Farm operations
1,350
Avg 119 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census KY · FIPS 21211 1,350 farms Top quartile (#26/120) 62% cropland LIGHT CROP-LED
Shelby County, Kentucky - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Shelby County. Ranked #26 of 120 counties in Kentucky.
160K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 62.2% 100K acres
- Other land
- 37.8% 61K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Shelby County received $4.67 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.4× the Kentucky county median of $3.27.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $4.67
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $3.27
- Kentucky county median per acre
- 1.43×
- 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.
1,350 farms · $91.7M sales
Shelby County, Kentucky reports 1,350 farms and $91.7M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1998 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #26 of 120 counties in Kentucky; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #26 of 120
- National payments rank #1998 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.8%
Commodity sales
$91.7M
2.3× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$747K
0.8% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$14.5M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Shelby County's net farm income sits at the 43th 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, Kentucky reported 1,350 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $91.7M in total commodity sales and receiving $747K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($4.67/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $14.5M. In-state sales rank #26 of 120 in Kentucky.
Of 160,081 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 99,543 acres (62.2%) - a CROP-LED 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
$4.67 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
160,081 acres
Cropland
99,543 acres
Avg Farm Size
119 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 62.2%
99,543 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 160,081 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 99,543 | 62.2% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 60,538 | 37.8% |
| Average farm size | 119 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Shelby County, Kentucky?
Shelby County, Kentucky has 1,350 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 119 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Shelby County?
Shelby County's total commodity sales are $91.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #26 among 120 counties in Kentucky.
How much federal farm assistance does Shelby County receive?
Shelby County received $747K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($4.67/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Shelby County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Shelby County is $14.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Shelby County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Shelby (LIGHT · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT CROP-LED
Jefferson County, FL · LIGHT
$746K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Shelby; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-LED.
Allendale County, SC · MID
$748K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Shelby; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Pulaski County, VA · MID
$750K federal receipts is higher by $3K than Shelby; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Santa Cruz County, AZ · LIGHT
$751K federal receipts is higher by $4K than Shelby; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-LED.
Coffee County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Coffee sits near Shelby on payments-per-acre ($4.66) while total receipts differ.
Brevard County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Brevard sits near Shelby on payments-per-acre ($4.67) while total receipts differ.
Kentucky ERS state roll-up
Shelby stamps LIGHT · CROP-LED inside Kentucky's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1998)
Shelby ranks #1998 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
Shelby County, Kentucky stamps LIGHT · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1998 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.