Farm operations
394
Avg 251 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IN · FIPS 18149 Bottom quartile by state sales DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Starke County, Indiana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Starke County. Ranked #76 of 92 counties in Indiana.
98,815 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 85.0% 83,952 acres
- Other land
- 15.0% 14,863 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Starke County, Indiana is a CROP-HEAVY county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp DENSE; commodity sales sit well below state median and it shows above-typical federal dependence.
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 reads as a CROP-HEAVY county with DENSE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 75% or more of agricultural land, a profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles; payments per agricultural acre fall in the highest national quintile, $18.39 an acre or more, federal receipts concentrated on a small farmed base.
The state comparisons on this page use the 92 of 92 Indiana counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 92 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 89 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Indiana.
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
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Starke under the DENSE intensity band.
What to do with this
From Starke County, Indiana, these three pages are the natural next reads:
- 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.
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).
State Overview
Indiana
92 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 DENSE · land stamp CROP-HEAVY (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.