Farm operations
508
Avg 3,339 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30105 508 farms Top quartile (#6/56) 42% cropland HEAVY MIXED
Valley County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Valley County. Ranked #6 of 56 counties in Montana.
1.70M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 42.3% 718K acres
- Other land
- 57.7% 978K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Valley County received $14.82 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 2.1× the Montana county median of $7.13.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $14.82
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 2.08×
- 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.
508 farms · $155.9M sales
Valley County, Montana reports 508 farms and $155.9M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #30 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #6 of 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #6 of 56
- National payments rank #30 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 16.1%
Commodity sales
$155.9M
2.1× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$25.1M
16.1% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$36.3M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Valley County's net farm income sits at the 62th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Valley County Farm Data Shows
Valley County, Montana reported 508 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $155.9M in total commodity sales and receiving $25.1M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($14.82/acre); land stamp MIXED. Net cash farm income came in at $36.3M. In-state sales rank #6 of 56 in Montana.
Of 1,696,229 acres agricultural land, cropland is 717,985 acres (42.3%) with the balance in pasture, range, woodland, or farmsteads, a MIXED footprint. Average farm size 3,339 acres. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Montana.
Land Use
$14.82 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
1,696,229 acres
Cropland
717,985 acres
Avg Farm Size
3,339 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 42.3%
717,985 cropland acres · MIXED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 1,696,229 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 717,985 | 42.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 978,244 | 57.7% |
| Average farm size | 3,339 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Valley County, Montana?
Valley County, Montana has 508 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 3,339 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Valley County?
Valley County's total commodity sales are $155.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #6 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Valley County receive?
Valley County received $25.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($14.82/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Valley County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Valley County is $36.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Valley County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Valley (HEAVY · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY MIXED
Bottineau County, ND · DENSE
$25.0M federal receipts is lower by $119K than Valley; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Hutchinson County, SD · DENSE
$25.5M federal receipts is higher by $365K than Valley; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Terry County, TX · DENSE
$25.5M federal receipts is higher by $389K than Valley; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Fergus County, MT · MID
$24.7M federal receipts is lower by $403K than Valley; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Haakon County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Haakon sits near Valley on payments-per-acre ($14.81) while total receipts differ.
Lyman County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Lyman sits near Valley on payments-per-acre ($14.66) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Valley stamps HEAVY · MIXED inside Montana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#30)
Valley ranks #30 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the HEAVY intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Valley County, Montana stamps HEAVY · MIXED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #30 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.