Farm operations
666
Avg 348 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IA · FIPS 19053 Bottom quartile by state sales DENSE CROP-LED
Decatur County, Iowa - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Decatur County. Ranked #96 of 99 counties in Iowa.
231,581 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 61.0% 141,247 acres
- Other land
- 39.0% 90,334 acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Decatur County received $22.00 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.9× the Iowa county median of $25.16.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $22.00
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $25.16
- Iowa county median per acre
- 0.87×
- 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Decatur County, Iowa is a CROP-LED 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
$125.2M
0.32× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$5.1M
4.1% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$32.6M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Decatur County's net farm income sits at the 59th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Decatur County Farm Data Shows
Decatur County, Iowa reads as a CROP-LED county with DENSE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 50% to 75% 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 99 of 99 Iowa counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 99 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 99 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Iowa.
Read with Decatur County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Decatur (DENSE · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-LED
Scotts Bluff County, NE · HEAVY
$5.1M federal receipts is lower by $5K than Decatur; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Cooper County, MO · DENSE
$5.1M federal receipts is higher by $8K than Decatur; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Buffalo County, NE · MID
$5.1M federal receipts is higher by $12K than Decatur; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Oglala Lakota County, SD · LIGHT
$5.1M federal receipts is lower by $13K than Decatur; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-LED.
Lincoln County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Lincoln sits near Decatur on payments-per-acre ($21.97) while total receipts differ.
Adams County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Adams sits near Decatur on payments-per-acre ($21.96) while total receipts differ.
Iowa ERS state roll-up
Decatur stamps DENSE · CROP-LED inside Iowa'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 Decatur under the DENSE intensity band.
What to do with this
Where to go after Decatur County, Iowa:
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Decatur County, Iowa?
Decatur County, Iowa has 666 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 348 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Decatur County?
Decatur County's total commodity sales are $125.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #96 among 99 counties in Iowa.
How much federal farm assistance does Decatur County receive?
Decatur County received $5.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($22.00/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Decatur County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Decatur County is $32.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
State Overview
Iowa
99 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-LED (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.