Farm operations
838
Avg 157 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MI · FIPS 26159 Top quartile by state sales DENSE CROP-LED
Van Buren County, Michigan - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Van Buren County. Ranked #18 of 83 counties in Michigan.
131,486 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 74.3% 97,689 acres
- Other land
- 25.7% 33,797 acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Van Buren County received $53.64 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 5.0× the Michigan county median of $10.62.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $53.64
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $10.62
- Michigan county median per acre
- 5.05×
- Michigan 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, Van Buren County, Michigan is a CROP-LED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp DENSE; commodity sales sit above state median and it shows above-typical federal dependence.
Commodity sales
$262.3M
3.2× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$7.1M
2.7% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$69.4M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Van Buren County's net farm income sits at the 76th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Van Buren County Farm Data Shows
Van Buren County, Michigan reads as a CROP-LED county with DENSE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 50% to 75% 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 highest national quintile, $18.39 an acre or more, federal receipts concentrated on a small farmed base.
The state comparisons on this page use the 81 of 83 Michigan counties with published commodity sales (2 withheld by NASS to protect respondents are left out, not counted as zero), averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 80 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 74 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Michigan.
Read with Van Buren County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Van Buren (DENSE · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-LED
Power County, ID · HEAVY
$7.1M federal receipts is higher by $13K than Van Buren; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Cherokee County, IA · DENSE
$7.0M federal receipts is lower by $33K than Van Buren; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Pettis County, MO · DENSE
$7.1M federal receipts is higher by $34K than Van Buren; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Wayne County, IA · DENSE
$7.0M federal receipts is lower by $42K than Van Buren; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Berrien County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Berrien sits near Van Buren on payments-per-acre ($57.73) while total receipts differ.
Ottawa County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Ottawa sits near Van Buren on payments-per-acre ($46.49) while total receipts differ.
Michigan ERS state roll-up
Van Buren stamps DENSE · CROP-LED inside Michigan'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 Van Buren under the DENSE intensity band.
What to do with this
From Van Buren County, Michigan, these three pages are the natural next reads:
- See how Michigan compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Michigan 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 Van Buren County, Michigan?
Van Buren County, Michigan has 838 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 157 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Van Buren County?
Van Buren County's total commodity sales are $262.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #18 among 83 counties in Michigan.
How much federal farm assistance does Van Buren County receive?
Van Buren County received $7.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($53.64/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Van Buren County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Van Buren County is $69.4M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
State Overview
Michigan
83 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 DENSE · land stamp CROP-LED (NASS payments-per-acre / cropland share bands).
NASS withholds commodity sales for 2 Michigan counties with too few farm operations to publish without identifying individual producers. Those counties are excluded from the peer median on this page rather than counted as zero sales.
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.