Farm operations
841
Avg 248 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MN · FIPS 27037 841 farms Upper-middle (#38/87) 90% cropland DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Dakota County, Minnesota - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Dakota County. Ranked #38 of 87 counties in Minnesota.
209K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 90.0% 188K acres
- Other land
- 10.0% 21K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Dakota County received $21.42 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.3× the Minnesota county median of $16.58.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $21.42
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $16.58
- Minnesota county median per acre
- 1.29×
- Minnesota 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.
841 farms · $364.8M sales
Dakota County, Minnesota reports 841 farms and $364.8M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #689 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #38 of 87 counties in Minnesota; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #38 of 87
- National payments rank #689 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.2%
Commodity sales
$364.8M
1.2× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$4.5M
1.2% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$130.6M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
A
Farm economy grade: A -- Dakota County's net farm income sits at the 90th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Dakota County Farm Data Shows
Dakota County, Minnesota reported 841 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $364.8M in total commodity sales and receiving $4.5M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($21.42/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $130.6M. In-state sales rank #38 of 87 in Minnesota.
Of 208,517 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 187,757 acres (90.0%) - a CROP-HEAVY profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is DENSE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Minnesota.
Land Use
$21.42 per acre of agricultural land · the median Minnesota county receives $16.58. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
208,517 acres
Cropland
187,757 acres
Avg Farm Size
248 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 90.0%
187,757 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 208,517 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 187,757 | 90.0% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 20,760 | 10.0% |
| Average farm size | 248 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Dakota County, Minnesota?
Dakota County, Minnesota has 841 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 248 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Dakota County?
Dakota County's total commodity sales are $364.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #38 among 87 counties in Minnesota.
How much federal farm assistance does Dakota County receive?
Dakota County received $4.5M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($21.42/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Dakota County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Dakota County is $130.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Dakota County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Dakota (DENSE · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Graves County, KY · HEAVY
$4.5M federal receipts is higher by - than Dakota; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Warren County, IL · HEAVY
$4.5M federal receipts is lower by $4K than Dakota; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Shawano County, WI · HEAVY
$4.5M federal receipts is lower by $8K than Dakota; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Appanoose County, IA · DENSE
$4.5M federal receipts is higher by $12K than Dakota; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
LE Sueur County (DENSE $/acre pole)
LE Sueur sits near Dakota on payments-per-acre ($21.51) while total receipts differ.
Lincoln County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Lincoln sits near Dakota on payments-per-acre ($21.97) while total receipts differ.
Minnesota ERS state roll-up
Dakota stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY inside Minnesota's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#689)
Dakota ranks #689 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the DENSE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Dakota County, Minnesota stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #689 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Minnesota compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Minnesota 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.