FARMGRANT COUNTY PROFILE · PUBLIC USDA DATA

Essex County, Massachusetts

$231,917 in USDA farm subsidies to county recipients (2024)

Opportunity Score: 37/100

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USDA Farm Subsidies — Essex County

$231,917 in USDA farm subsidies to Essex County recipients (2024).

Sum of payments to 19 recipients in this county, EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm), 2024 single year.

Program Breakdown (selected programs, EWG/USDA 2024)

Disaster Payments $211,555
Dairy Programs $16,160

Selected program components shown individually. These are separate EWG/USDA pulls and are not additive to the headline subsidy total — no combined "total" is shown. Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database / USDA, 2024.

Crop Insurance Premium Subsidy

$253,756 in federal crop-insurance premium subsidy (RMA, 2024).

This is a separate program total (premium-subsidy dollars only) — it is not part of the subsidy headline above and is shown on its own. Source: USDA RMA via EWG, 2024.

Top Subsidy Recipients

# Recipient 2024 Total
1 Marini Farm LLC $99,363
2 Smolak Farms LLC $33,254
3 Crescent Farm LLC $29,398
4 Connors Farm Inc $26,360
5 C.S. $8,619
6 Richardsons Farms Inc $6,779
7 Herrick Dairy Farm LLC $5,963
8 Richardsons Farms Inc $4,943
9 Dunajski Dairy Inc $4,296
10 C.D. $3,879

Top recipients by EWG totalfarm (2024). These named payments sum toward the headline total above. Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database.

About Farming in Essex County

Essex County has roughly 441 farms working about 18,490 acres of land in farms (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture), averaging ~42 acres per farm.

In Essex County, irrigated cropland rents for roughly $386/acre and farmland is valued near $20,111/acre (USDA NASS).

Local signals from public data: Above-average USDA $/acre — fewer gaps; Above-average beginning producers (50 per 100 farms).

FarmGrant Opportunity Score

37 out of 100
Below Average
#14 of 14 in Massachusetts (7th pctile)
18th national percentile
Funding Gap? 5.0/25
Program Eligibility? 11.0/25
Insurance Opportunity? 18.8/25
Economic Need? 3.0/25
What drives this score
  • Above-average USDA $/acre — fewer gaps
  • Above-average beginning producers (50 per 100 farms)
  • Elevated women-producer presence (95 per 100 farms)
  • Above-median loss ratio (2.30)
  • Low insured-policy density (0.0 policies/farm)

An opportunity-gap indicator (0–100) built from up to four public-data components — not a prediction that any farm will get funding or qualifies for a program. Sources: USDA ERS, NASS, RMA, and EWG subsidy records.

USDA Funding Per Acre

Historically, Essex County received about $12.54 per acre of farmland in USDA subsidies. That ranks #536 of 3,032 U.S. counties for USDA dollars per farmland acre.

2024 USDA subsidy $ (EWG totalfarm) ÷ land-in-farms acres (18,490 acres, USDA NASS 2022 Census). A descriptive county-wide statistic — not a prediction of what any individual farm received or will receive.

See how Essex County ranks against all U.S. counties →

County Land Economics & Demographics

Population
810,089
(2023, USDA ERS)
Median Income
$96,303
(USDA ERS)
Poverty Rate
9.6%
(USDA ERS)
Unemployment
3.5%
(USDA ERS)
Cropland Rent
$386/ac
(USDA NASS, irrig.)
Land Value
$20,111/ac
(USDA NASS, 2022 Census)
Insurance Policies
12
(USDA RMA)
Acres Insured
413
(USDA RMA)

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much USDA funding does Essex County receive?

Essex County recipients received about $231,917 in USDA farm subsidies in 2024, per the EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm). This is a single-year county total of recorded payments, not a forecast of future funding.

What USDA programs are available to farmers in Essex County?

Farmers may be eligible for a range of USDA programs — conservation (e.g. CRP, EQIP), commodity support (ARC/PLC), disaster assistance, federal crop insurance, and FSA loans. Eligibility depends on your farm; use the free Subsidy Finder to see programs you could qualify for.

How is the FarmGrant Opportunity Score calculated?

The Opportunity Score (0–100; 37 for Essex County) is an opportunity-gap indicator built from up to four public-data components — funding gap, program eligibility, insurance opportunity, and economic need — using USDA ERS, NASS, RMA, and EWG records. It is not a prediction that any farm will receive funding or qualifies for a specific program.

Nearby Counties in Massachusetts

Could your farm benefit?

Farms in Essex County may qualify for USDA programs based on crop, conservation, and disaster activity. Run the free Subsidy Finder to see which programs you could qualify for, then prep your local USDA office visit.

Find Your Programs Prep USDA Visit Deadlines

Data as of June 02, 2026. Subsidy figures: USDA/EWG 2024 release. Farmland acres: USDA NASS 2022 Census. Opportunity score refreshed monthly. Each figure above carries its own data year; this page is never fresher than its oldest input.