$17.9M in USDA farm subsidies to county recipients (2025)
Underserved Score: 53/100
$17.9M in USDA farm subsidies to Hardin County recipients (2025).
Sum of payments to 925 recipients in this county, EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm), 2025 single year.
Selected USDA programs recorded in this county for 2025, each shown as its own figure. This is not a breakdown of the headline total above and the rows are not meant to be added up: the list is not exhaustive, and where one program sits inside another the same dollars appear on two lines, so a total of these rows can come out higher than the headline. Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database / USDA, 2025. SDRP is part of the Disaster Payments figure, not additional to it. Emergency Commodity Assistance, Specialty Crop Marketing Assistance, Supplemental Disaster Relief are one-time programs funded by the American Relief Act, 2025.
| # | Recipient | 2025 Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | S.C.P. | $479,908 |
| 2 | Handsaker Agriculture Inc | $351,597 |
| 3 | Vierkandt Farms | $310,713 |
| 4 | Bartlett Land Co Inc | $260,852 |
| 5 | Rabe Farms Inc | $251,851 |
| 6 | Schager Farms Inc | $206,398 |
| 7 | R.L.M. | $169,395 |
| 8 | Cms Partners | $164,544 |
| 9 | K.R.K. | $156,261 |
| 10 | R.L.H. | $147,050 |
Top recipients by EWG totalfarm (2025). These named payments sum toward the headline total above.
Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database.
Support in Hardin County spreads broadly rather than pooling — recorded USDA payments here are broadly spread rather than concentrated — the top five recipients account for only about 9% of recorded farm-subsidy dollars (EWG, totalfarm, 2025). Worth noting too: by USDA dollars per farmland acre, Hardin County sits toward the less-supported end of Iowa counties (Underserved Score 53/100) — often a marker of pasture, specialty, or non-commodity land rather than unclaimed funding.
Hardin County has roughly 839 farms working about 333,515 acres of land in farms (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture), averaging ~398 acres per farm.
In Hardin County, non-irrigated cropland rents for roughly $282/acre and farmland is valued near $10,393/acre (USDA NASS).
Hardin County is predominantly corn country — a row crop county. Its leading harvested crops are corn (~63% of harvested cropland), soybeans (~35% of harvested cropland), and hay (~2% of harvested cropland) (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture).
Cattle run at roughly 5 head per 100 farmland acres (about 6,592 head of beef cows in inventory) here (USDA NASS, 2022 Census).
Recorded payments in Hardin County are relatively distributed: the top 5 recipients accounted for about 9% of the county's recorded USDA farm-subsidy dollars across 925 recipients (EWG Farm Subsidy Database, totalfarm, 2025). A descriptive split of recorded payments, not a measure of need.
Among the nearby Iowa counties listed below, Hardin County's Underserved Score (53/100) is higher (less USDA support per acre) than the local average (~43/100), ranking above 6 of 6 of them (higher = historically less USDA $/acre than peers).
As a heavily row-crop county, Hardin County farms growing covered commodities may be eligible for commodity-support programs such as Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), and for federal crop insurance — eligibility depends on your crops and base acres, so check with your FSA office.
Local signals from public data: Receives below-IA-average USDA $/acre.; Rural (non-metro) county.
Your local USDA service center is where farms in Hardin County apply for FSA and NRCS programs and get free, in-person help — they handle program sign-ups, conservation plans, and loan applications.
Source: USDA Service Center locator (Farmers.gov). Office details can change — confirm current hours and appointments via farmers.gov/service-center-locator.
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.
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.
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.
This county has a notable veteran-producer population. These USDA programs carry veteran priority — if that's you, they're worth a look.
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.
Historically, Hardin County received about $53.54 per acre of farmland in USDA subsidies. That is less USDA $/acre than most IA counties — often a sign of pasture, specialty, or non-commodity land, not unclaimed funding. That ranks #551 of 3,032 U.S. counties for USDA dollars per farmland acre.
2025 USDA subsidy $ (EWG totalfarm) ÷ land-in-farms acres (333,515 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 53).
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Hardin County recipients received about $17.9M in USDA farm subsidies in 2025, per the EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm). This is a single-year county total of recorded payments, not a forecast of future funding.
As a mainly corn-growing county, Hardin 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.
The Underserved Score (0–100; 53 for Hardin 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.
Compare USDA subsidy data and Underserved Scores for nearby Iowa counties.
Farms in Hardin 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.
Data as of August 27, 2026. Subsidy figures: USDA/EWG 2025 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.