| Rank |
County |
Subtotal, Conservation Programs
1995-2012 | Pct of
Total | Running
Percentage |
| 1 | Kentucky NRCS | $69,623,348 | 9.5% | 9.5% |
| 2 | Graves County, Kentucky | $64,108,670 | 8.7% | 18.2% |
| 3 | Christian County, Kentucky | $50,180,126 | 6.8% | 25.0% |
| 4 | Logan County, Kentucky | $33,181,860 | 4.5% | 29.5% |
| 5 | Warren County, Kentucky | $25,170,369 | 3.4% | 32.9% |
| 6 | Webster County, Kentucky | $23,237,337 | 3.2% | 36.1% |
| 7 | Hart County, Kentucky | $22,011,535 | 3.0% | 39.1% |
| 8 | Caldwell County, Kentucky | $21,083,187 | 2.9% | 41.9% |
| 9 | Crittenden County, Kentucky | $20,805,642 | 2.8% | 44.8% |
| 10 | Breckinridge County, Kentucky | $19,734,061 | 2.7% | 47.5% |
| 11 | Calloway County, Kentucky | $18,445,110 | 2.5% | 50.0% |
| 12 | Hickman County, Kentucky | $18,270,573 | 2.5% | 52.4% |
| 13 | Grayson County, Kentucky | $17,947,202 | 2.4% | 54.9% |
| 14 | Livingston County, Kentucky | $16,441,461 | 2.2% | 57.1% |
| 15 | Hopkins County, Kentucky | $15,749,142 | 2.1% | 59.3% |
| 16 | Green County, Kentucky | $15,647,736 | 2.1% | 61.4% |
| 17 | Todd County, Kentucky | $14,937,923 | 2.0% | 63.4% |
| 18 | Marshall County, Kentucky | $14,897,404 | 2.0% | 65.4% |
| 19 | Butler County, Kentucky | $14,014,540 | 1.9% | 67.3% |
| 20 | Muhlenberg County, Kentucky | $12,021,721 | 1.6% | 69.0% |
| 21 | Carlisle County, Kentucky | $11,324,068 | 1.5% | 70.5% |
| 22 | Ballard County, Kentucky | $10,925,153 | 1.5% | 72.0% |
| 23 | Allen County, Kentucky | $9,926,139 | 1.3% | 73.4% |
| 24 | Adair County, Kentucky | $9,732,124 | 1.3% | 74.7% |
| 25 | Barren County, Kentucky | $9,647,713 | 1.3% | 76.0% |
| 26 | Edmonson County, Kentucky | $9,044,895 | 1.2% | 77.2% |
| 27 | Union County, Kentucky | $8,491,794 | 1.2% | 78.4% |
| 28 | Bourbon County, Kentucky | $8,002,968 | 1.1% | 79.5% |
| 29 | Fulton County, Kentucky | $7,205,303 | 1.0% | 80.4% |
| 30 | Henderson County, Kentucky | $7,192,038 | 1.0% | 81.4% |
| 31 | Meade County, Kentucky | $7,166,363 | 1.0% | 82.4% |
| 32 | Trigg County, Kentucky | $7,050,762 | 1.0% | 83.3% |
| 33 | Metcalfe County, Kentucky | $7,008,794 | 1.0% | 84.3% |
| 34 | Marion County, Kentucky | $6,218,034 | 0.8% | 85.1% |
| 35 | Lyon County, Kentucky | $6,047,595 | 0.8% | 86.0% |
| 36 | Taylor County, Kentucky | $5,918,444 | 0.8% | 86.8% |
| 37 | Hardin County, Kentucky | $5,882,621 | 0.8% | 87.6% |
| 38 | McCracken County, Kentucky | $5,594,665 | 0.8% | 88.3% |
| 39 | McLean County, Kentucky | $5,572,988 | 0.8% | 89.1% |
| 40 | Simpson County, Kentucky | $5,322,627 | 0.7% | 89.8% |
| 41 | Ohio County, Kentucky | $4,528,640 | 0.6% | 90.4% |
| 42 | Daviess County, Kentucky | $4,441,727 | 0.6% | 91.0% |
| 43 | Washington County, Kentucky | $4,161,953 | 0.6% | 91.6% |
| 44 | Nelson County, Kentucky | $3,622,965 | 0.5% | 92.1% |
| 45 | Shelby County, Kentucky | $2,574,193 | 0.3% | 92.4% |
| 46 | Casey County, Kentucky | $2,422,052 | 0.3% | 92.8% |
| 47 | Fleming County, Kentucky | $2,314,357 | 0.3% | 93.1% |
| 48 | Lincoln County, Kentucky | $2,295,977 | 0.3% | 93.4% |
| 49 | Larue County, Kentucky | $2,122,274 | 0.3% | 93.7% |
| 50 | Clark County, Kentucky | $2,045,890 | 0.3% | 94.0% |
| 51 | Monroe County, Kentucky | $1,965,377 | 0.3% | 94.2% |
| 52 | Harrison County, Kentucky | $1,851,474 | 0.3% | 94.5% |
| 53 | Mercer County, Kentucky | $1,838,668 | 0.2% | 94.7% |
| 54 | Madison County, Kentucky | $1,829,129 | 0.2% | 95.0% |
| 55 | Russell County, Kentucky | $1,823,512 | 0.2% | 95.2% |
| 56 | Hancock County, Kentucky | $1,731,300 | 0.2% | 95.5% |
| 57 | Nicholas County, Kentucky | $1,718,235 | 0.2% | 95.7% |
| 58 | Fayette County, Kentucky | $1,700,965 | 0.2% | 95.9% |
| 59 | Garrard County, Kentucky | $1,465,462 | 0.2% | 96.1% |
| 60 | Boyle County, Kentucky | $1,432,021 | 0.2% | 96.3% |
| 61 | Bath County, Kentucky | $1,355,910 | 0.2% | 96.5% |
| 62 | Lewis County, Kentucky | $1,346,216 | 0.2% | 96.7% |
| 63 | Pulaski County, Kentucky | $1,304,573 | 0.2% | 96.9% |
| 64 | Scott County, Kentucky | $1,301,840 | 0.2% | 97.0% |
| 65 | Mason County, Kentucky | $1,299,982 | 0.2% | 97.2% |
| 66 | Montgomery County, Kentucky | $1,224,230 | 0.2% | 97.4% |
| 67 | Henry County, Kentucky | $948,338 | 0.1% | 97.5% |
| 68 | Woodford County, Kentucky | $917,820 | 0.1% | 97.6% |
| 69 | Carter County, Kentucky | $875,750 | 0.1% | 97.8% |
| 70 | Jessamine County, Kentucky | $842,935 | 0.1% | 97.9% |
| 71 | Whitley County, Kentucky | $801,359 | 0.1% | 98.0% |
| 72 | Anderson County, Kentucky | $767,173 | 0.1% | 98.1% |
| 73 | Bullitt County, Kentucky | $752,386 | 0.1% | 98.2% |
| 74 | Pendleton County, Kentucky | $748,235 | 0.1% | 98.3% |
| 75 | Greenup County, Kentucky | $648,714 | 0.1% | 98.4% |
| 76 | Oldham County, Kentucky | $634,847 | 0.1% | 98.5% |
| 77 | Wayne County, Kentucky | $630,592 | 0.1% | 98.6% |
| 78 | Rockcastle County, Kentucky | $599,066 | 0.1% | 98.6% |
| 79 | Jackson County, Kentucky | $562,397 | 0.1% | 98.7% |
| 80 | Franklin County, Kentucky | $540,480 | 0.1% | 98.8% |
| 81 | Elliott County, Kentucky | $533,905 | 0.1% | 98.9% |
| 82 | Owen County, Kentucky | $521,644 | 0.1% | 98.9% |
| 83 | Spencer County, Kentucky | $497,956 | 0.1% | 99.0% |
| 84 | Laurel County, Kentucky | $488,002 | 0.1% | 99.1% |
| 85 | Grant County, Kentucky | $441,144 | 0.1% | 99.1% |
| 86 | Cumberland County, Kentucky | $431,130 | 0.1% | 99.2% |
| 87 | Clinton County, Kentucky | $428,527 | 0.1% | 99.2% |
| 88 | Rowan County, Kentucky | $411,163 | 0.1% | 99.3% |
| 89 | Morgan County, Kentucky | $408,247 | 0.1% | 99.3% |
| 90 | Wolfe County, Kentucky | $407,457 | 0.1% | 99.4% |
| 91 | Lawrence County, Kentucky | $365,760 | 0.0% | 99.5% |
| 92 | Estill County, Kentucky | $332,178 | 0.0% | 99.5% |
| 93 | Menifee County, Kentucky | $291,268 | 0.0% | 99.5% |
| 94 | Trimble County, Kentucky | $291,078 | 0.0% | 99.6% |
| 95 | Owsley County, Kentucky | $281,796 | 0.0% | 99.6% |
| 96 | Knox County, Kentucky | $257,679 | 0.0% | 99.6% |
| 97 | Bracken County, Kentucky | $248,777 | 0.0% | 99.7% |
| 98 | Lee County, Kentucky | $239,645 | 0.0% | 99.7% |
| 99 | Campbell County, Kentucky | $232,061 | 0.0% | 99.7% |
| 100 | Jefferson County, Kentucky | $212,255 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 101 | Boone County, Kentucky | $210,164 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 102 | Magoffin County, Kentucky | $197,618 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 103 | Powell County, Kentucky | $174,729 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 104 | Johnson County, Kentucky | $173,689 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 105 | McCreary County, Kentucky | $119,800 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 106 | Carroll County, Kentucky | $110,775 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 107 | Clay County, Kentucky | $109,494 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 108 | Boyd County, Kentucky | $107,027 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 109 | Breathitt County, Kentucky | $100,750 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 110 | Kenton County, Kentucky | $85,556 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 111 | Gallatin County, Kentucky | $71,734 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 112 | Robertson County, Kentucky | $52,847 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 113 | Bell County, Kentucky | $34,903 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 114 | Floyd County, Kentucky | $30,459 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 115 | Perry County, Kentucky | $19,812 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 116 | Pike County, Kentucky | $18,531 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 117 | Knott County, Kentucky | $9,454 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 118 | Leslie County, Kentucky | $6,112 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 119 | Martin County, Kentucky | $3,738 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
Source: Environmental Working Group. Compiled from USDA data.
Note: The information on conservation spending for 2011and 2012 are incomplete due to missing data from USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service. In addition some payments made in 2010 were not assigned to recipients in the data received from NRCS. Those payments are also not included.
The information provided for the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) provides an inaccurate picture of how WRP payments are distributed. USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service uses title companies as intermediaries to finalize wetlands easements under the Wetlands Reserve Program. As a result, the data provided to us shows large sums of money going to these title companies. In reality, the payments are ultimately distributed to landowners participating in the WRP.
Unfortunately, NRCS has not provided the data to show where these farms and wetlands are located or which farmers or landowners are enrolling in the program, so EWG is unable to allocate these large sums of money to individuals beyond the title companies. Therefore, these companies skew the conservation rankings and payment concentration, which EWG cannot avoid unless and until NRCS makes available the additional farm attribution data. Therefore, we have not included WRP payments in the 2011 or 2012 data update.
We have separated data on farm commodity, disaster and conservation payments in order to provide a more accurate picture of top recipients and concentration of payments among the three main categories of USDA programs.
Finally, EWG works hard to ensure the accuracy of the information it provides through its products and services, but obtains data for the Farm Subsidy Database from the U.S. Department of Agriculture pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. Therefore, EWG cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information USDA provides or any analysis based thereon. If you find an error or discrepancy on the site, please contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office to check its records before contacting EWG.
