2022 USDA Census KY · FIPS 21189 Bottom quartile by state sales TRACE MIXED

Owsley County, Kentucky - Farm Data

Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Owsley County. Ranked #107 of 120 counties in Kentucky.

Agricultural land composition · 2022 USDA Census · data refreshed 2026-05-15
21,686 acres of agricultural land
Cropland
26.2% 5,689 acres
Other land
73.8% 15,997 acres
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USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture

Owsley County received $1.80 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.5× the Kentucky county median of $3.27.

According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.

$1.80
government payments per agricultural acre
$3.27
Kentucky county median per acre
0.55×
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, Owsley County, Kentucky is a MIXED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp TRACE; commodity sales sit well below state median and it shows above-typical federal dependence.

Farm operations

84

Avg 258 ac / farm

Commodity sales

$1.5M

0.037× state median -- Well below state median

Federal payments

$39K

2.7% of sales -- Above-typical dependence

Net farm income

$-144K

2022 cash income -- Net loss

F

Farm economy grade: F -- Owsley County's net farm income sits at the 13th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.

What the Owsley County Farm Data Shows

Owsley County, Kentucky reads as a MIXED county with TRACE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 25% to 50% of agricultural land with the balance in pasture, range, woodland or farmsteads, so row-crop and livestock-side programs are both in play; payments per agricultural acre fall in the lowest national quintile, under $3.41 an acre, so program receipts are a marginal line beside market revenue.

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.

What to do with this

Three ways to keep going from Owsley County, Kentucky:

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 Owsley County, Kentucky?
Owsley County, Kentucky has 84 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 258 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Owsley County?
Owsley County's total commodity sales are $1.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #107 among 120 counties in Kentucky.
How much federal farm assistance does Owsley County receive?
Owsley County received $39K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($1.80/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Owsley County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Owsley County is $-144K (2022 Census of Agriculture).

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 TRACE · land stamp MIXED (NASS payments-per-acre / cropland share bands).

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.