Farm operations
1,183
Avg 155 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census VA · FIPS 51019 1,183 farms Upper-middle (#48/98) 32% cropland DENSE MIXED
Bedford County, Virginia - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Bedford County. Ranked #48 of 98 counties in Virginia.
183K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 31.5% 58K acres
- Other land
- 68.5% 126K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Bedford County received $20.33 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 2.9× the Virginia county median of $6.99.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $20.33
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $6.99
- Virginia county median per acre
- 2.91×
- 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.
1,183 farms · $29.3M sales
Bedford County, Virginia reports 1,183 farms and $29.3M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #832 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #48 of 98 counties in Virginia; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #48 of 98
- National payments rank #832 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 12.7%
Commodity sales
$29.3M
1.1× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$3.7M
12.7% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$2.5M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Bedford County's net farm income sits at the 23th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Bedford County Farm Data Shows
Bedford County, Virginia reported 1,183 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $29.3M in total commodity sales and receiving $3.7M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($20.33/acre); land stamp MIXED. Net cash farm income came in at $2.5M. In-state sales rank #48 of 98 in Virginia.
Of 183,200 acres agricultural land, cropland is 57,623 acres (31.5%) with the balance in pasture, range, woodland, or farmsteads, a MIXED footprint. Average farm size 155 acres. Federal intensity is DENSE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Virginia.
Land Use
$20.33 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
183,200 acres
Cropland
57,623 acres
Avg Farm Size
155 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 31.5%
57,623 cropland acres · MIXED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 183,200 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 57,623 | 31.5% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 125,577 | 68.5% |
| Average farm size | 155 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Bedford County, Virginia?
Bedford County, Virginia has 1,183 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 155 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Bedford County?
Bedford County's total commodity sales are $29.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #48 among 98 counties in Virginia.
How much federal farm assistance does Bedford County receive?
Bedford County received $3.7M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($20.33/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Bedford County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Bedford County is $2.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Bedford County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Bedford (DENSE · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE MIXED
Champaign County, IL · LIGHT
$3.7M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Bedford; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Jefferson County, OR · LIGHT
$3.7M federal receipts is higher by $6K than Bedford; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs MIXED.
Olmsted County, MN · HEAVY
$3.7M federal receipts is lower by $8K than Bedford; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
San Juan County, UT · TRACE
$3.7M federal receipts is higher by $11K than Bedford; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs MIXED.
Alachua County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Alachua sits near Bedford on payments-per-acre ($19.93) while total receipts differ.
Winnebago County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Winnebago sits near Bedford on payments-per-acre ($19.93) while total receipts differ.
Virginia ERS state roll-up
Bedford stamps DENSE · MIXED inside Virginia's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#832)
Bedford ranks #832 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the DENSE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Bedford County, Virginia stamps DENSE · MIXED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #832 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.