Farmland Atlas · county record

Clay County, North Carolina

Clay County, NC: non-irrigated cash rent $65 an acre (2024); land and buildings $6,386 an acre in the 2022 census. County averages from public records, not an appraisal of any farm. FIPS 37043. Figures as of 2026-09-20.

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Non-irrigated cash rent in Clay County averages $65 per acre in 2024. Census value of land and buildings runs $6,386 per acre, up 1.7 percent from 2017-2022, or 0.3 percent a year. None of the harvested cropland is irrigated as of the 2022 census. The July nightly low has warmed 0.53 F per decade since 1976, and the 2017-2026 average of 62.6 F sits above the 1991-2020 normal of 61 F; no July since 1900 has averaged 70 F or above. Drought was heaviest in 2008, with 53 weeks at severe or worse, against 16 weeks in 2021-2025. No solar or wind capacity operates or is proposed here.

Cash rent, non-irrigated
$65/ac
2024 county average
too few 2024 county surveys in the state to compare
Land and buildings
$6,386/ac
2022: what operators guessed land and buildings were worth
NC median $5,711 · 34th highest of 92
Rent as % of land value
—
not shown: NASS published no non-irrigated cash rent for this county in 2022
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
37%
2022 census, rented from others
NC median 35% · 43rd highest of 94

Cash rent

Non-irrigated, 2024$65/ac

Land value

Land and buildings, 2022$6,386/acoperators' own estimate, not a sale price
Census 2012$4,990/ac
Census 2017$6,277/ac
Change 2017 to 2022+1.7%+0.3% 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 1995. Above the dashed line, the county's insurance book paid out more than it took in. 2026, still open, is left out.

Drought and weather

20002005201020152020202517530

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, 2000–2025204 of 1,357 weeks15% of weeks
Year with the most D2+ weeks200853 weeks
Last five years, 2021–202516 weeks
July average of daily lows, 2017–202662.6 °F1991–2020 normal 61.0 °F
Trend in July lows since 1976+0.53 °F a decadewarming
Rain, April to September30.3 in1991–2020 normal; last ten years 103% of it
Days with hail 1 inch or larger0.4 a yearreports, 2010–2025; a zero is no report, not proof of no hail

Land, water and programs

Harvested cropland irrigated, 20220%
Drained by tile, 20222% of cropland111 ac
Farmed no-till, 202223% of cropland1,552 ac
Cover crops, 20222% of cropland157 ac
1986199119962001200620112016202183939

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

CRP enrolled, 202539 ac
CRP expiring FY2026–20280 ac
Cattle and calves, 20224,078+75.0% since 2017
Farmland rented from others, 202237%census tenure, owned plus rented acres in farms

Next door

CountyDry rentLand value
Clay County$65 2024$6,386
Rabun County, GA$66$11,517
Towns County, GA$46$7,672
Union County, GA$45$8,109
Cherokee County$74$6,855
Macon County$54 2025$8,663
Median next door$56$8,109

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. Clay County, North Carolina. 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/north-carolina/clay-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.