INTRODUCTION 



Page 



HISTORY VII 



USES OF THE CENSUS VII 



AUTHORITY AND AREA COVERED VII 



FARM DEFINITION VII 



COMPARABILITY OF DATA VII 



TABULAR PRESENTATION VII 



ADVANCE REPORTS VIII 



ELECTRONIC DATA DISSEMINATION VIII 



SPECIAL TABULATIONS VIII 



CENSUS DISCLOSURE RULES VIII 



INVENTORIES, PRODUCTION, AND SALES DATA VIII 



ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS VIII 



HISTORY 



The 1987 Census of Agriculture is the 23d taken by the 

 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. The 

 first agriculture census was taken in 1 840 as part of the 

 sixth decennial census of population. From 1 840 to 1 950, 

 an agriculture census was taken as part of the decennial 

 census. A separate mid-decade census of agriculture was 

 conducted in 1925, 1935, and 1945. From 1954 to 1974, a 

 census of agriculture was taken for the years ending in 4 

 and 9. In 1976, Congress authorized the census of agri- 

 culture to be taken for 1 978 and 1 982 to adjust the data 

 reference year so that it coincided with the economic 

 censuses covering manufacturing, mining, construction, 

 retail trade, wholesale trade, service industries, and selected 

 transportation activities. This adjustment in timing estab- 

 lished the agriculture census on a 5-year cycle collecting 

 data for years ending in 2 and 7. 



USES OF THE CENSUS 



The census of agriculture is the leading source of 

 statistics about the Nation's agricultural production and the 

 only source of consistent, comparable data at the county. 

 State, and national levels. Census statistics are used by 

 Congress in developing and changing farm programs and 

 for determining the effects of these programs. Many 

 national and State programs are designed or allocated on 

 the basis of census data, such as funds for extension 

 services, research, and soil conservation projects. Private 

 industry uses census statistics to provide a more effective 

 production and distribution system for the agricultural 

 community. 



AUTHORITY AND AREA COVERED 



The census of agriculture is required by law under Title 

 13, United States Code, sections 142(a) and 191, which 

 directs that a census be taken in 1979, 1983, and in every 

 fifth year after 1983 covering the prior year. The 1987 

 census includes each State, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the 

 Virgin Island of the United States. A census of agriculture 

 will be conducted in American Samoa and the Common- 

 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in conjunction with 

 the 1 990 Census of Population and Housing. 



FARM DEFINITION 



Since 1850, when minimum criteria defining a farm for 

 census purposes first were established, the farm definition 

 has been changed nine times. The current definition, first 

 used for the 1 974 census, is any place from which $1 ,000 

 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold or 

 normally would have been sold during the census year. 

 The farm definition used for the outlying areas varies 

 according to area. The report for each area includes a 

 discussion of the farm definition. 



COMPARABILITY OF DATA 



Data on acreages and inventories for 1987 and 1982 

 are generally comparable. Dollar figures shown for expenses 

 and agricultural product sales are expressed in current 

 dollars and have not been adjusted for inflation or defla- 

 tion. In general, data for censuses since 1974 are not fully 

 comparable with data for 1 969 and earlier censuses due to 

 changes in the farm definition. 



The 1978 U.S., region, and State data shown in the 

 1978 Census of Agriculture publications included data for 

 farms on the mail list plus estimates from an area sample 

 for farms not on the mail list. For comparability, the 1978 

 data in the 1987 publications include only farms on the 

 mail list. 



TABULAR PRESENTATION 



U.S. data— Tables 1 through 47 in chapter 1 show 

 detailed U.S.-level data usually accompanied by historical 

 data for one or more past censuses. Tables 48 through 53 

 provide 1987 U.S. data cross-tabulated by various farm 

 classifications. 



1987 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE 



INTRODUCTION VII 



