Farm operations
427
Avg 2,756 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30021 Upper-middle by state sales HEAVY MIXED
Dawson County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Dawson County. Ranked #22 of 56 counties in Montana.
1,177,000 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 33.9% 398,960 acres
- Other land
- 66.1% 778,040 acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Dawson County received $13.27 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.9× the Montana county median of $7.13.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $13.27
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 1.86×
- 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, Dawson County, Montana is a MIXED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp HEAVY; commodity sales sit near state median and it shows high federal dependence.
Commodity sales
$97.6M
1.3× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$15.6M
16.0% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$33.4M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Dawson County's net farm income sits at the 60th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Dawson County Farm Data Shows
Dawson County, Montana reads as a MIXED county with HEAVY federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 25% to 50% of agricultural land with the balance in pasture, range, woodland or farmsteads, so row-crop and livestock-side programs are both in play; payments per agricultural acre fall in the second-highest national quintile, $11.30 to $18.39 an acre, heavy federal support relative to the acreage.
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 Dawson County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Dawson (HEAVY · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY MIXED
Redwood County, MN · DENSE
$15.7M federal receipts is higher by $42K than Dawson; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Beadle County, SD · DENSE
$15.8M federal receipts is higher by $134K than Dawson; land stamp CROP-LED vs MIXED.
Kiowa County, CO · HEAVY
$15.5M federal receipts is lower by $159K than Dawson; land stamp CROP-LED vs MIXED.
Plymouth County, IA · DENSE
$15.9M federal receipts is higher by $252K than Dawson; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Toole County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Toole sits near Dawson on payments-per-acre ($13.35) while total receipts differ.
Yuma County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Yuma sits near Dawson on payments-per-acre ($12.80) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Dawson stamps HEAVY · MIXED 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 Dawson under the HEAVY intensity band.
What to do with this
From Dawson County, Montana, these three pages are the natural next reads:
- 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 Dawson County, Montana?
Dawson County, Montana has 427 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 2,756 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Dawson County?
Dawson County's total commodity sales are $97.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #22 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Dawson County receive?
Dawson County received $15.6M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($13.27/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Dawson County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Dawson County is $33.4M (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 HEAVY · land stamp MIXED (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.