Farm operations
1,183
Avg 155 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census VA · FIPS 51019 Upper-middle by state sales DENSE MIXED
Bedford County, Virginia - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Bedford County. Ranked #48 of 98 counties in Virginia.
183,200 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 31.5% 57,623 acres
- Other land
- 68.5% 125,577 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Bedford County, Virginia is a MIXED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp DENSE; commodity sales sit near state median and it shows high federal dependence.
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 reads as a MIXED county with DENSE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 25% to 50% of agricultural land with the balance in pasture, range, woodland or farmsteads, so row-crop and livestock-side programs are both in play; payments per agricultural acre fall in the highest national quintile, $18.39 an acre or more, federal receipts concentrated on a small farmed base.
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 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
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Bedford under the DENSE intensity band.
What to do with this
Three places to go next from Bedford 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 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).
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 DENSE · land stamp MIXED (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.