Farm operations
291
Avg 2,663 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NE · FIPS 31017 291 farms Upper-middle (#35/93) 13% cropland LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Brown County, Nebraska - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Brown County. Ranked #35 of 93 counties in Nebraska.
775K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 13.3% 103K acres
- Other land
- 86.7% 672K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Brown County received $6.49 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.7× the Nebraska county median of $9.57.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $6.49
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $9.57
- Nebraska county median per acre
- 0.68×
- Nebraska 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.
291 farms · $327.7M sales
Brown County, Nebraska reports 291 farms and $327.7M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #616 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #35 of 93 counties in Nebraska; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #35 of 93
- National payments rank #616 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.5%
Commodity sales
$327.7M
1.5× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$5.0M
1.5% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$70.5M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Brown County's net farm income sits at the 77th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Brown County Farm Data Shows
Brown County, Nebraska reported 291 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $327.7M in total commodity sales and receiving $5.0M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($6.49/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $70.5M. In-state sales rank #35 of 93 in Nebraska.
Of 774,981 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 103,175 acres (13.3%) - 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 Nebraska.
Land Use
$6.49 per acre of agricultural land · the median Nebraska county receives $9.57. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
774,981 acres
Cropland
103,175 acres
Avg Farm Size
2,663 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 13.3%
103,175 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 774,981 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 103,175 | 13.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 671,806 | 86.7% |
| Average farm size | 2,663 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Brown County, Nebraska?
Brown County, Nebraska has 291 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 2,663 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Brown County?
Brown County's total commodity sales are $327.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #35 among 93 counties in Nebraska.
How much federal farm assistance does Brown County receive?
Brown County received $5.0M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($6.49/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Brown County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Brown County is $70.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Brown County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Brown (LIGHT · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Wilson County, KS · HEAVY
$5.0M federal receipts is lower by $3K than Brown; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Marathon County, WI · MID
$5.0M federal receipts is higher by $5K than Brown; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Keith County, NE · HEAVY
$5.0M federal receipts is lower by $20K than Brown; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Lafayette County, WI · HEAVY
$5.1M federal receipts is higher by $29K than Brown; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Billings County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Billings sits near Brown on payments-per-acre ($6.45) while total receipts differ.
Baker County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Baker sits near Brown on payments-per-acre ($6.34) while total receipts differ.
Nebraska ERS state roll-up
Brown stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED inside Nebraska's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#616)
Brown ranks #616 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
Brown County, Nebraska stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #616 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Nebraska compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Nebraska 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.