Farm operations
435
Avg 1,716 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30073 Upper-middle by state sales MID CROP-LED
Pondera County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Pondera County. Ranked #16 of 56 counties in Montana.
746,528 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 67.4% 502,835 acres
- Other land
- 32.6% 243,693 acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Pondera County received $9.11 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.
- $9.11
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 1.28×
- 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, Pondera County, Montana is a CROP-LED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp MID; commodity sales sit near state median and it shows above-typical federal dependence.
Commodity sales
$111.3M
1.5× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$6.8M
6.1% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$31.1M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Pondera 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 Pondera County Farm Data Shows
Pondera County, Montana reads as a CROP-LED county with MID federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 50% to 75% of agricultural land, a profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles; payments per agricultural acre fall in the middle national quintile, $6.98 to $11.30 an acre, a mid-range level of federal support for the land base.
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 Pondera County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Pondera (MID · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
MID CROP-LED
Christian County, KY · DENSE
$6.8M federal receipts is lower by $3K than Pondera; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Ogle County, IL · DENSE
$6.8M federal receipts is higher by $4K than Pondera; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Livingston County, MO · DENSE
$6.8M federal receipts is higher by $22K than Pondera; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Beaverhead County, MT · LIGHT
$6.8M federal receipts is higher by $35K than Pondera; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-LED.
Concho County (MID $/acre pole)
Concho sits near Pondera on payments-per-acre ($9.17) while total receipts differ.
Meade County (MID $/acre pole)
Meade sits near Pondera on payments-per-acre ($9.33) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Pondera stamps MID · CROP-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 Pondera under the MID intensity band.
What to do with this
Three places to go next from Pondera 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 Pondera County, Montana?
Pondera County, Montana has 435 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 1,716 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Pondera County?
Pondera County's total commodity sales are $111.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #16 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Pondera County receive?
Pondera County received $6.8M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping MID on NASS payments-per-acre ($9.11/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Pondera County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Pondera County is $31.1M (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 MID · land stamp CROP-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.