Farm operations
1,270
Avg 107 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census TN · FIPS 47149 1,270 farms Upper-middle (#43/95) 43% cropland TRACE MIXED
Rutherford County, Tennessee - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Rutherford County. Ranked #43 of 95 counties in Tennessee.
136K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 43.4% 59K acres
- Other land
- 56.6% 77K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Rutherford County received $1.03 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.3× the Tennessee county median of $3.41.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $1.03
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $3.41
- Tennessee county median per acre
- 0.30×
- Tennessee 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.
1,270 farms · $35.4M sales
Rutherford County, Tennessee reports 1,270 farms and $35.4M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2624 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 95 counties in Tennessee; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #43 of 95
- National payments rank #2624 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.4%
Commodity sales
$35.4M
1.1× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$140K
0.4% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$-545K
2022 cash income -- Net loss
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Rutherford County's net farm income sits at the 11th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Rutherford County Farm Data Shows
Rutherford County, Tennessee reported 1,270 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $35.4M in total commodity sales and receiving $140K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($1.03/acre); land stamp MIXED. Net cash farm income came in at $-545K. In-state sales rank #43 of 95 in Tennessee.
Of 136,070 acres agricultural land, cropland is 59,066 acres (43.4%) with the balance in pasture, range, woodland, or farmsteads, a MIXED footprint. Average farm size 107 acres. Federal intensity is TRACE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Tennessee.
Land Use
$1.03 per acre of agricultural land · the median Tennessee county receives $3.41. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
136,070 acres
Cropland
59,066 acres
Avg Farm Size
107 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 43.4%
59,066 cropland acres · MIXED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 136,070 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 59,066 | 43.4% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 77,004 | 56.6% |
| Average farm size | 107 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Rutherford County, Tennessee?
Rutherford County, Tennessee has 1,270 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 107 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Rutherford County?
Rutherford County's total commodity sales are $35.4M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #43 among 95 counties in Tennessee.
How much federal farm assistance does Rutherford County receive?
Rutherford County received $140K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($1.03/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Rutherford County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Rutherford County is $-545K (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Rutherford County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Rutherford (TRACE · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE MIXED
Trinity County, TX · TRACE
$140K federal receipts is higher by - than Rutherford; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs MIXED.
Hot Spring County, AR · TRACE
$139K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Rutherford; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Lincoln County, LA · TRACE
$139K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Rutherford; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs MIXED.
Columbia County, OR · TRACE
$141K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Rutherford; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Lewis County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Lewis sits near Rutherford on payments-per-acre ($1.07) while total receipts differ.
Harrison County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Harrison sits near Rutherford on payments-per-acre ($1.08) while total receipts differ.
Tennessee ERS state roll-up
Rutherford stamps TRACE · MIXED inside Tennessee's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2624)
Rutherford ranks #2624 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
Rutherford County, Tennessee stamps TRACE · MIXED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2624 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Tennessee compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Tennessee 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.