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North Dakota farm subsidy data

USDA farm program payments, conservation and disaster aid, crop receipts and net farm income for North Dakota (fiscal year 2023), from USDA ERS Farm Income & Wealth Statistics and the USDA NASS Census of Agriculture.

Total payments
$313M
Conservation
$120M
Disaster aid
$190M
Net farm income (2023)
$4.2B

What the North Dakota Farm Data Shows

North Dakota has received $313M in USDA farm program payments in fiscal year 2023, including $120M in conservation payments (CRP, EQIP, CSP) and $190M in disaster assistance (CFAP, MFP, LFP, ERP). Net farm income for 2023 came in at $4.2B, sitting on top of $13.8B in gross cash income and $11.8B in total cash receipts from all commodities. The leading program category for North Dakota is Disaster Assistance. These figures come straight from the USDA Economic Research Service Farm Income and Wealth Statistics release, the same source file that Congress, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Farm Service Agency use when they score Farm Bill proposals.

North Dakota's agriculture is anchored by Soybeans ($2.6B in cash receipts), Wheat ($2.5B in cash receipts), Corn ($1.9B in cash receipts), with the top three commodities accounting for a significant share of the state's $11.8B in total cash receipts. The crop-insurance loss ratio, indemnities paid out divided by premiums collected, stands at 156%, with $$500M in premiums and $$781M in indemnity payments. A loss ratio above 100% means insurers paid out more in claims than they collected in premiums, a signal of significant yield or revenue shortfalls in recent years.

Reading North Dakota's farm data correctly means holding three lenses at once: commodity cash receipts (which track market activity), government payments (which track federal policy), and net farm income (which tracks actual economic outcomes). These three numbers move independently, a bumper crop year can drive up receipts while depressing prices and triggering government payments; a disaster year can crush receipts while unlocking indemnities and disaster aid. Use the payment history, county table, and nearby-state comparison below to benchmark North Dakota against its region before drawing conclusions about the health, resilience, or federal dependence of the state's agricultural economy.

Payment History (Recent Years)

Year Total
2024 $294M
2023 $313M
2022 $1.5B
2021 $1.5B
2020 $1.8B
2019 $1.1B
2018 $739M
2017 $588M
2016 $622M
2015 $363M

Cash Receipts by Commodity

Soybeans $2.6B (22.2%)
Wheat $2.5B (20.8%)
Corn $1.9B (16.0%)
Cattle $1.5B (12.5%)
Total cash receipts: $11.8B

Crop Insurance

Premiums Paid
$500M
Indemnities
$781M
Loss Ratio
156%

Loss ratio = indemnities ÷ premiums. Above 100% means claims exceeded premiums.

Top counties in North Dakota by commodity sales

Top 5 North Dakota counties, commodity sales

Top 5 North Dakota counties, commodity sales Horizontal bar chart of the top 5 items by value (USD). Top 5 North Dakota counties, commodity sales Top 5 1. Cass $613M 2. Richland $473M 3. Walsh $469M 4. Pembina $447M 5. Grand Forks $440M Top 5 counties in North Dakota ranked by total commodity sales (USDA NASS Census of Agriculture). Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture + USDA ERS Farm Income.

Counties in North Dakota (53)

County Farms
Sioux 153
Golden Valley 249
Billings 170

Showing 51-53 of 53 counties, ranked by commodity sales.

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Farm Income and Wealth Statistics (1995-2024) USDA Economic Research Service, Farm Income and Wealth Statistics (1995-2024) County data: USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does North Dakota receive in farm subsidies?

North Dakota has received $313M in total USDA government farm payments (fiscal year 2023), including $120M in conservation payments and $190M in disaster assistance.

What programs does North Dakota use most?

North Dakota's leading program category is Disaster Assistance. Key programs include the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC), and disaster assistance programs like CFAP and ERP.

What is North Dakota's crop insurance loss ratio?

North Dakota's crop insurance loss ratio is 156%, meaning insurers paid out 156% of every dollar collected in premiums. A ratio above 100% indicates significant crop losses relative to premiums.

What is North Dakota's net farm income?

North Dakota's net farm income is $4.2B (2023), with gross cash income of $13.8B and total cash receipts of $11.8B. Net farm income measures total agricultural output minus production expenses.

How much conservation funding does North Dakota receive?

North Dakota has received $120M in conservation program payments (fiscal year 2023). These include programs like the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which support soil health, water quality, and habitat preservation.

What crops are most important to North Dakota's agriculture?

North Dakota's top agricultural commodities by cash receipts include Soybeans ($2.6B), Wheat ($2.5B), Corn ($1.9B). Total cash receipts across all commodities are $11.8B.

Farm subsidy guides

Agricultural Income

Gross Cash Income $13.8B
Net Cash Income $4.2B
Net Farm Income $4.2B
ARC Payments $1M
PLC Payments $0M
Data Source
USDA Economic Research Service
Farm Income and Wealth Statistics
Released: February 5, 2026
Coverage: fiscal year 2023
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details.

Every figure on PlainFarmData is rendered directly from the USDA Census of Agriculture and farm-subsidy program data, no number is typed in by an editor. State farm data is compiled directly from the USDA Census of Agriculture, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.