Farmland Atlas · county record

Desha County, Arkansas

Desha County, AR: non-irrigated cash rent $73 an acre (2024); land and buildings $4,113 an acre in the 2022 census; median corn yield 186.0 bu/ac. County averages from public records, not an appraisal of any farm. FIPS 05041. Figures as of 2026-09-20.

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Irrigated acres make up 89 percent of harvested cropland in Desha County, and the irrigated cash rent stands at $177 per acre in 2026. The July average nightly low has warmed at 0.34 F per decade since 1976, reaching 73.4 F over 2017-2026 against a 1991-2020 normal of 72.2 F.

Cash rent, non-irrigated
$73/ac
2024 county average
too few 2024 county surveys in the state to compare
Cash rent, irrigated
$177/ac
2026 county average
AR median $158 · 7th highest of 27
Land and buildings
$4,113/ac
2022: what operators guessed land and buildings were worth
AR median $3,631 · 21st highest of 75
Corn yield, 2008–2025 median
186.0 bu/ac
recent level 2021–2025: 182.3 · irrigated and dryland combined
AR median 180.1 · 6th highest of 21
Claims paid per $100 of coverage
$8.48
2016–2025, closed crop years
AR median $13.59 · 8th lowest of 41
Farmland rented
76%
2022 census, rented from others
AR median 29% · 7th highest of 75

Cash rent

$0$50$100$150$2002010201520202025$65$73 dry$122$177 irrigated

Dollars per acre, USDA NASS county survey. A break in a line is a year with no published survey; nothing is drawn across it.

Non-irrigated, 2024$73/ac
Change 2014 to 2024+12.3%nominal, $65 to $73
Irrigated, 2026$177/ac

Land value

Land and buildings, 2022$4,113/acoperators' own estimate, not a sale price
Census 2012$2,789/ac
Census 2017$3,254/ac
Change 2017 to 2022+26.4%+4.8% a year, nominal
Dry rent ÷ census value— about 89% of cropland is irrigated (2022 census), so dry rent over the all-land census value is not a yield on anything

Corn yield

200820102012201420162018202020222024169.0204.0182.8median 186.0

Bushels per acre, USDA NASS county yields, all practices. The dashed line is the median of the published years.

Median, 2008–2025186.0 bu/ac18 published years, irrigated and dryland combined
Recent level, 2021–2025182.3 bu/ac5 published years, high and low dropped
Lowest published year2022: 166.3 bu/ac89% of median
Trend, 2008–2025+0.1 bu/ac a year±1.1 (95% interval)

Crop insurance record

19952000200520102015202020250.242.781.321.00: claims equal premium

Claims paid divided by total premium (the farmer share plus the federal subsidy), each closed crop year since 1989. Above the dashed line, the county's insurance book paid out more than it took in. 2026, still open, is left out.

Claims paid per $100 of coverage, 2016–2025$8.48
Loss ratio, 2016–20251.37claims ÷ total premium
Loss ratio, 1989–20251.03$138.5 million paid
Years claims exceeded premium10 of 31
Worst year2021ratio 2.78
Largest causes of loss, 1989–2025excess moisture 67% · heat and drought 14% · area plans 8%share of dollars paid

Drought and weather

20002005201020152020202521220

Weeks per year, U.S. Drought Monitor, with half the county or more in D2 (severe) drought or worse.

D2 or worse for half the county, 2000–2025118 of 1,357 weeks9% of weeks
Year with the most D2+ weeks201122 weeks
Last five years, 2021–202524 weeks
July average of daily lows, 2017–202673.4 °F1991–2020 normal 72.2 °F
Trend in July lows since 1976+0.34 °F a decadewarming
Rain, April to September24.6 in1991–2020 normal; last ten years 111% of it
Days with hail 1 inch or larger0.8 a yearreports, 2010–2025; a zero is no report, not proof of no hail

Land, water and programs

Harvested cropland irrigated, 202289%
Drained by tile, 2022under 1% of cropland50 ac
Farmed no-till, 202214% of cropland32,844 ac
Cover crops, 20222% of cropland3,835 ac
198619911996200120062011201620211788,9597,280

Acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, USDA FSA, by fiscal year.

CRP enrolled, 20257,280 ac3.1% of harvested cropland + CRP
CRP expiring FY2026–20281,450 ac20% of enrolled acres
CRP average rental payment, FY2025$95/acall contracts in force, old ones included; not today's offer
Cattle and calves, 2022385−27.8% since 2017
Farmland rented from others, 202276%census tenure, owned plus rented acres in farms

Next door

CountyDry rentIrr. rentLand valueCorn yieldClaims per $100
Desha County$73 2024$177$4,113186.0$8.48
Arkansas County$98 2025$158$4,364188.9$4.04
Chicot County$159$165$4,081179.4$7.75
Drew County$39$150$3,711187.1$10.01
Lincoln County$25$156$3,517185.9$14.45
Phillips County$119$146$3,345175.4$13.59
Bolivar County, MS$123$182$4,310179.4$8.76
Coahoma County, MS$155$193$3,910180.4$10.98
Median next door$121$158$3,910180.4$10.01

Counties that share a stretch of boundary. An older rent carries its year and stays out of the median.

Cite this page

AGSIST Farmland Atlas. Desha County, Arkansas. Figures as of 2026-09-20, from USDA NASS, USDA RMA, USDA FSA, the U.S. Drought Monitor and NOAA. https://agsist.com/farmland-atlas/arkansas/desha-county
Every figure is a county average from the sources named below. Ranks count counties with 10,000 acres or more in farms, in the same survey year for rent, within the state. Methods: how each figure is built. Downloads: all counties, CSV.
Sources, dates and arithmetic

"Figures as of" is the date this page's numbers last changed; it moves only when a figure on the page does. Source files and their retrieval dates are listed on the data page.

Rent: USDA NASS Cash Rents Survey, county. Land value: Census of Agriculture, operators' estimate of land and buildings. Yield: NASS county corn yields, trend fitted here over every published year since 2008. Loss ratio: claims (indemnity) divided by total premium, USDA RMA Summary of Business, 1989 on, open crop year left out. Drought: U.S. Drought Monitor, weeks with half the county or more in D2 or worse. July lows: NOAA nClimDiv county monthly minimum temperature. A dash means the record does not carry the figure or the source withheld it; the reason is printed beside it.