Farm operations
385
Avg 194 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census VA · FIPS 51009 Bottom quartile by state sales TRACE PASTURE-LED
Amherst County, Virginia - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Amherst County. Ranked #77 of 98 counties in Virginia.
74,554 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 22.8% 16,966 acres
- Other land
- 77.2% 57,588 acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Amherst County received $1.31 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.2× the Virginia county median of $6.99.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $1.31
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $6.99
- Virginia county median per acre
- 0.19×
- Virginia 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Amherst County, Virginia is a PASTURE-LED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp TRACE; commodity sales sit well below state median and it shows below-typical federal dependence.
Commodity sales
$10.7M
0.39× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$98K
0.9% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$-2.1M
2022 cash income -- Net loss
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Amherst County's net farm income sits at the 6th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Amherst County Farm Data Shows
Amherst County, Virginia reads as a PASTURE-LED county with TRACE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is under 25% of agricultural land, a mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs; payments per agricultural acre fall in the lowest national quintile, under $3.41 an acre, so program receipts are a marginal line beside market revenue.
The state comparisons on this page use the 98 of 98 Virginia counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 91 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 75 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Virginia.
Read with Amherst County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Amherst (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Randolph County, AL · TRACE
$98K federal receipts is higher by - than Amherst; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Assumption County, LA · TRACE
$98K federal receipts is higher by - than Amherst; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Lincoln County, WV · TRACE
$98K federal receipts is higher by - than Amherst; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Alger County, MI · LIGHT
$97K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Amherst; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Montgomery County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Montgomery sits near Amherst on payments-per-acre ($1.32) while total receipts differ.
Pacific County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Pacific sits near Amherst on payments-per-acre ($1.32) while total receipts differ.
Virginia ERS state roll-up
Amherst stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside Virginia's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Amherst under the TRACE intensity band.
What to do with this
Three ways to keep going from Amherst County, Virginia:
- See how Virginia compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Virginia 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Amherst County, Virginia?
Amherst County, Virginia has 385 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 194 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Amherst County?
Amherst County's total commodity sales are $10.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #77 among 98 counties in Virginia.
How much federal farm assistance does Amherst County receive?
Amherst County received $98K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($1.31/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Amherst County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Amherst County is $-2.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
State Overview
Virginia
98 counties · View state farm data
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 2022 Census of Agriculture · 2022
Dollar values reflect calendar year 2022 farm operations data.
PlainFarmData is an independent data portal, not affiliated with USDA, FSA, or any government agency. For official program eligibility or application guidance, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office.
Intensity stamp TRACE · land stamp PASTURE-LED (NASS payments-per-acre / cropland share bands).
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Verify with USDA NASS Census of Agriculture →
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.