Farm operations
269
Avg 3,980 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NM · FIPS 35051 269 farms Lower-middle (#18/33) 3% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
Sierra County, New Mexico - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Sierra County. Ranked #18 of 33 counties in New Mexico.
1.07M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 3.3% 35K acres
- Other land
- 96.7% 1.04M acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Sierra County received $2.60 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.1× the New Mexico county median of $2.38.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $2.60
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $2.38
- New Mexico county median per acre
- 1.10×
- 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.
269 farms · $21.3M sales
Sierra County, New Mexico reports 269 farms and $21.3M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1085 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #18 of 33 counties in New Mexico; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #18 of 33
- National payments rank #1085 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 13.1%
Commodity sales
$21.3M
0.87× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$2.8M
13.1% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$2.5M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Sierra County's net farm income sits at the 23th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Sierra County Farm Data Shows
Sierra County, New Mexico reported 269 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $21.3M in total commodity sales and receiving $2.8M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($2.60/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $2.5M. In-state sales rank #18 of 33 in New Mexico.
Of 1,070,677 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 35,338 acres (3.3%) - 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
$2.60 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
1,070,677 acres
Cropland
35,338 acres
Avg Farm Size
3,980 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 3.3%
35,338 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 1,070,677 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 35,338 | 3.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 1,035,339 | 96.7% |
| Average farm size | 3,980 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Sierra County, New Mexico?
Sierra County, New Mexico has 269 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 3,980 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Sierra County?
Sierra County's total commodity sales are $21.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #18 among 33 counties in New Mexico.
How much federal farm assistance does Sierra County receive?
Sierra County received $2.8M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($2.60/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Sierra County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Sierra County is $2.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Sierra County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Sierra (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Benewah County, ID · DENSE
$2.8M federal receipts is lower by $4K than Sierra; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Harnett County, NC · DENSE
$2.8M federal receipts is lower by $4K than Sierra; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Beauregard County, LA · HEAVY
$2.8M federal receipts is higher by $5K than Sierra; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Berks County, PA · HEAVY
$2.8M federal receipts is lower by $7K than Sierra; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Socorro County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Socorro sits near Sierra on payments-per-acre ($2.31) while total receipts differ.
Niobrara County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Niobrara sits near Sierra on payments-per-acre ($2.22) while total receipts differ.
New Mexico ERS state roll-up
Sierra stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside New Mexico's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1085)
Sierra ranks #1085 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
Sierra County, New Mexico stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1085 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.