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 1 978 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 1 978 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 



(For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory lent] 



Farms— number. 



Land in famis '^^^^' 



Value of land and buildings*, average per (arm dollars- 

 Total cropland- -- famis. 



acres. 



Harvested cropland - ---- 'a™^. 



acres. 



Irrigated land 'arms. 



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 



160 to 219 acres 



220 to 269 acres 



260 to 499 acres 



500 to 999 acres 



1,000 to 1.999 acres 



2.000 acres or more 



Market value of agricultural products sold J^'SSS 



Crops, including nursery and greenhouse products f'xSS 



Uvestock, poultry, and tfieir products $1,000 



Farms by value of sales: 



Less than $2,500 



$2,500 to $4,999 



$5,000 to $9,999 



$10,000 to $19,999 



$20,000 to $39,999 - 



$40,000 to $99,999 



$100,000 to $249,999* 



$250,000 to $499,999» 



$500,000 or more 



Abnormal farms 



See footnotes at end of table 



Data published in 

 1982 Census of Agriculture 



1982 



23 570 



60 539 209 



677 995 



20 717' 



16 452 331 



19 279 



9 365 775 



9 226 



2 023 003 



1 651 



2 673 

 563 

 806 

 724 

 987 

 504 

 462 



2 141 



2 640 



3 345 

 7 184 



1 547 160 

 759 171 

 787 989 



3 914 



1 795 



2 296 



2 684 



3 384 

 5 155 

 3 266 



715 



263 



99 



1978 

 adjusted^ 



23 565 



61 690 919 



512 791 



21 437 



16 232 608 



20 313 



6 741 043 



9 384 



2 069 531 



1 255 



1 889 

 461 

 841 

 689 

 996 

 497 

 486 



2 437 

 2 928 

 4 Oil 

 7 075 



1 177 454 

 488 486 

 688 968 



2 642 



1 991 



2 538 



3 285 



4 413 



5 656 

 2 192 



375 

 160 

 113 



Data published in 

 1978 Census of Agriculture 



1978 

 totaP 



24 469 



62 269 824 



501 192 



22 100 



16 325 645 



20 921 



8 602 466 



9 682 



2 085 759 



1 359 



2 148 

 526 

 896 

 711 



1 041 

 497 

 623 



2 437 



2 950 

 4 139 

 7 142 



1 184 597 

 490 292 

 694 306 



3 400 

 2 035 



2 604 



3 388 



4 505 



5 697 

 2 192 



375 

 160 

 113 



Portion of 



total from 1 978 



area sample^ 



904 

 578 905 

 198 814 



663 

 93 037 



608 

 61 442 



298 

 16 228 



104 

 259 

 65 

 55 

 22 

 45 



137 



22 



128 

 67 



7 144 

 1 806 

 5 338 



558 

 44 

 66 



103 

 92 

 41 



Percent of 



1978 total 



represented 



by area sample 



portion 



3.7 

 .9 



3.0 

 .6 



Z9 

 .7 



3.1 

 .8 



7.7 

 12.1 

 1^4 

 6.1 

 3.1 

 4.3 



2^0 



.7 



3.1 



.9 



.6 

 .4 

 .8 



16.4 

 2.2 

 2.5 

 3.0 

 2.0 

 .7 



1982 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE 



APPENDIX B B-1 



