Farm operations
435
Avg 1,716 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30073 435 farms Upper-middle (#16/56) 67% cropland MID CROP-LED
Pondera County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Pondera County. Ranked #16 of 56 counties in Montana.
747K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 67.4% 503K acres
- Other land
- 32.6% 244K 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.
435 farms · $111.3M sales
Pondera County, Montana reports 435 farms and $111.3M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #433 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #16 of 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #16 of 56
- National payments rank #433 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 6.1%
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 reported 435 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $111.3M in total commodity sales and receiving $6.8M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp MID ($9.11/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $31.1M. In-state sales rank #16 of 56 in Montana.
Of 746,528 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 502,835 acres (67.4%) - a CROP-LED profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is MID; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Montana.
Land Use
$9.11 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
746,528 acres
Cropland
502,835 acres
Avg Farm Size
1,716 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 67.4%
502,835 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 746,528 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 502,835 | 67.4% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 243,693 | 32.6% |
| Average farm size | 1,716 | acres / farm |
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).
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 (#433)
Pondera ranks #433 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
Pondera County, Montana stamps MID · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #433 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.