Farm operations
364
Avg 8,767 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30003 364 farms Top quartile (#12/56) 11% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
Big Horn County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Big Horn County. Ranked #12 of 56 counties in Montana.
3.19M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 10.7% 343K acres
- Other land
- 89.3% 2.85M acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Big Horn County received $2.92 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.4× the Montana county median of $7.13.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $2.92
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 0.41×
- 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.
364 farms · $130.9M sales
Big Horn County, Montana reports 364 farms and $130.9M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #292 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #12 of 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #12 of 56
- National payments rank #292 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 7.1%
Commodity sales
$130.9M
1.8× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$9.3M
7.1% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$30.9M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Big Horn County's net farm income sits at the 58th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Big Horn County Farm Data Shows
Big Horn County, Montana reported 364 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $130.9M in total commodity sales and receiving $9.3M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($2.92/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $30.9M. In-state sales rank #12 of 56 in Montana.
Of 3,191,315 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 342,572 acres (10.7%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is TRACE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Montana.
Land Use
$2.92 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
3,191,315 acres
Cropland
342,572 acres
Avg Farm Size
8,767 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 10.7%
342,572 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 3,191,315 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 342,572 | 10.7% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 2,848,743 | 89.3% |
| Average farm size | 8,767 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Big Horn County, Montana?
Big Horn County, Montana has 364 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 8,767 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Big Horn County?
Big Horn County's total commodity sales are $130.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #12 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Big Horn County receive?
Big Horn County received $9.3M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($2.92/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Big Horn County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Big Horn County is $30.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Big Horn County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Big Horn (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Clay County, IA · DENSE
$9.3M federal receipts is higher by $6K than Big Horn; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Matagorda County, TX · HEAVY
$9.4M federal receipts is higher by $35K than Big Horn; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Webster County, IA · DENSE
$9.4M federal receipts is higher by $56K than Big Horn; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Dade County, MO · DENSE
$9.3M federal receipts is lower by $57K than Big Horn; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Cherry County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Cherry sits near Big Horn on payments-per-acre ($2.52) while total receipts differ.
Elko County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Elko sits near Big Horn on payments-per-acre ($3.83) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Big Horn stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside Montana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#292)
Big Horn ranks #292 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the TRACE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Big Horn County, Montana stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #292 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.