Farm operations
544
Avg 514 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IL · FIPS 17053 544 farms Upper-middle (#35/102) 93% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Ford County, Illinois - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Ford County. Ranked #35 of 102 counties in Illinois.
279K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 93.2% 260K acres
- Other land
- 6.8% 19K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Ford County received $11.48 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.0× the Illinois county median of $12.05.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $11.48
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $12.05
- Illinois county median per acre
- 0.95×
- 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.
544 farms · $299.8M sales
Ford County, Illinois reports 544 farms and $299.8M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #971 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #35 of 102 counties in Illinois; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #35 of 102
- National payments rank #971 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.1%
Commodity sales
$299.8M
1.3× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$3.2M
1.1% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$114.0M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Ford County's net farm income sits at the 87th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Ford County Farm Data Shows
Ford County, Illinois reported 544 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $299.8M in total commodity sales and receiving $3.2M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($11.48/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $114.0M. In-state sales rank #35 of 102 in Illinois.
Of 279,456 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 260,462 acres (93.2%) - a CROP-HEAVY profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Illinois.
Land Use
$11.48 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
279,456 acres
Cropland
260,462 acres
Avg Farm Size
514 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 93.2%
260,462 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 279,456 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 260,462 | 93.2% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 18,994 | 6.8% |
| Average farm size | 514 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Ford County, Illinois?
Ford County, Illinois has 544 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 514 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Ford County?
Ford County's total commodity sales are $299.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #35 among 102 counties in Illinois.
How much federal farm assistance does Ford County receive?
Ford County received $3.2M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($11.48/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Ford County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Ford County is $114.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Ford County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Ford (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Steele County, MN · HEAVY
$3.2M federal receipts is higher by $1K than Ford; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Scotland County, MO · HEAVY
$3.2M federal receipts is higher by $2K than Ford; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Will County, IL · HEAVY
$3.2M federal receipts is higher by $3K than Ford; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Gillespie County, TX · LIGHT
$3.2M federal receipts is lower by $4K than Ford; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Mercer County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Mercer sits near Ford on payments-per-acre ($11.44) while total receipts differ.
Sussex County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Sussex sits near Ford on payments-per-acre ($11.39) while total receipts differ.
Illinois ERS state roll-up
Ford stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside Illinois's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#971)
Ford ranks #971 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
Ford County, Illinois stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #971 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.