Farm operations
336
Avg 3,354 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30065 336 farms Lower-middle (#41/56) 10% cropland LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Musselshell County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Musselshell County. Ranked #41 of 56 counties in Montana.
1.13M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 9.6% 108K acres
- Other land
- 90.4% 1.02M acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Musselshell County received $3.98 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.
- $3.98
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 0.56×
- 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.
336 farms · $42.7M sales
Musselshell County, Montana reports 336 farms and $42.7M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #687 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #41 of 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #41 of 56
- National payments rank #687 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 10.5%
Commodity sales
$42.7M
0.58× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$4.5M
10.5% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$7.1M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Musselshell County's net farm income sits at the 33th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Musselshell County Farm Data Shows
Musselshell County, Montana reported 336 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $42.7M in total commodity sales and receiving $4.5M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($3.98/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $7.1M. In-state sales rank #41 of 56 in Montana.
Of 1,126,951 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 108,240 acres (9.6%) - 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
$3.98 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
1,126,951 acres
Cropland
108,240 acres
Avg Farm Size
3,354 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 9.6%
108,240 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 1,126,951 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 108,240 | 9.6% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 1,018,711 | 90.4% |
| Average farm size | 3,354 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Musselshell County, Montana?
Musselshell County, Montana has 336 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 3,354 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Musselshell County?
Musselshell County's total commodity sales are $42.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #41 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Musselshell County receive?
Musselshell County received $4.5M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($3.98/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Musselshell County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Musselshell County is $7.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Musselshell County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Musselshell (LIGHT · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Douglas County, SD · DENSE
$4.5M federal receipts is higher by $1K than Musselshell; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Mississippi County, AR · MID
$4.5M federal receipts is higher by $5K than Musselshell; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Appanoose County, IA · DENSE
$4.5M federal receipts is lower by $9K than Musselshell; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Graves County, KY · HEAVY
$4.5M federal receipts is lower by $21K than Musselshell; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Fall River County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Fall River sits near Musselshell on payments-per-acre ($3.92) while total receipts differ.
Garden County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Garden sits near Musselshell on payments-per-acre ($4.24) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Musselshell stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED inside Montana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#687)
Musselshell ranks #687 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
Musselshell County, Montana stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #687 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.