Farm operations
774
Avg 417 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IA · FIPS 19021 774 farms Top quartile (#6/99) 94% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Buena Vista County, Iowa - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Buena Vista County. Ranked #6 of 99 counties in Iowa.
322K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 93.6% 302K acres
- Other land
- 6.4% 21K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Buena Vista County received $17.49 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.7× the Iowa county median of $25.16.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $17.49
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $25.16
- Iowa county median per acre
- 0.70×
- Iowa 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.
774 farms · $869.4M sales
Buena Vista County, Iowa reports 774 farms and $869.4M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #541 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #6 of 99 counties in Iowa; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #6 of 99
- National payments rank #541 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.6%
Commodity sales
$869.4M
2.2× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$5.6M
0.6% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$273.5M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
A
Farm economy grade: A -- Buena Vista County's net farm income sits at the 98th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Buena Vista County Farm Data Shows
Buena Vista County, Iowa reported 774 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $869.4M in total commodity sales and receiving $5.6M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($17.49/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $273.5M. In-state sales rank #6 of 99 in Iowa.
Of 322,399 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 301,760 acres (93.6%) - 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 Iowa.
Land Use
$17.49 per acre of agricultural land · the median Iowa county receives $25.16. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
322,399 acres
Cropland
301,760 acres
Avg Farm Size
417 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 93.6%
301,760 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 322,399 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 301,760 | 93.6% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 20,639 | 6.4% |
| Average farm size | 417 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Buena Vista County, Iowa?
Buena Vista County, Iowa has 774 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 417 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Buena Vista County?
Buena Vista County's total commodity sales are $869.4M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #6 among 99 counties in Iowa.
How much federal farm assistance does Buena Vista County receive?
Buena Vista County received $5.6M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($17.49/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Buena Vista County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Buena Vista County is $273.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Buena Vista County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Buena Vista (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Gray County, KS · MID
$5.6M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Buena Vista; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Cerro Gordo County, IA · HEAVY
$5.6M federal receipts is lower by $9K than Buena Vista; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
DE Kalb County, IL · HEAVY
$5.6M federal receipts is lower by $11K than Buena Vista; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Stephens County, OK · HEAVY
$5.6M federal receipts is lower by $18K than Buena Vista; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Nicollet County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Nicollet sits near Buena Vista on payments-per-acre ($17.50) while total receipts differ.
Lyon County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Lyon sits near Buena Vista on payments-per-acre ($17.59) while total receipts differ.
Iowa ERS state roll-up
Buena Vista stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside Iowa's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#541)
Buena Vista ranks #541 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
Buena Vista County, Iowa stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #541 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Iowa compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Iowa 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.