Farm operations
386
Avg 2,624 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30001 386 farms Top quartile (#11/56) 13% cropland LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Beaverhead County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Beaverhead County. Ranked #11 of 56 counties in Montana.
1.01M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 12.8% 130K acres
- Other land
- 87.2% 883K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Beaverhead County received $6.75 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.9× the Montana county median of $7.13.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $6.75
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 0.95×
- Montana 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.
386 farms · $135.6M sales
Beaverhead County, Montana reports 386 farms and $135.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #430 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #11 of 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #11 of 56
- National payments rank #430 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 5.0%
Commodity sales
$135.6M
1.8× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$6.8M
5.0% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$31.5M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Beaverhead County's net farm income sits at the 59th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Beaverhead County Farm Data Shows
Beaverhead County, Montana reported 386 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $135.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $6.8M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($6.75/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $31.5M. In-state sales rank #11 of 56 in Montana.
Of 1,012,816 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 129,645 acres (12.8%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is LIGHT; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Montana.
Land Use
$6.75 per acre of agricultural land · the median Montana county receives $7.13. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
1,012,816 acres
Cropland
129,645 acres
Avg Farm Size
2,624 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 12.8%
129,645 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 1,012,816 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 129,645 | 12.8% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 883,171 | 87.2% |
| Average farm size | 2,624 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Beaverhead County, Montana?
Beaverhead County, Montana has 386 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 2,624 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Beaverhead County?
Beaverhead County's total commodity sales are $135.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #11 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Beaverhead County receive?
Beaverhead County received $6.8M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($6.75/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Beaverhead County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Beaverhead County is $31.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Beaverhead County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Beaverhead (LIGHT · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Livingston County, MO · DENSE
$6.8M federal receipts is lower by $13K than Beaverhead; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Hansford County, TX · MID
$6.9M federal receipts is higher by $16K than Beaverhead; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Henry County, IA · DENSE
$6.9M federal receipts is higher by $27K than Beaverhead; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Ogle County, IL · DENSE
$6.8M federal receipts is lower by $31K than Beaverhead; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Bingham County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Bingham sits near Beaverhead on payments-per-acre ($6.84) while total receipts differ.
Cochise County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Cochise sits near Beaverhead on payments-per-acre ($6.64) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Beaverhead stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED inside Montana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#430)
Beaverhead ranks #430 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
Beaverhead County, Montana stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #430 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Montana compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Montana 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.