Farm operations
797
Avg 2,783 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census SD · FIPS 46093 797 farms Lower-middle (#46/66) 20% cropland HEAVY PASTURE-LED
Meade County, South Dakota - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Meade County. Ranked #46 of 66 counties in South Dakota.
2.22M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 20.3% 450K acres
- Other land
- 79.7% 1.77M acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Meade County received $15.03 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.8× the South Dakota county median of $18.22.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $15.03
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $18.22
- South Dakota county median per acre
- 0.82×
- 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.
797 farms · $121.8M sales
Meade County, South Dakota reports 797 farms and $121.8M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #14 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #46 of 66 counties in South Dakota; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #46 of 66
- National payments rank #14 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 27.4%
Commodity sales
$121.8M
0.73× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$33.3M
27.4% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$41.1M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Meade County's net farm income sits at the 64th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Meade County Farm Data Shows
Meade County, South Dakota reported 797 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $121.8M in total commodity sales and receiving $33.3M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($15.03/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $41.1M. In-state sales rank #46 of 66 in South Dakota.
Of 2,217,742 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 449,585 acres (20.3%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of South Dakota.
Land Use
$15.03 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
2,217,742 acres
Cropland
449,585 acres
Avg Farm Size
2,783 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 20.3%
449,585 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 2,217,742 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 449,585 | 20.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 1,768,157 | 79.7% |
| Average farm size | 2,783 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Meade County, South Dakota?
Meade County, South Dakota has 797 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 2,783 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Meade County?
Meade County's total commodity sales are $121.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #46 among 66 counties in South Dakota.
How much federal farm assistance does Meade County receive?
Meade County received $33.3M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($15.03/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Meade County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Meade County is $41.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Meade County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Meade (HEAVY · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY PASTURE-LED
Merced County, CA · DENSE
$33.1M federal receipts is lower by $210K than Meade; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
San Joaquin County, CA · DENSE
$33.6M federal receipts is higher by $266K than Meade; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Grand Forks County, ND · DENSE
$33.8M federal receipts is higher by $463K than Meade; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Whitman County, WA · DENSE
$32.7M federal receipts is lower by $592K than Meade; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Valley County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Valley sits near Meade on payments-per-acre ($14.82) while total receipts differ.
Haakon County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Haakon sits near Meade on payments-per-acre ($14.81) while total receipts differ.
South Dakota ERS state roll-up
Meade stamps HEAVY · PASTURE-LED inside South Dakota's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#14)
Meade ranks #14 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
Meade County, South Dakota stamps HEAVY · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #14 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.