Farm operations
1,073
Avg 954 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census SD · FIPS 46013 1,073 farms Top quartile (#2/66) 82% cropland DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Brown County, South Dakota - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Brown County. Ranked #2 of 66 counties in South Dakota.
1.02M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 82.2% 841K acres
- Other land
- 17.8% 182K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Brown County received $41.05 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 2.3× the South Dakota county median of $18.22.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $41.05
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $18.22
- South Dakota county median per acre
- 2.25×
- South Dakota 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.
1,073 farms · $520.7M sales
Brown County, South Dakota reports 1,073 farms and $520.7M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #4 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 66 counties in South Dakota; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #2 of 66
- National payments rank #4 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 8.1%
Commodity sales
$520.7M
3.1× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$42.0M
8.1% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$213.2M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
A
Farm economy grade: A -- Brown County's net farm income sits at the 97th 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, South Dakota reported 1,073 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $520.7M in total commodity sales and receiving $42.0M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($41.05/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $213.2M. In-state sales rank #2 of 66 in South Dakota.
Of 1,023,480 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 841,107 acres (82.2%) - a CROP-HEAVY profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is DENSE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of South Dakota.
Land Use
$41.05 per acre of agricultural land · the median South Dakota county receives $18.22. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
1,023,480 acres
Cropland
841,107 acres
Avg Farm Size
954 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 82.2%
841,107 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 1,023,480 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 841,107 | 82.2% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 182,373 | 17.8% |
| Average farm size | 954 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Brown County, South Dakota?
Brown County, South Dakota has 1,073 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 954 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Brown County?
Brown County's total commodity sales are $520.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #2 among 66 counties in South Dakota.
How much federal farm assistance does Brown County receive?
Brown County received $42.0M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($41.05/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Brown County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Brown County is $213.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Brown County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Brown (DENSE · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Tulare County, CA · DENSE
$40.8M federal receipts is lower by $1.2M than Brown; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Gaines County, TX · DENSE
$40.7M federal receipts is lower by $1.3M than Brown; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Stutsman County, ND · DENSE
$44.8M federal receipts is higher by $2.8M than Brown; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Mclean County, ND · DENSE
$36.6M federal receipts is lower by $5.5M than Brown; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Kittson County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Kittson sits near Brown on payments-per-acre ($40.69) while total receipts differ.
Sonoma County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Sonoma sits near Brown on payments-per-acre ($41.80) while total receipts differ.
South Dakota ERS state roll-up
Brown stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY inside South Dakota's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#4)
Brown ranks #4 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the DENSE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Brown County, South Dakota stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #4 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how South Dakota compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. South Dakota 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.