3M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($20.11/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Brown County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Brown County is $39.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Brown County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Brown (DENSE · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-LED
Hamilton County, IL · HEAVY
$3.3M federal receipts is higher by $2K than Brown; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Juneau County, WI · DENSE
$3.3M federal receipts is lower by $6K than Brown; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Clinton County, IL · HEAVY
$3.3M federal receipts is lower by $8K than Brown; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Barton County, KS · LIGHT
$3.3M federal receipts is higher by $8K than Brown; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Cumberland County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Cumberland sits near Brown on payments-per-acre ($20.80) while total receipts differ.
Green County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Green sits near Brown on payments-per-acre ($21.09) while total receipts differ.
Illinois ERS state roll-up
Brown stamps DENSE · CROP-LED inside Illinois's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#947)
Brown ranks #947 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the DENSE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Brown County, Illinois stamps DENSE · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #947 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Illinois compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Illinois 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.