Farm operations
394
Avg 251 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IN · FIPS 18149 394 farms Bottom quartile (#76/92) 85% cropland DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Starke County, Indiana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Starke County. Ranked #76 of 92 counties in Indiana.
99K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 85.0% 84K acres
- Other land
- 15.0% 15K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Starke County received $23.25 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 3.5× the Indiana county median of $6.68.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $23.25
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $6.68
- Indiana county median per acre
- 3.48×
- Indiana 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.
394 farms · $75.5M sales
Starke County, Indiana reports 394 farms and $75.5M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1246 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #76 of 92 counties in Indiana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #76 of 92
- National payments rank #1246 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 3.0%
Commodity sales
$75.5M
0.45× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$2.3M
3.0% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$29.3M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Starke County's net farm income sits at the 57th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Starke County Farm Data Shows
Starke County, Indiana reported 394 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $75.5M in total commodity sales and receiving $2.3M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($23.25/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $29.3M. In-state sales rank #76 of 92 in Indiana.
Of 98,815 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 83,952 acres (85.0%) - a CROP-HEAVY 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 Indiana.
Land Use
$23.25 per acre of agricultural land · the median Indiana county receives $6.68. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
98,815 acres
Cropland
83,952 acres
Avg Farm Size
251 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 85.0%
83,952 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 98,815 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 83,952 | 85.0% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 14,863 | 15.0% |
| Average farm size | 251 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Starke County, Indiana?
Starke County, Indiana has 394 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 251 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Starke County?
Starke County's total commodity sales are $75.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #76 among 92 counties in Indiana.
How much federal farm assistance does Starke County receive?
Starke County received $2.3M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($23.25/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Starke County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Starke County is $29.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Starke County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Starke (DENSE · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Bradford County, PA · MID
$2.3M federal receipts is higher by - than Starke; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Washington County, OK · HEAVY
$2.3M federal receipts is lower by $4K than Starke; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Graham County, AZ · TRACE
$2.3M federal receipts is higher by $5K than Starke; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Franklin County, ID · MID
$2.3M federal receipts is higher by $5K than Starke; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Lorain County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Lorain sits near Starke on payments-per-acre ($23.66) while total receipts differ.
Grafton County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Grafton sits near Starke on payments-per-acre ($23.86) while total receipts differ.
Indiana ERS state roll-up
Starke stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY inside Indiana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1246)
Starke ranks #1246 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
Starke County, Indiana stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1246 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Indiana compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Indiana 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.