Farm operations
385
Avg 194 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census VA · FIPS 51009 385 farms Bottom quartile (#77/98) 23% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
Amherst County, Virginia - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Amherst County. Ranked #77 of 98 counties in Virginia.
75K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 22.8% 17K acres
- Other land
- 77.2% 58K 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.
385 farms · $10.7M sales
Amherst County, Virginia reports 385 farms and $10.7M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2702 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #77 of 98 counties in Virginia; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #77 of 98
- National payments rank #2702 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.9%
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 reported 385 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $10.7M in total commodity sales and receiving $98K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($1.31/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $-2.1M. In-state sales rank #77 of 98 in Virginia.
Of 74,554 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 16,966 acres (22.8%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is TRACE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Virginia.
Land Use
$1.31 per acre of agricultural land · the median Virginia county receives $6.99. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
74,554 acres
Cropland
16,966 acres
Avg Farm Size
194 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 22.8%
16,966 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 74,554 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 16,966 | 22.8% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 57,588 | 77.2% |
| Average farm size | 194 | acres / farm |
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).
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 (#2702)
Amherst ranks #2702 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
Amherst County, Virginia stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2702 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- 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.
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.