APPENDIX B. 

 Effect of the Area Sample on Census Comparability 



The 1982 and 1978 Censuses were conducted 

 primarily by mail. Despite every effort to assemble a 

 complete list, a small portion of the Nation's farms were 

 not included on the census mail list. To improve the 

 coverage of the 1978 Census, especially in counting the 

 number of small farms, the mail-out/mail-back 

 enumeration was supplemented by the direct 

 enumeration of all households in a sample of areas in 

 all States, except Alaska and Hawaii. Due to budget 

 reductions, the direct enumeration sample was 

 eliminated in the 1982 Census. 



In late 1978, enumerators visited all households in 

 approximately 6,400 segments in rural areas (areas with 

 less than 2,500 population) and completed a census 

 form for each agricultural operation. These forms were 

 then matched to the census mail list. Data from those 

 cases which were not matched to the mail list were 

 used to estimate the number and characteristics of 

 farms not on the mail list at the State, regional, and 

 national levels. No county-level estimates were 

 developed because the area sample size was 

 insufficient for reliable estimates at that level. 



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

 the 1978 Census of Agriculture publications included 

 data for farms represented on the mail list plus 

 estimates from the area sample for farms not on the 

 mail list. To provide comparable data for 1982 and 

 1978, estimates from the area sample have been 

 subtracted from the 1978 data. Thus, all 1978 data 

 presented in the 1982 Census of Agriculture publications 

 include data only for farms on the 1978 mail list. 



In 1978, the area sample farms accounted for 9 

 percent of all farms in the United States, but only 1 

 percent of the total value of agricultural products sold 

 and 1 percent of the land in farms. The area sample 

 farms represented 25 percent of all farms with sales of 

 less than $2,500. The contribution of the area sample 

 farms to the total farm count varied widely by State, 

 from a low of 2.0 percent in North Dakota to a high of 

 23.8 percent in New Hampshire. 



The following table shows the 1982 results and 

 adjusted 1978 data for farms on the mail list, as well as 

 1978 data which include estimates for farms not on the 

 mail list. 



Effect of 1978 Area Sample on Census Comparability: 1982 and 1978 



ning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text] 



Portion of 



total from 1 978 



area sample^ 



Percent of 



1978 total 



represented 



by area sample 



portion 



Farms _._ number. 



Land in farms acres. 



Value of land and buildings^, average per farm dollars. 



Total cropland farms. 



Harvested cropland farms- 

 acres. 



Irrigated land farms. 



acres. 

 Farms by size: 



1 to 9 acres - 



10 to 49 acres 



50 to 69 acres 



70 to 99 acres - - — 



100 to 139 acres _ 



140 to 179 acres 



180 to 219 acres _ - 



220 to 259 acres - 



260 to 499 acres 



500 to 999 acres - 



1.000 to 1,999 acres - 



2,000 acres or more 



fiflarket value of agncultural products sold S1.000. 



Crops, including nursery and greentiouse products $1,000. 



Livestock, poultry, and tfieir products _ - S1.000. 



Farms by value of sales: 



Less tfian $2,500 _ 



$2,500 to $4,999 _ - 



$5,000 to $9,999 - 



$10,000 to $1 9,999 __ -- 



$20,000 to $39,999 



$40,000 to $99,999- 



$100,000 to $249,9995 - 



$250,000 to $499,999' — 



$500,000 or more _ --- 



Abnormal farms 



See footnotes at end of table. 



2 240 976 



986 796 579 



345 869 



2 010 609 



445 362 028 



1 809 756 



326 306 462 



278 277 



49 002 433 



187 665 

 449 252 

 142 545 

 201 230 

 195 336 

 172 541 

 114 392 

 97 093 

 315 025 

 203 925 

 97 395 

 64 577 



131 900 223 

 62 256 087 

 69 644 136 



536 327 



278 208 



281 802 



259 007 



248 825 



332 751 



215912 



58 668 



27 800 



1 676 



2 257 775 

 1 014 777 234 



279 672 



2 081 604 

 453 874 133 



1 904 602 

 317 145 955 



280 779 

 50 349 906 



151 233 

 391 554 

 141 778 

 213 977 

 209 765 

 193 527 

 125 789 

 108 065 

 347 777 

 213 209 

 97 800 

 63 301 



107 073 458 

 48 203 200 

 58 870 258 



460 535 



300 699 



314 088 



299 215 



239 175 



360 093 



165 493 



38 202 



17 973 



2 302 



2 478 642 



1 029 694 535 



262 252 



2 258 856 



461 340 542 



2 033 057 



320 666 222 



302 674 



50 837 940 



215 088 

 475 241 

 156 359 

 230 663 

 225 233 

 202 434 

 130 959 

 110 970 

 354 427 

 215 112 

 98 521 

 63 635 



108 113 519 

 48 617 400 

 59 496 118 



611 653 

 331 874 

 331 042 

 309 594 

 306 112 

 363 383 

 166 442 

 38 264 

 17 976 

 2 302 



220 867 



14 917 301 



84 177 



177 252 

 7 466 409 



128 455 



3 520 267 



21 895 



488 034 



63 855 

 83 687 



14 581 

 16 686 



15 468 

 8 907 



5 170 

 2 905 



6 650 

 1 903 



721 

 334 



1 040 061 

 414 200 

 625 861 



151 118 

 31 175 

 16 954 

 10 379 

 6 937 

 3 290 

 949 

 62 



1982 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE 



APPENDIX B B-1 



