Farmland Atlas · county record

Christian County, Kentucky

Christian County, KY: non-irrigated cash rent $200 an acre (2026); land and buildings $5,807 an acre in the 2022 census; median corn yield 181.7 bu/ac. County averages from public records, not an appraisal of any farm. FIPS 21047. Figures as of 2026-09-20.

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Non-irrigated cash rent in Christian County runs $200 per acre in 2026, up 11.1 percent from 2016. Irrigated ground rents at $219 per acre, a multiple of 1.10 over non-irrigated, down from 1.22 in 2016, with no clear direction over that span. Only 4 percent of harvested cropland is irrigated, and 4 percent of irrigation water comes from groundwater, so most rent here reflects dryland farming. Weeks in severe drought or worse ran 66 of 1357 from 2000-2025, with 2007 the worst year at 16 weeks.

Cash rent, non-irrigated
$200/ac
2026 county average
KY median $125 · tied for 7th highest of 86
Cash rent, irrigated
$219/ac
2026 county average
Land and buildings
$5,807/ac
2022: what operators guessed land and buildings were worth
KY median $4,449 · 23rd highest of 114
Corn yield, 2008–2025 median
181.7 bu/ac
recent level 2021–2025: 196.2
KY median 161.4 · 4th highest of 50
Claims paid per $100 of coverage
$5.94
2016–2025, closed crop years
KY median $8.45 · 21st lowest of 86
Farmland rented
46%
2022 census, rented from others
KY median 25% · 12th highest of 115

Cash rent

$0$50$100$150$2002010201520202025$116$200 dry$220$219 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$200/ac
Change 2016 to 2026+11.1%nominal, $180 to $200
Irrigated, 2026$219/ac
Pasture, 2026$51/ac
Dry rent per bushel of corn$1.02$200 ÷ 196.2 bu, county yield 2021–2025

Land value

Land and buildings, 2022$5,807/acoperators' own estimate, not a sale price
Census 2012$3,454/ac
Census 2017$4,817/ac
Change 2017 to 2022+20.6%+3.8% a year, nominal
Dry cropland rent ÷ census value, 20223.1%$180 ÷ $5,807; cropland 76% of land in farms

Corn yield

200820102012201420162018202020222024133.0203.9193.2median 181.7

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

Median, 2008–2025181.7 bu/ac18 published years
Recent level, 2021–2025196.2 bu/ac5 published years, high and low dropped
Lowest published year2012: 64.0 bu/ac35% of median
Trend, 2008–2025+3.6 bu/ac a year±3.0 (95% interval)

Crop insurance record

19952000200520102015202020250.224.120.801.00: 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$5.94
Loss ratio, 2016–20250.65claims ÷ total premium
Loss ratio, 1989–20250.78$171.2 million paid
Years claims exceeded premium7 of 31
Worst year2007ratio 4.12
Largest causes of loss, 1989–2025heat and drought 52% · excess moisture 30% · price decline (revenue policies) 6%share of dollars paid

Drought and weather

2000200520102015202020250162

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, 2000–202566 of 1,357 weeks5% of weeks
Year with the most D2+ weeks200716 weeks
Last five years, 2021–202510 weeks
July average of daily lows, 2017–202669.3 °F1991–2020 normal 68.1 °F
Trend in July lows since 1976+0.35 °F a decadeno clear direction
Rain, April to September26.5 in1991–2020 normal; last ten years 103% of it
Days with hail 1 inch or larger1.4 a yearreports, 2010–2025; a zero is no report, not proof of no hail

Land, water and programs

Harvested cropland irrigated, 20224%
Drained by tile, 20223% of cropland7,914 ac
Farmed no-till, 202242% of cropland109,594 ac
Cover crops, 20227% of cropland16,920 ac
198619911996200120062011201620213,26436,09817,417

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

CRP enrolled, 202517,417 ac7.8% of harvested cropland + CRP
CRP expiring FY2026–20288,082 ac46% of enrolled acres
CRP average rental payment, FY2025$198/acall contracts in force, old ones included; not today's offer
Cattle and calves, 202221,466−18.9% since 2017
Farmland rented from others, 202246%census tenure, owned plus rented acres in farms

Next door

CountyDry rentIrr. rentLand valueCorn yieldClaims per $100
Christian County$200$219$5,807181.7$5.94
Caldwell County$170—$4,783159.4$5.48
Hopkins County$160—$4,313—$6.13
Muhlenberg County$148—$4,571—$9.28
Todd County$200—$6,606175.4$4.06
Trigg County$175—$5,078170.4$9.61
Montgomery County, TN$132—$5,228165.2$6.88
Stewart County, TN$65—$4,031—$20.09
Median next door$160—$4,783167.8$6.88

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. Christian County, Kentucky. 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/kentucky/christian-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.