Farm operations
399
Avg 172 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census VA · FIPS 51125 399 farms Upper-middle (#40/98) 32% cropland HEAVY MIXED
Nelson County, Virginia - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Nelson County. Ranked #40 of 98 counties in Virginia.
69K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 31.9% 22K acres
- Other land
- 68.1% 47K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Nelson County received $12.67 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.8× the Virginia county median of $6.99.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $12.67
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $6.99
- Virginia county median per acre
- 1.81×
- 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.
399 farms · $34.5M sales
Nelson County, Virginia reports 399 farms and $34.5M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1917 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #40 of 98 counties in Virginia; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #40 of 98
- National payments rank #1917 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 2.5%
Commodity sales
$34.5M
1.2× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$869K
2.5% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$1.7M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Nelson County's net farm income sits at the 21th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Nelson County Farm Data Shows
Nelson County, Virginia reported 399 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $34.5M in total commodity sales and receiving $869K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($12.67/acre); land stamp MIXED. Net cash farm income came in at $1.7M. In-state sales rank #40 of 98 in Virginia.
Of 68,566 acres agricultural land, cropland is 21,847 acres (31.9%) with the balance in pasture, range, woodland, or farmsteads, a MIXED footprint. Average farm size 172 acres. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Virginia.
Land Use
$12.67 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
68,566 acres
Cropland
21,847 acres
Avg Farm Size
172 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 31.9%
21,847 cropland acres · MIXED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 68,566 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 21,847 | 31.9% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 46,719 | 68.1% |
| Average farm size | 172 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Nelson County, Virginia?
Nelson County, Virginia has 399 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 172 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Nelson County?
Nelson County's total commodity sales are $34.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #40 among 98 counties in Virginia.
How much federal farm assistance does Nelson County receive?
Nelson County received $869K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($12.67/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Nelson County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Nelson County is $1.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Nelson County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Nelson (HEAVY · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY MIXED
Daviess County, IN · LIGHT
$866K federal receipts is lower by $3K than Nelson; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Racine County, WI · MID
$872K federal receipts is higher by $3K than Nelson; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Montgomery County, OH · MID
$874K federal receipts is higher by $5K than Nelson; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Henry County, IN · LIGHT
$875K federal receipts is higher by $6K than Nelson; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Essex County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Essex sits near Nelson on payments-per-acre ($12.75) while total receipts differ.
Jenkins County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Jenkins sits near Nelson on payments-per-acre ($12.41) while total receipts differ.
Virginia ERS state roll-up
Nelson stamps HEAVY · MIXED inside Virginia's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1917)
Nelson ranks #1917 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the HEAVY intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Nelson County, Virginia stamps HEAVY · MIXED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1917 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.