Farm operations
141
Avg 4,189 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30079 141 farms Bottom quartile (#46/56) 13% cropland MID PASTURE-LED
Prairie County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Prairie County. Ranked #46 of 56 counties in Montana.
591K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 13.2% 78K acres
- Other land
- 86.8% 512K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Prairie County received $9.03 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.
- $9.03
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 1.27×
- 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.
141 farms · $32.2M sales
Prairie County, Montana reports 141 farms and $32.2M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #583 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #46 of 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #46 of 56
- National payments rank #583 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 16.6%
Commodity sales
$32.2M
0.43× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$5.3M
16.6% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$10.6M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Prairie County's net farm income sits at the 38th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Prairie County Farm Data Shows
Prairie County, Montana reported 141 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $32.2M in total commodity sales and receiving $5.3M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp MID ($9.03/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $10.6M. In-state sales rank #46 of 56 in Montana.
Of 590,631 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 78,178 acres (13.2%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is MID; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Montana.
Land Use
$9.03 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
590,631 acres
Cropland
78,178 acres
Avg Farm Size
4,189 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 13.2%
78,178 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 590,631 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 78,178 | 13.2% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 512,453 | 86.8% |
| Average farm size | 4,189 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Prairie County, Montana?
Prairie County, Montana has 141 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 4,189 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Prairie County?
Prairie County's total commodity sales are $32.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #46 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Prairie County receive?
Prairie County received $5.3M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping MID on NASS payments-per-acre ($9.03/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Prairie County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Prairie County is $10.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Prairie County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Prairie (MID · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
MID PASTURE-LED
Boyd County, NE · DENSE
$5.3M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Prairie; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Lac Qui Parle County, MN · HEAVY
$5.3M federal receipts is lower by $9K than Prairie; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Logan County, KY · DENSE
$5.3M federal receipts is higher by $10K than Prairie; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Blue Earth County, MN · MID
$5.3M federal receipts is lower by $10K than Prairie; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Wheeler County (MID $/acre pole)
Wheeler sits near Prairie on payments-per-acre ($9.09) while total receipts differ.
Concho County (MID $/acre pole)
Concho sits near Prairie on payments-per-acre ($9.17) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Prairie stamps MID · PASTURE-LED inside Montana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#583)
Prairie ranks #583 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
Prairie County, Montana stamps MID · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #583 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.