Farm operations
301
Avg 1,482 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census SD · FIPS 46065 301 farms Lower-middle (#43/66) 58% cropland HEAVY CROP-LED
Hughes County, South Dakota - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Hughes County. Ranked #43 of 66 counties in South Dakota.
446K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 58.3% 260K acres
- Other land
- 41.7% 186K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Hughes County received $17.77 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.0× the South Dakota county median of $18.22.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $17.77
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $18.22
- South Dakota county median per acre
- 0.98×
- 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.
301 farms · $126.7M sales
Hughes County, South Dakota reports 301 farms and $126.7M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #359 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #43 of 66 counties in South Dakota; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #43 of 66
- National payments rank #359 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 6.3%
Commodity sales
$126.7M
0.75× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$7.9M
6.3% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$38.8M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Hughes County's net farm income sits at the 63th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Hughes County Farm Data Shows
Hughes County, South Dakota reported 301 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $126.7M in total commodity sales and receiving $7.9M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($17.77/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $38.8M. In-state sales rank #43 of 66 in South Dakota.
Of 446,067 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 260,198 acres (58.3%) - 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
$17.77 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
446,067 acres
Cropland
260,198 acres
Avg Farm Size
1,482 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 58.3%
260,198 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 446,067 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 260,198 | 58.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 185,869 | 41.7% |
| Average farm size | 1,482 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Hughes County, South Dakota?
Hughes County, South Dakota has 301 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 1,482 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Hughes County?
Hughes County's total commodity sales are $126.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #43 among 66 counties in South Dakota.
How much federal farm assistance does Hughes County receive?
Hughes County received $7.9M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($17.77/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Hughes County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Hughes County is $38.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Hughes County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Hughes (HEAVY · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-LED
Maricopa County, AZ · HEAVY
$7.9M federal receipts is lower by $7K than Hughes; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Aurora County, SD · DENSE
$7.9M federal receipts is lower by $32K than Hughes; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Phillips County, AR · DENSE
$8.0M federal receipts is higher by $34K than Hughes; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Pottawattamie County, IA · HEAVY
$7.9M federal receipts is lower by $37K than Hughes; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Kearny County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Kearny sits near Hughes on payments-per-acre ($17.55) while total receipts differ.
Lamar County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Lamar sits near Hughes on payments-per-acre ($18.02) while total receipts differ.
South Dakota ERS state roll-up
Hughes stamps HEAVY · CROP-LED inside South Dakota's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#359)
Hughes ranks #359 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
Hughes County, South Dakota stamps HEAVY · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #359 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.