Farm operations
526
Avg 438 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NE · FIPS 31093 526 farms Upper-middle (#37/93) 61% cropland MID CROP-LED
Howard County, Nebraska - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Howard County. Ranked #37 of 93 counties in Nebraska.
231K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 61.4% 142K acres
- Other land
- 38.6% 89K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Howard County received $8.91 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.9× the Nebraska county median of $9.57.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $8.91
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $9.57
- Nebraska county median per acre
- 0.93×
- 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.
526 farms · $306.6M sales
Howard County, Nebraska reports 526 farms and $306.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1328 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #37 of 93 counties in Nebraska; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #37 of 93
- National payments rank #1328 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.7%
Commodity sales
$306.6M
1.4× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$2.1M
0.7% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$71.1M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Howard 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 Howard County Farm Data Shows
Howard County, Nebraska reported 526 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $306.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $2.1M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp MID ($8.91/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $71.1M. In-state sales rank #37 of 93 in Nebraska.
Of 230,525 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 141,653 acres (61.4%) - 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 Nebraska.
Land Use
$8.91 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
230,525 acres
Cropland
141,653 acres
Avg Farm Size
438 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 61.4%
141,653 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 230,525 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 141,653 | 61.4% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 88,872 | 38.6% |
| Average farm size | 438 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Howard County, Nebraska?
Howard County, Nebraska has 526 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 438 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Howard County?
Howard County's total commodity sales are $306.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #37 among 93 counties in Nebraska.
How much federal farm assistance does Howard County receive?
Howard County received $2.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping MID on NASS payments-per-acre ($8.91/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Howard County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Howard County is $71.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Howard County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Howard (MID · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
MID CROP-LED
Crawford County, IL · MID
$2.1M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Howard; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Anderson County, KS · MID
$2.1M federal receipts is higher by $2K than Howard; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Clinton County, MO · MID
$2.1M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Howard; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Jones County, NC · DENSE
$2.1M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Howard; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Warren County (MID $/acre pole)
Warren sits near Howard on payments-per-acre ($8.91) while total receipts differ.
Monroe County (MID $/acre pole)
Monroe sits near Howard on payments-per-acre ($8.87) while total receipts differ.
Nebraska ERS state roll-up
Howard stamps MID · CROP-LED inside Nebraska's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1328)
Howard ranks #1328 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
Howard County, Nebraska stamps MID · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1328 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.