Farm operations
399
Avg 2,289 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census SD · FIPS 46059 399 farms Top quartile (#10/66) 65% cropland HEAVY CROP-LED
Hand County, South Dakota - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Hand County. Ranked #10 of 66 counties in South Dakota.
913K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 65.3% 597K acres
- Other land
- 34.7% 317K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Hand County received $16.31 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.9× the South Dakota county median of $18.22.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $16.31
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $18.22
- South Dakota county median per acre
- 0.90×
- 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.
399 farms · $345.6M sales
Hand County, South Dakota reports 399 farms and $345.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #126 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #10 of 66 counties in South Dakota; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #10 of 66
- National payments rank #126 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 4.3%
Commodity sales
$345.6M
2.1× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$14.9M
4.3% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$99.2M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Hand County's net farm income sits at the 85th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Hand County Farm Data Shows
Hand County, South Dakota reported 399 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $345.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $14.9M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($16.31/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $99.2M. In-state sales rank #10 of 66 in South Dakota.
Of 913,410 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 596,515 acres (65.3%) - a CROP-LED profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of South Dakota.
Land Use
$16.31 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
913,410 acres
Cropland
596,515 acres
Avg Farm Size
2,289 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 65.3%
596,515 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 913,410 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 596,515 | 65.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 316,895 | 34.7% |
| Average farm size | 2,289 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Hand County, South Dakota?
Hand County, South Dakota has 399 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 2,289 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Hand County?
Hand County's total commodity sales are $345.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #10 among 66 counties in South Dakota.
How much federal farm assistance does Hand County receive?
Hand County received $14.9M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($16.31/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Hand County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Hand County is $99.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Hand County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Hand (HEAVY · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-LED
Kandiyohi County, MN · DENSE
$14.9M federal receipts is lower by $10K than Hand; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Guthrie County, IA · DENSE
$14.9M federal receipts is higher by $32K than Hand; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Sioux County, IA · DENSE
$14.8M federal receipts is lower by $55K than Hand; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Lincoln County, NE · MID
$15.0M federal receipts is higher by $75K than Hand; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Mountrail County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Mountrail sits near Hand on payments-per-acre ($16.12) while total receipts differ.
Mccone County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Mccone sits near Hand on payments-per-acre ($16.72) while total receipts differ.
South Dakota ERS state roll-up
Hand stamps HEAVY · CROP-LED inside South Dakota's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#126)
Hand ranks #126 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the HEAVY intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Hand County, South Dakota stamps HEAVY · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #126 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.