$870,402 in USDA farm subsidies to county recipients (2025)
Underserved Score: 64/100
$870,402 in USDA farm subsidies to Shelby County recipients (2025).
Sum of payments to 215 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. Specialty Crop Marketing Assistance, Supplemental Disaster Relief are one-time programs funded by the American Relief Act, 2025.
| # | Recipient | 2025 Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henthorne Hill Honey Farms Inc | $92,581 |
| 2 | R & D Farms | $48,263 |
| 3 | Edaw Enterprises Inc | $29,092 |
| 4 | Farm Services Agency ** | $26,367 |
| 5 | J.R.M. | $24,039 |
| 6 | D.C.W. | $23,045 |
| 7 | J.B.M. | $15,966 |
| 8 | Ken & Cecilia Boles LLC | $14,600 |
| 9 | J.T.R. | $13,339 |
| 10 | K.R. | $12,090 |
Top recipients by EWG totalfarm (2025). These named payments sum toward the headline total above.
Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database.
Unlike its row-crop neighbors, Shelby County leans on livestock — this is grazing country — cattle run at roughly 17 head per 100 farmland acres (USDA NASS, 2022 Census), well above the row-crop norm. Past the livestock picture, about 18% of residents live below the poverty line (USDA ERS), a level at which USDA's beginning-farmer and limited-resource provisions may be relevant.
Shelby County has roughly 799 farms working about 252,770 acres of land in farms (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture), averaging ~316 acres per farm.
In Shelby County, farmland is valued near $3,584/acre (USDA NASS).
Shelby County is predominantly hay country — a forage county. Its leading harvested crops are hay (~90% of harvested cropland) and vegetables (~1% of harvested cropland) (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture).
Cattle run at roughly 17 head per 100 farmland acres (about 29,421 head of beef cows in inventory) here (USDA NASS, 2022 Census).
Recorded payments in Shelby County are relatively distributed: the top 5 recipients accounted for about 25% of the county's recorded USDA farm-subsidy dollars across 215 recipients (EWG Farm Subsidy Database, totalfarm, 2025). A descriptive split of recorded payments, not a measure of need.
Among the nearby Texas counties listed below, Shelby County's Underserved Score (64/100) is higher (less USDA support per acre) than the local average (~50/100), ranking above 5 of 6 of them (higher = historically less USDA $/acre than peers).
With grazing and forage a large part of the land use in Shelby 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-TX-average USDA $/acre.; Rural (non-metro) county.
Your local USDA service center is where farms in Shelby 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.
This county shows lower-than-typical crop-insurance participation. These risk-protection programs are commonly relevant — coverage and eligibility depend on your operation.
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, Shelby County received about $3.44 per acre of farmland in USDA subsidies. That is less USDA $/acre than most TX counties — often a sign of pasture, specialty, or non-commodity land, not unclaimed funding. That ranks #2,633 of 3,032 U.S. counties for USDA dollars per farmland acre.
2025 USDA subsidy $ (EWG totalfarm) ÷ land-in-farms acres (252,770 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 64).
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Shelby County recipients received about $870,402 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.
With grazing and forage prominent in Shelby County, conservation and working-lands programs (EQIP, CSP, grassland CRP) and disaster/livestock assistance may be especially relevant, alongside federal crop insurance 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; 64 for Shelby 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 Texas counties.
Farms in Shelby 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.