$68,651 in USDA farm subsidies to county recipients (2025)
$68,651 in USDA farm subsidies to Clay County recipients (2025).
Sum of payments to 42 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. Specialty Crop Marketing Assistance is a one-time program funded by the American Relief Act, 2025.
| # | Recipient | 2025 Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R.W.S. | $10,029 |
| 2 | D.M. | $7,777 |
| 3 | M.E.G. | $6,951 |
| 4 | J.C. | $3,502 |
| 5 | J.I.M. | $3,419 |
| 6 | M.L.M. | $2,927 |
| 7 | R.L.M. | $2,677 |
| 8 | J.S. | $2,136 |
| 9 | J.M.P. | $1,831 |
| 10 | D.A.H. | $1,813 |
Top recipients by EWG totalfarm (2025). These named payments sum toward the headline total above.
Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database.
The economic backdrop frames farming in Clay County: about 24% of residents live below the poverty line (USDA ERS), a level at which USDA's beginning-farmer and limited-resource provisions may be relevant. On a separate note, recorded USDA payments here are concentrated — the top five recipients account for roughly 46% of the county's recorded farm-subsidy dollars (EWG, totalfarm, 2025).
Clay County has roughly 134 farms working about 18,614 acres of land in farms (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture), averaging ~139 acres per farm.
In Clay County, farmland is valued near $2,599/acre (USDA NASS).
Clay County is predominantly hay country — a forage county. Its leading harvested crops are hay (~79% of harvested cropland), orchards & fruit (~1% of harvested cropland), and vegetables (~1% of harvested cropland) (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture).
Cattle run at roughly 4 head per 100 farmland acres (about 567 head of beef cows in inventory) here (USDA NASS, 2022 Census).
Recorded payments in Clay County are fairly concentrated: the top 5 recipients accounted for about 46% of the county's recorded USDA farm-subsidy dollars across 42 recipients (EWG Farm Subsidy Database, totalfarm, 2025). A descriptive split of recorded payments, not a measure of need.
With grazing and forage a large part of the land use in Clay 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 less USDA $/acre than most WV counties — often reflects pasture, specialty, or non-commodity land, not unclaimed funding.; Notable veteran population (7.5%).
Your local USDA service center is where farms in Clay 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.
Not enough public data to score this county.
We don't have enough public data to publish a single Underserved Score for this county yet — the score is published only when all three components (USDA support per acre, producer-priority composition, and crop-insurance coverage) have data. The available components are shown above. Lower USDA $/acre often reflects pasture, specialty, or non-commodity land use, not unclaimed funding.
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, Clay County received about $3.69 per acre of farmland in USDA subsidies. That is near the state average for USDA $/acre. That ranks #2,614 of 3,032 U.S. counties for USDA dollars per farmland acre.
2025 USDA subsidy $ (EWG totalfarm) ÷ land-in-farms acres (18,614 acres, USDA NASS 2022 Census).
A descriptive county-wide statistic — not a prediction of what any individual farm received or will receive.
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Clay County recipients received about $68,651 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.
In Clay County — where hay leads the harvested cropland — farmers may be eligible for conservation (CRP, EQIP), commodity support (ARC/PLC), disaster assistance, 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.
Compare USDA subsidy data and Underserved Scores for nearby West Virginia counties.
Farms in Clay 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.