Farm operations
291
Avg 2,663 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NE · FIPS 31017 Upper-middle by state sales LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Brown County, Nebraska - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Brown County. Ranked #35 of 93 counties in Nebraska.
774,981 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 13.3% 103,175 acres
- Other land
- 86.7% 671,806 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Brown County, Nebraska is a PASTURE-LED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp LIGHT; commodity sales sit near state median and it shows below-typical federal dependence.
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 reads as a PASTURE-LED county with LIGHT federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is under 25% of agricultural land, a mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs; payments per agricultural acre fall in the second-lowest national quintile, $3.41 to $6.98 an acre, which is light federal support for the land base.
The state comparisons on this page use the 93 of 93 Nebraska counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 93 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 93 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Nebraska.
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
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Brown under the LIGHT intensity band.
What to do with this
Three places to go next from Brown County, Nebraska:
- 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.
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).
State Overview
Nebraska
93 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 LIGHT · land stamp PASTURE-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.