FARMGRANT COUNTY PROFILE · PUBLIC USDA DATA

Benton County, Minnesota

$3.8M in USDA farm subsidies to county recipients (2024)

Opportunity Score: 26/100

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USDA Farm Subsidies — Benton County

$3.8M in USDA farm subsidies to Benton County recipients (2024).

Sum of payments to 583 recipients in this county, EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm), 2024 single year.

Program Breakdown (selected programs, EWG/USDA 2024)

Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) $2.6M
Disaster Payments $914,769
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) $193,972
Dairy Programs $104,917

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

$8.8M 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 New Heights Dairy LLC $451,025
2 Farm Services Agency ** $92,532
3 J & M Farms Of Rice LLC $84,790
4 C.M.D. $78,959
5 Scapanski Dairy LLC $65,051
6 R.B. $53,578
7 Pietrzak Farms LLC $52,183
8 S.G.J. $46,197
9 Schustak Farms LLC $45,968
10 Z.C.A. $44,363

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

About Farming in Benton County

Benton County has roughly 687 farms working about 134,358 acres of land in farms (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture), averaging ~196 acres per farm.

In Benton County, non-irrigated cropland rents for roughly $109/acre and farmland is valued near $5,147/acre (USDA NASS).

Local signals from public data: Well-funded county (high USDA $/acre) — limited gaps; Above-average beginning producers (43 per 100 farms).

FarmGrant Opportunity Score

26 out of 100
Low Opportunity
#86 of 87 in Minnesota (2nd pctile)
2nd national percentile
Funding Gap? 2.0/25
Program Eligibility? 11.0/25
Insurance Opportunity? 5.6/25
Economic Need? 8.0/25
What drives this score
  • Well-funded county (high USDA $/acre) — limited gaps
  • Above-average beginning producers (43 per 100 farms)
  • Above-average women producers (60 per 100 farms)
  • Notable veteran population (6.6%)
  • Moderate poverty (13.7%)

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, Benton County received about $28.25 per acre of farmland in USDA subsidies. That ranks #97 of 3,032 U.S. counties for USDA dollars per farmland acre.

2024 USDA subsidy $ (EWG totalfarm) ÷ land-in-farms acres (134,358 acres, USDA NASS 2022 Census). A descriptive county-wide statistic — not a prediction of what any individual farm received or will receive.

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

County Land Economics & Demographics

Population
41,600
(2023, USDA ERS)
Median Income
$74,677
(USDA ERS)
Poverty Rate
13.7%
(USDA ERS)
Unemployment
3.6%
(USDA ERS)
Cropland Rent
$109/ac
(USDA NASS, non-irrig.)
Land Value
$5,147/ac
(USDA NASS, 2022 Census)
Insurance Policies
1,311
(USDA RMA)
Acres Insured
96,043
(USDA RMA)

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much USDA funding does Benton County receive?

Benton County recipients received about $3.8M 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 Benton 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; 26 for Benton 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 Minnesota

Could your farm benefit?

Farms in Benton 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.