Farm operations
307
Avg 305 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census KY · FIPS 21007 307 farms Top quartile (#25/120) 82% cropland LIGHT CROP-HEAVY
Ballard County, Kentucky - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Ballard County. Ranked #25 of 120 counties in Kentucky.
94K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 81.9% 77K acres
- Other land
- 18.1% 17K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Ballard County received $6.71 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 2.1× the Kentucky county median of $3.27.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $6.71
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $3.27
- Kentucky county median per acre
- 2.05×
- Kentucky 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.
307 farms · $99.3M sales
Ballard County, Kentucky reports 307 farms and $99.3M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2081 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #25 of 120 counties in Kentucky; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #25 of 120
- National payments rank #2081 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.6%
Commodity sales
$99.3M
2.5× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$629K
0.6% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$41.3M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Ballard County's net farm income sits at the 64th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Ballard County Farm Data Shows
Ballard County, Kentucky reported 307 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $99.3M in total commodity sales and receiving $629K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($6.71/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $41.3M. In-state sales rank #25 of 120 in Kentucky.
Of 93,696 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 76,698 acres (81.9%) - a CROP-HEAVY profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is LIGHT; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Kentucky.
Land Use
$6.71 per acre of agricultural land · the median Kentucky county receives $3.27. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
93,696 acres
Cropland
76,698 acres
Avg Farm Size
305 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 81.9%
76,698 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 93,696 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 76,698 | 81.9% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 16,998 | 18.1% |
| Average farm size | 305 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Ballard County, Kentucky?
Ballard County, Kentucky has 307 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 305 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Ballard County?
Ballard County's total commodity sales are $99.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #25 among 120 counties in Kentucky.
How much federal farm assistance does Ballard County receive?
Ballard County received $629K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($6.71/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Ballard County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Ballard County is $41.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Ballard County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Ballard (LIGHT · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT CROP-HEAVY
Greenlee County, AZ · DENSE
$629K federal receipts is higher by - than Ballard; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Cole County, MO · LIGHT
$629K federal receipts is higher by - than Ballard; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Putnam County, IL · HEAVY
$630K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Ballard; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Madison County, FL · LIGHT
$631K federal receipts is higher by $2K than Ballard; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Washington County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Washington sits near Ballard on payments-per-acre ($6.71) while total receipts differ.
Alcorn County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Alcorn sits near Ballard on payments-per-acre ($6.69) while total receipts differ.
Kentucky ERS state roll-up
Ballard stamps LIGHT · CROP-HEAVY inside Kentucky's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2081)
Ballard ranks #2081 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the LIGHT intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Ballard County, Kentucky stamps LIGHT · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2081 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Kentucky compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Kentucky 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.