Farm operations
364
Avg 8,767 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30003 Top quartile by state sales TRACE PASTURE-LED
Big Horn County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Big Horn County. Ranked #12 of 56 counties in Montana.
3,191,315 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 10.7% 342,572 acres
- Other land
- 89.3% 2,848,743 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Big Horn County, Montana is a PASTURE-LED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp TRACE; commodity sales sit above state median and it shows above-typical federal dependence.
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 reads as a PASTURE-LED county with TRACE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is under 25% of agricultural land, a mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs; payments per agricultural acre fall in the lowest national quintile, under $3.41 an acre, so program receipts are a marginal line beside market revenue.
The state comparisons on this page use the 56 of 56 Montana counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 54 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 51 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Montana.
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
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Big Horn under the TRACE intensity band.
What to do with this
Where to go after Big Horn County, Montana:
- 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.
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).
State Overview
Montana
56 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 TRACE · land stamp PASTURE-LED (NASS payments-per-acre / cropland share bands).
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.