Farm operations
103
Avg 566 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30023 103 farms Bottom quartile (#54/56) 12% cropland LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Deer Lodge County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Deer Lodge County. Ranked #54 of 56 counties in Montana.
58K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 11.5% 7K acres
- Other land
- 88.5% 52K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Deer Lodge County received $4.24 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.6× the Montana county median of $7.13.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $4.24
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 0.59×
- 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.
103 farms · $5.3M sales
Deer Lodge County, Montana reports 103 farms and $5.3M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2460 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #54 of 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #54 of 56
- National payments rank #2460 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 4.7%
Commodity sales
$5.3M
0.071× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$247K
4.7% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$639K
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Deer Lodge County's net farm income sits at the 17th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Deer Lodge County Farm Data Shows
Deer Lodge County, Montana reported 103 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $5.3M in total commodity sales and receiving $247K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($4.24/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $639K. In-state sales rank #54 of 56 in Montana.
Of 58,289 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 6,711 acres (11.5%) - 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
$4.24 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
58,289 acres
Cropland
6,711 acres
Avg Farm Size
566 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 11.5%
6,711 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 58,289 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 6,711 | 11.5% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 51,578 | 88.5% |
| Average farm size | 566 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Deer Lodge County, Montana?
Deer Lodge County, Montana has 103 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 566 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Deer Lodge County?
Deer Lodge County's total commodity sales are $5.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #54 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Deer Lodge County receive?
Deer Lodge County received $247K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($4.24/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Deer Lodge County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Deer Lodge County is $639K (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Deer Lodge County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Deer Lodge (LIGHT · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Richmond County, NC · LIGHT
$247K federal receipts is higher by - than Deer Lodge; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
DE Soto County, LA · TRACE
$246K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Deer Lodge; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Sabine County, LA · TRACE
$246K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Deer Lodge; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Pearl River County, MS · TRACE
$246K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Deer Lodge; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Anderson County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Anderson sits near Deer Lodge on payments-per-acre ($4.19) while total receipts differ.
Covington County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Covington sits near Deer Lodge on payments-per-acre ($4.18) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Deer Lodge stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED inside Montana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2460)
Deer Lodge ranks #2460 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
Deer Lodge County, Montana stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2460 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.