Farmland Atlas · county record

San Miguel County, Colorado

San Miguel County, CO: non-irrigated cash rent $14 an acre (2026); land and buildings $2,179 an acre in the 2022 census. County averages from public records, not an appraisal of any farm. FIPS 08113. Figures as of 2026-09-20.

Open on the map Compare Printable sheet

San Miguel County carried a census land value of $2,179 per acre in 2022, up 46.2 percent over 2017-2022, or 7.9 percent a year. The July nightly low trend since 1976 runs 0.55 F per decade warming, though no July since 1900 has averaged at or above 70 F.

Cash rent, non-irrigated
$14/ac
2026 county average
CO median $30 · 3rd lowest of 24
Cash rent, irrigated
$22/ac
2019 county average
too few 2019 county surveys in the state to compare
Land and buildings
$2,179/ac
2022: what operators guessed land and buildings were worth
CO median $2,765 · 20th lowest of 58
Corn yield, median
—
fewer than 8 published county corn yields
Claims paid per $100 of coverage
—
under the premium floor for a figure
Farmland rented
26%
2022 census, rented from others
CO median 30% · 21st lowest of 57

Cash rent

$0$20$40$60$802012201420162018$75$22 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, 2026$14/ac
Irrigated, 2019$22/ac
Pasture, 2024$6/ac

Land value

Land and buildings, 2022$2,179/acoperators' own estimate, not a sale price
Census 2012$1,458/ac
Census 2017$1,490/ac
Change 2017 to 2022+46.2%+7.9% a year, nominal
Dry rent ÷ census value— NASS published no non-irrigated cash rent for this county in 2022

Corn yield

County corn yield— fewer than 8 published county corn yields

Crop insurance record

Claims paid divided by total premium (the farmer share plus the federal subsidy), each closed crop year since 1990. Above the dashed line, the county's insurance book paid out more than it took in. 2026, still open, is left out.

Largest causes of loss, 1990–2025heat and drought 69% · other 16% · price decline (revenue policies) 7%share of dollars paid

Drought and weather

20002005201020152020202505219

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, 2000–2025341 of 1,357 weeks25% of weeks
Year with the most D2+ weeks201852 weeks
Last five years, 2021–202567 weeks
July average of daily lows, 2017–202652.7 °F1991–2020 normal 51.8 °F
Trend in July lows since 1976+0.55 °F a decadewarming
Rain, April to September9.1 in1991–2020 normal; last ten years 80% of it
Days with hail 1 inch or larger0.1 a yearreports, 2010–2025; a zero is no report, not proof of no hail

Land, water and programs

Harvested cropland irrigated, 202266%
Farmed no-till, 20224% of cropland576 ac
198619911996200120062011201620211,3125,0882,855

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

CRP enrolled, 20252,855 ac38.4% of harvested cropland + CRP
CRP expiring FY2026–20280 ac0% of enrolled acres
CRP average rental payment, FY2025$32/acall contracts in force, old ones included; not today's offer
Cattle and calves, 20227,190−25.0% since 2017
Farmland rented from others, 202226%census tenure, owned plus rented acres in farms

Next door

CountyDry rentIrr. rentLand valueClaims per $100
San Miguel County$14—$2,179—
Dolores County——$3,270$18.42
Montrose County—$138$5,909$11.28
Ouray County—$40 2023$2,949—
San Juan County————
San Juan County, UT——$748$21.50
Median next door—$138 1 co.$3,110$18.42

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. San Miguel County, Colorado. 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/colorado/san-miguel-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.