Farm operations
282
Avg 5,967 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30011 282 farms Lower-middle (#29/56) 13% cropland MID PASTURE-LED
Carter County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Carter County. Ranked #29 of 56 counties in Montana.
1.68M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 12.6% 212K acres
- Other land
- 87.4% 1.47M acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Carter County received $9.06 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.3× the Montana county median of $7.13.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $9.06
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 1.27×
- 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.
282 farms · $72.7M sales
Carter County, Montana reports 282 farms and $72.7M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #117 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #29 of 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #29 of 56
- National payments rank #117 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 21.0%
Commodity sales
$72.7M
0.98× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$15.3M
21.0% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$27.5M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Carter County's net farm income sits at the 56th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Carter County Farm Data Shows
Carter County, Montana reported 282 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $72.7M in total commodity sales and receiving $15.3M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp MID ($9.06/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $27.5M. In-state sales rank #29 of 56 in Montana.
Of 1,682,561 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 212,145 acres (12.6%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is MID; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Montana.
Land Use
$9.06 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
1,682,561 acres
Cropland
212,145 acres
Avg Farm Size
5,967 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 12.6%
212,145 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 1,682,561 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 212,145 | 12.6% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 1,470,416 | 87.4% |
| Average farm size | 5,967 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Carter County, Montana?
Carter County, Montana has 282 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 5,967 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Carter County?
Carter County's total commodity sales are $72.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #29 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Carter County receive?
Carter County received $15.3M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping MID on NASS payments-per-acre ($9.06/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Carter County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Carter County is $27.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Carter County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Carter (MID · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
MID PASTURE-LED
Washita County, OK · DENSE
$15.2M federal receipts is lower by $33K than Carter; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Lyman County, SD · HEAVY
$15.3M federal receipts is higher by $56K than Carter; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Stark County, ND · DENSE
$15.3M federal receipts is higher by $98K than Carter; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Ransom County, ND · DENSE
$15.1M federal receipts is lower by $125K than Carter; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Weld County (MID $/acre pole)
Weld sits near Carter on payments-per-acre ($9.02) while total receipts differ.
Lincoln County (MID $/acre pole)
Lincoln sits near Carter on payments-per-acre ($9.14) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Carter stamps MID · PASTURE-LED inside Montana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#117)
Carter ranks #117 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the MID intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Carter County, Montana stamps MID · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #117 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.