Farmland Atlas · county record

Hampshire County, Massachusetts

Hampshire County, MA: non-irrigated cash rent $129 an acre (2026); land and buildings $10,568 an acre in the 2022 census. County averages from public records, not an appraisal of any farm. FIPS 25015. Figures as of 2026-09-20.

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Non-irrigated cash rent in Hampshire County runs $129 per acre in 2026, up 95.5 percent from 2016. Irrigated cash rent stands at $268 per acre, a multiple of 2.08 in 2026 versus 2.49 in 2009, with no clear direction over that span. Only 7 percent of harvested cropland carries irrigation, per the 2022 census. Drought has touched the county in 73 of 1357 weeks since 2000, with 2016 the worst year at 22 weeks, and 23 weeks came in 2021-2025 alone. July nightly lows average 61.3 F over 2017-2026, above the 1991-2020 normal of 59.2 F, and the warming trend since 1976 runs 0.87 F per decade.

Cash rent, non-irrigated
$129/ac
2026 county average
MA median $82 · 3rd highest of 9
Cash rent, irrigated
$268/ac
2026 county average
MA median $268 · 3rd lowest of 5
Land and buildings
$10,568/ac
2022: what operators guessed land and buildings were worth
MA median $14,377 · 3rd lowest of 9
Corn yield, median
—
fewer than 8 published county corn yields
Claims paid per $100 of coverage
$19.22
2016–2025, closed crop years
MA median $12.15 · 3rd highest of 7
Farmland rented
15%
2022 census, rented from others
MA median 15% · 4th highest of 9

Cash rent

$0$50$100$150$200$250$3002010201520202025$85$129 dry$234$268 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$129/ac
Change 2016 to 2026+95.5%nominal, $66 to $129
Irrigated, 2026$268/ac

Land value

Land and buildings, 2022$10,568/acoperators' own estimate, not a sale price
Census 2012$8,071/ac
Census 2017$7,662/ac
Change 2017 to 2022+37.9%+6.6% a year, nominal
Dry rent ÷ census value— cropland is 36% of land in farms (2022 census), so the census value is mostly pasture, woods and buildings, not cropland

Corn yield

County corn yield— fewer than 8 published county corn yields

Crop insurance record

202120252.320.602.200.630.521.00: 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$19.22
Loss ratio, 2016–20251.00claims ÷ total premium
Loss ratio, 1989–20251.48$23.5 million paid
Worst year2021ratio 2.32
Largest causes of loss, 1989–2025other 45% · excess moisture 31% · hail 10%share of dollars paid

Drought and weather

2000200520102015202020250229

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, 2000–202573 of 1,357 weeks5% of weeks
Year with the most D2+ weeks201622 weeks
Last five years, 2021–202523 weeks
July average of daily lows, 2017–202661.3 °F1991–2020 normal 59.2 °F
Trend in July lows since 1976+0.87 °F a decadewarming
Rain, April to September25.7 in1991–2020 normal; last ten years 102% of it
Days with hail 1 inch or larger1.1 a yearreports, 2010–2025; a zero is no report, not proof of no hail

Land, water and programs

Harvested cropland irrigated, 20227%
Drained by tile, 20223% of cropland478 ac
Farmed no-till, 20228% of cropland1,616 ac
Cover crops, 202219% of cropland3,719 ac
19861991199620012006201120162021050

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

CRP enrolled, 20250 ac
Solar and wind operating, 202598.2 MW solar · 0 MW windnameplate, EIA Form 860
Cattle and calves, 20223,919−12.6% since 2017
Farmland rented from others, 202215%census tenure, owned plus rented acres in farms

Next door

CountyDry rentIrr. rentLand valueClaims per $100
Hampshire County$129$268$10,568$19.22
Berkshire County$58$114$8,606$9.05
Franklin County$141$331$8,637$20.68
Hampden County$130$265 2023$13,611$27.28
Worcester County$61$320 2025$15,447$12.15
Median next door$95$223 2 co.$11,124$16.42

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. Hampshire County, Massachusetts. 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/massachusetts/hampshire-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.