USDA estimates were not available, Bureau of the Census 

 statisticians made estimates using available sources such 

 as data from adjacent States, respondent report forms, 

 county extension agents, and other persons knowledge- 

 able about specific crops. 



Part owners, who operate land they own and also land 

 they rent from others. 



Tenants, who operate only land they rent from others or 

 work on shares for others. 



FARMS CLASSIFIED BY SPECIFIED 

 CHARACTERISTICS 



U.S. tables 48 through 53 present detailed 1987 data 

 for all farms classified by specified characteristics— tenure 

 of operator, type of organization, age and principal occu- 

 pation of operator, size of farm (acres), value of agricultural 

 products sold, and standard industrial classification. Other 

 tables include data classified by value of sales groups or 

 other characteristics of the farm or the operator. 



Farms by value of agricultural products sold or 

 value of sales— in 1987, all farms were tabulated by size 

 based on reported sales. In 1982 and earlier censuses, 

 abnormal farms were not tabulated based on sales size. In 

 the tables on market value of agricultural products sold, 

 the sales of abnormal farms in 1 982 and earlier censuses 

 were included in the total sales figure, but excluded from 

 the detailed size categories. Abnormal farms included 

 institutional farms, experimental and research farms, and 

 Indian reservations. The category "farms with sales of less 

 than $1 ,000" included all farms with actual sales of less 

 than $1 ,000 but having the production potential for sales of 

 $1 ,000 or more. These farms normally could be expected 

 to sell $1 ,000 or more of agricultural products. 



The sales size categories used in this report are con- 

 sistent with the standard business size categories issued 

 by Office of Management and Budget (0MB) in 1982. In 

 U.S. table 52, data are presented for four sales size 

 categories between $10,000 and $49,999. This provides 

 users with bridge data under both the 0MB and the 1978 

 census classifications. For the 1 992 census, data will be 

 presented only for the 0MB sales size categories of 

 $10,000 to $24,999 and $25,000 to $49,999. 



Abnormal farms — This category includes institutional 

 farms, experimental and research farms, and Indian reser- 

 vations. Institutional farms include those operated by hos- 

 pitals, penitentiaries, churches, schools, grazing associa- 

 tions, and government agencies. In 1987 and 1982, 

 nongovernmental units such as church farms and Future 

 Farmers of America camps were classified as abnormal 

 farms only when 50 percent or more of their products 

 produced and intended for human consumption were 

 utilized by the organization. 



Farms by tenure of operator— The classifications of 

 tenure used in the 1 987 census were: 



Full owners, who operate only land they own. 

 1987 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE 



Farms by type of organization— All farms were clas- 

 sified by type of organization in the 1987 census. The 

 classifications used were: 



individual or family (sole proprietorship), excluding 

 partnership and corporation. 



Partnership, including family partnership. 



Corporation, including family corporation. 



Other, cooperative, estate or trust, institutional, etc. 



Corporations were subclassified by two additional char- 

 acteristics into: 



1 . Family held 



Other than family held 



2. More than 1 stockholders 

 1 or less stockholders 



Farms by age and principal occupation of opera- 

 tor — Data on age and principal occupation were requested 

 from all operators in 1987. The principal occupation clas- 

 sifications used were: 



Farming — The operator spent 50 percent or more of 

 his/her worktime in 1987 in farming or ranching. 



Other— The operator spent more than 50 percent of 

 his/her worktime in 1987 in occupations other than 

 farming or ranching. 



Farms by size — All farms were classified into selected 

 size groups according to the total land area in the farm. 

 The land area of a farm is an operating unit concept and 

 includes land owned and operated as well as land rented 

 from others. Land rented to or assigned to a tenant was 

 considered the tenant's farm and not the owner's. 



Farms by standard industrial classification— In 1 987, 

 all agricultural production establishments (farms, ranches, 

 nurseries, greenhouses, etc.) were classified by type of 

 activity using the standard industrial classification (SIC) 

 system. These classifications, found in the 1987 SIC 

 ManuaM, are used to promote uniformity and comparability 

 in the presentation of statistical data collected by various 

 agencies. 



^standard Industrial Classification Manual: 1987. For sale by 

 Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Wash- 

 ington, DC 20402. Stock No. 041-001-003-14-2. 



APPENDIX A A-9 



