Farm operations
485
Avg 4,761 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NM · FIPS 35005 485 farms Top quartile (#2/33) 5% cropland LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Chaves County, New Mexico - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Chaves County. Ranked #2 of 33 counties in New Mexico.
2.31M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 5.3% 123K acres
- Other land
- 94.7% 2.19M acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Chaves County received $4.27 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.8× the New Mexico county median of $2.38.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $4.27
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $2.38
- New Mexico county median per acre
- 1.79×
- New Mexico 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.
485 farms · $446.6M sales
Chaves County, New Mexico reports 485 farms and $446.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #267 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #2 of 33 counties in New Mexico; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #2 of 33
- National payments rank #267 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 2.2%
Commodity sales
$446.6M
18.1× state median -- Far above state median
Federal payments
$9.9M
2.2% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$123.0M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Chaves County's net farm income sits at the 89th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Chaves County Farm Data Shows
Chaves County, New Mexico reported 485 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $446.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $9.9M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($4.27/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $123.0M. In-state sales rank #2 of 33 in New Mexico.
Of 2,309,179 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 123,467 acres (5.3%) - 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 New Mexico.
Land Use
$4.27 per acre of agricultural land · the median New Mexico county receives $2.38. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
2,309,179 acres
Cropland
123,467 acres
Avg Farm Size
4,761 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 5.3%
123,467 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 2,309,179 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 123,467 | 5.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 2,185,712 | 94.7% |
| Average farm size | 4,761 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Chaves County, New Mexico?
Chaves County, New Mexico has 485 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 4,761 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Chaves County?
Chaves County's total commodity sales are $446.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #2 among 33 counties in New Mexico.
How much federal farm assistance does Chaves County receive?
Chaves County received $9.9M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($4.27/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Chaves County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Chaves County is $123.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Chaves County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Chaves (LIGHT · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Calhoun County, IA · DENSE
$9.8M federal receipts is lower by $7K than Chaves; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Hitchcock County, NE · DENSE
$9.9M federal receipts is higher by $7K than Chaves; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Kent County, MI · DENSE
$9.8M federal receipts is lower by $33K than Chaves; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Jackson County, AR · DENSE
$9.9M federal receipts is higher by $45K than Chaves; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Johnson County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Johnson sits near Chaves on payments-per-acre ($3.99) while total receipts differ.
Rosebud County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Rosebud sits near Chaves on payments-per-acre ($3.98) while total receipts differ.
New Mexico ERS state roll-up
Chaves stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED inside New Mexico's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#267)
Chaves ranks #267 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
Chaves County, New Mexico stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #267 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how New Mexico compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. New Mexico 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.