FARMGRANT COUNTY PROFILE · PUBLIC USDA DATA

Burke County, Georgia

$410,294 in USDA farm subsidies to county recipients (2024)

Underserved Score: 50/100

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USDA Farm Subsidies — Burke County

$410,294 in USDA farm subsidies to Burke County recipients (2024).

Sum of payments to 99 recipients in this county, EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm), 2024 single year.

Program Breakdown (selected programs, EWG/USDA 2024)

Disaster Payments $319,788
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) $50,063
Dairy Programs $39,181
Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) $510

Selected program components shown individually. These are separate EWG/USDA pulls and are not additive to the headline subsidy total — no combined "total" is shown. Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database / USDA, 2024.

Crop Insurance Premium Subsidy

$3.8M in federal crop-insurance premium subsidy (RMA, 2024).

This is a separate program total (premium-subsidy dollars only) — it is not part of the subsidy headline above and is shown on its own. Source: USDA RMA via EWG, 2024.

Top Subsidy Recipients

# Recipient 2024 Total
1 B.M. $31,567
2 C.O.F. $20,359
3 V.M.F.E. $20,046
4 S.E.C. $17,295
5 G.W.O. $16,912
6 Demeter Capital LLC $15,866
7 Longleaf Ridge Properties LLC $14,572
8 M.F. $11,864
9 T.M.M. $10,410
10 M.A.D. $10,132

Top recipients by EWG totalfarm (2024). These named payments sum toward the headline total above. Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database.

About Farming in Burke County

Economics color the picture in Burke County — about 21% of residents live below the poverty line (USDA ERS), a level at which USDA's beginning-farmer and limited-resource provisions may be relevant. Alongside that, veterans make up about 9% of the adult population (USDA ERS) — a community where veteran-and-beginning-farmer USDA programs may be especially worth a look.

Burke County has roughly 403 farms working about 214,575 acres of land in farms (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture), averaging ~532 acres per farm.

In Burke County, irrigated cropland rents for roughly $163/acre and farmland is valued near $2,857/acre (USDA NASS).

Burke County is predominantly cotton country — a row crop county. Its leading harvested crops are cotton (~38% of harvested cropland), peanuts (~22% of harvested cropland), and corn (~20% of harvested cropland) (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture).

Cattle run at roughly 12 head per 100 farmland acres (about 15,353 head of beef cows in inventory) here (USDA NASS, 2022 Census).

Recorded payments in Burke County are relatively distributed: the top 5 recipients accounted for about 26% of the county's recorded USDA farm-subsidy dollars across 99 recipients (EWG Farm Subsidy Database, totalfarm, 2024). A descriptive split of recorded payments, not a measure of need.

Among the nearby Georgia counties listed below, Burke County's Underserved Score (50/100) is lower (better-supported per acre) than the local average (~56/100), ranking above 3 of 5 of them (higher = historically less USDA $/acre than peers).

With grazing and forage a large part of the land use in Burke County, conservation and grazing-oriented USDA programs — such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and grassland options under CRP — may be worth asking your local NRCS office about. This is signposting from county land-use patterns, not an eligibility determination.

Local signals from public data: Receives below-GA-average USDA $/acre.; Elevated beginning-producer presence (64 per 100 farms).

Local USDA Offices for Burke County

Your local USDA service center is where farms in Burke County apply for FSA and NRCS programs and get free, in-person help — they handle program sign-ups, conservation plans, and loan applications.

Farm Service Agency
Burke County Farm Service Agency
715 W 6TH St, Waynesboro, GA
(706) 554-2109
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Augusta Service Center
452 Walker Street, Augusta, GA

Source: USDA Service Center locator (Farmers.gov). Office details can change — confirm current hours and appointments via farmers.gov/service-center-locator.

FarmGrant Underserved Score

50 out of 100
Moderately Underserved
#58 of 133 most underserved in Georgia (57th pctile)
52nd national percentile
USDA Support Gap? 16.8/25
Producer Priority? 5.3/25
Insurance Coverage Gap? 11.4/25
What drives this score
  • Receives below-GA-average USDA $/acre.
  • Elevated beginning-producer presence (64 per 100 farms)
  • Above-average women producers (48 per 100 farms)
  • High veteran population (9.0%)
  • Elevated insured loss ratio (3.24) — higher recorded crop-loss claims

The Underserved Score (0–100) is a descriptive, relative measure of how little USDA farm-program support this county has historically received per acre compared with other counties — built from up to three public-data components (USDA support per acre, producer-priority composition, and crop-insurance coverage). Lower USDA $/acre often reflects pasture, specialty, or non-commodity land use, not unclaimed funding. This is not a measure of need, deservedness, or eligibility, and it does not predict that any farm will receive funding. Sources: USDA NASS, RMA, ERS, and EWG subsidy records.

Programs to look at in Burke County

These are USDA programs commonly relevant to counties like this one, based on public county patterns. They are not a determination that you qualify — you may be eligible; check with your local FSA or NRCS office.

Conservation programs most farms can use

Counties receiving below-average USDA dollars per acre are often under-enrolled in conservation programs open to most land. You may be eligible — these are worth asking your NRCS or FSA office about.

CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) →EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) →
Priority for beginning producers

This county has a high share of beginning producers per 100 farms. These USDA programs give beginning producers priority scoring, set-asides, or higher cost-share — if that's you, they're worth a look.

FSA Microloan →FSA Direct Operating Loan →
Disaster & loss-protection programs

This county shows an elevated insured loss history. These disaster and risk-protection programs are commonly relevant — coverage and eligibility depend on your operation.

LFP (Livestock Forage Disaster Program) →
Commodity support (if you grow program crops)

If you grow covered program crops, these commodity-support programs may apply. Eligibility depends on your crops and base acres — check with your FSA office.

ARC-CO (Agriculture Risk Coverage — County) →
See the full set of USDA programs you could qualify for → free Subsidy Finder

USDA Funding Per Acre

Historically, Burke County received about $1.91 per acre of farmland in USDA subsidies. That is less USDA $/acre than most GA counties — often a sign of pasture, specialty, or non-commodity land, not unclaimed funding. That ranks #2,325 of 3,032 U.S. counties for USDA dollars per farmland acre.

2024 USDA subsidy $ (EWG totalfarm) ÷ land-in-farms acres (214,575 acres, USDA NASS 2022 Census). A descriptive county-wide statistic — not a prediction of what any individual farm received or will receive. This is the same axis as the Underserved Score above (less $/acre → higher Underserved Score, currently 50).

See how Burke County ranks against all U.S. counties →

County Land Economics & Demographics

Population
24,438
(2023, USDA ERS)
Median Income
$51,388
(USDA ERS)
Poverty Rate
21.2%
(USDA ERS)
Unemployment
5.5%
(USDA ERS)
Cropland Rent
$163/ac
(USDA NASS, irrig.)
Land Value
$2,857/ac
(USDA NASS, 2022 Census)
Insurance Policies
1,274
(USDA RMA)
Acres Insured
63,430
(USDA RMA)

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much USDA funding does Burke County receive?

Burke County recipients received about $410,294 in USDA farm subsidies in 2024, per the EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm). This is a single-year county total of recorded payments, not a forecast of future funding.

What USDA programs are available to farmers in Burke County?

As a mainly cotton-growing county, Burke County farms with covered program crops may be eligible for commodity support (ARC/PLC) and federal crop insurance, alongside conservation programs (CRP, EQIP, CSP), disaster assistance, and FSA loans. Eligibility depends on your farm; use the free Subsidy Finder to see programs you could qualify for, then confirm with your local FSA or NRCS office.

How is the FarmGrant Underserved Score calculated?

The Underserved Score (0–100; 50 for Burke County — Moderately Underserved) is a descriptive, relative measure of how little USDA farm-program support this county has historically received per acre compared with other counties, built from three public-data components — USDA support per acre, producer-priority composition, and crop-insurance coverage (USDA NASS, RMA, ERS, and EWG records). Lower USDA support per acre often reflects pasture, specialty, or non-commodity land use rather than unclaimed funding. It is not a measure of need or eligibility and does not predict that any farm will receive funding.

Nearby Counties in Georgia

Could your farm benefit?

Farms in Burke County may qualify for USDA programs based on crop, conservation, and disaster activity. Run the free Subsidy Finder to see which programs you could qualify for, then prep your local USDA office visit.

Find Your Programs Prep USDA Visit Deadlines

Data as of June 08, 2026. Subsidy figures: USDA/EWG 2024 release. Farmland acres: USDA NASS 2022 Census. Underserved Score refreshed monthly. Each figure above carries its own data year; this page is never fresher than its oldest input.