Farm operations
467
Avg 1,857 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NM · FIPS 35035 467 farms Upper-middle (#16/33) 1% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
Otero County, New Mexico - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Otero County. Ranked #16 of 33 counties in New Mexico.
867K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 0.8% 7K acres
- Other land
- 99.2% 860K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Otero County received $2.42 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.0× the New Mexico county median of $2.38.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $2.42
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $2.38
- New Mexico county median per acre
- 1.02×
- 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.
467 farms · $24.7M sales
Otero County, New Mexico reports 467 farms and $24.7M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1314 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #16 of 33 counties in New Mexico; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #16 of 33
- National payments rank #1314 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 8.5%
Commodity sales
$24.7M
1.0× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$2.1M
8.5% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$6.9M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Otero County's net farm income sits at the 32th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Otero County Farm Data Shows
Otero County, New Mexico reported 467 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $24.7M in total commodity sales and receiving $2.1M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($2.42/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $6.9M. In-state sales rank #16 of 33 in New Mexico.
Of 867,162 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 6,857 acres (0.8%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is TRACE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of New Mexico.
Land Use
$2.42 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
867,162 acres
Cropland
6,857 acres
Avg Farm Size
1,857 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 0.8%
6,857 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 867,162 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 6,857 | 0.8% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 860,305 | 99.2% |
| Average farm size | 1,857 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Otero County, New Mexico?
Otero County, New Mexico has 467 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 1,857 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Otero County?
Otero County's total commodity sales are $24.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #16 among 33 counties in New Mexico.
How much federal farm assistance does Otero County receive?
Otero County received $2.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($2.42/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Otero County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Otero County is $6.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Otero County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Otero (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Fulton County, OH · MID
$2.1M federal receipts is higher by $3K than Otero; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Lanier County, GA · DENSE
$2.1M federal receipts is higher by $5K than Otero; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Franklin County, IL · HEAVY
$2.1M federal receipts is higher by $5K than Otero; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Mckinley County, NM · TRACE
$2.1M federal receipts is lower by $5K than Otero; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Crook County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Crook sits near Otero on payments-per-acre ($2.27) while total receipts differ.
Sutton County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Sutton sits near Otero on payments-per-acre ($2.60) while total receipts differ.
New Mexico ERS state roll-up
Otero stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside New Mexico's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1314)
Otero ranks #1314 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the TRACE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Otero County, New Mexico stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1314 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.