Farm operations
865
Avg 393 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IA · FIPS 19165 865 farms Upper-middle (#29/99) 94% cropland DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Shelby County, Iowa - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Shelby County. Ranked #29 of 99 counties in Iowa.
340K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 93.9% 319K acres
- Other land
- 6.1% 21K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Shelby County received $23.21 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.
- $23.21
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $25.16
- Iowa county median per acre
- 0.92×
- 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.
865 farms · $518.8M sales
Shelby County, Iowa reports 865 farms and $518.8M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #363 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #29 of 99 counties in Iowa; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #29 of 99
- National payments rank #363 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.5%
Commodity sales
$518.8M
1.3× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$7.9M
1.5% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$185.0M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
A
Farm economy grade: A -- Shelby County's net farm income sits at the 95th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Shelby County Farm Data Shows
Shelby County, Iowa reported 865 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $518.8M in total commodity sales and receiving $7.9M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($23.21/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $185.0M. In-state sales rank #29 of 99 in Iowa.
Of 339,793 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 319,048 acres (93.9%) - 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 Iowa.
Land Use
$23.21 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
339,793 acres
Cropland
319,048 acres
Avg Farm Size
393 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 93.9%
319,048 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 339,793 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 319,048 | 93.9% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 20,745 | 6.1% |
| Average farm size | 393 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Shelby County, Iowa?
Shelby County, Iowa has 865 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 393 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Shelby County?
Shelby County's total commodity sales are $518.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #29 among 99 counties in Iowa.
How much federal farm assistance does Shelby County receive?
Shelby County received $7.9M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($23.21/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Shelby County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Shelby County is $185.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Shelby County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Shelby (DENSE · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Pottawattamie County, IA · HEAVY
$7.9M federal receipts is higher by $3K than Shelby; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Aurora County, SD · DENSE
$7.9M federal receipts is higher by $8K than Shelby; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Dewey County, OK · HEAVY
$7.9M federal receipts is lower by $20K than Shelby; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Maricopa County, AZ · HEAVY
$7.9M federal receipts is higher by $33K than Shelby; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Stephenson County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Stephenson sits near Shelby on payments-per-acre ($22.80) while total receipts differ.
Hall County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Hall sits near Shelby on payments-per-acre ($22.79) while total receipts differ.
Iowa ERS state roll-up
Shelby stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY inside Iowa's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#363)
Shelby ranks #363 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
Shelby County, Iowa stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #363 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.