Farm operations
307
Avg 305 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census KY · FIPS 21007 Top quartile by state sales LIGHT CROP-HEAVY
Ballard County, Kentucky - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Ballard County. Ranked #25 of 120 counties in Kentucky.
93,696 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 81.9% 76,698 acres
- Other land
- 18.1% 16,998 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Ballard County, Kentucky is a CROP-HEAVY county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp LIGHT; commodity sales sit above state median and it shows below-typical federal dependence.
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 reads as a CROP-HEAVY county with LIGHT 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 second-lowest national quintile, $3.41 to $6.98 an acre, which is light federal support for the land base.
The state comparisons on this page use the 120 of 120 Kentucky counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 113 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 85 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Kentucky.
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
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Ballard under the LIGHT intensity band.
What to do with this
Where to go after Ballard County, Kentucky:
- 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.
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).
State Overview
Kentucky
120 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 LIGHT · 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.