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 so d 

 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 ot 

 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 



[For meaning of abbrevialions and symbols, see introductory text] 



Item 



. number, 

 , acres.. 



Farms 



Land in farms riniiflr*; 



Value of land and buildings', average per farm uunoia- 



farms.. 



--- --- — - --- acres- 



farms- 



" acres- 



farms- 



acres- 



Total cropland 



Hareested cropland . 

 Irrigated land 



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 



SI 000 



Market value of agricultural products sold ti'nno' 



Crops, including nursery and greenfiouse products tl'ooo 



Livestock, poultry, and their products *'■" - 



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 - — 



SI 00,000 to $249,9995 



$250,000 to 3499,999= "'"" 



$500,000 or more 



Abnormal farms 



See footnotes at end of table. 



Data published in 

 1982 Census of Agriculture 



1982 



42 415 



12 421 651 



257 819 



37 476 



7 745 113 



31 122 



5 799 772 



1 462 



430 901 



1 627 

 8 674 



3 727 

 5 130 



4 918 

 3 567 



2 313 

 1 686 



5 032 



3 100 

 1 739 



902 



1978 

 adjusted^ 



44 104 



13 210 879 



200 646 



40 373 



8 119 065 



34 189 



5 848 897 



1 139 



308 694 



1 396 

 7 918 

 3 738 

 5 675 

 5 282 

 3 949 



2 673 

 1 839 



5 530 



3 354 



1 785 

 965 



1 663 830 

 947 397 

 716 433 



15 578 

 7 748 



6 310 

 3 966 



2 864 



3 303 

 2 814 

 1 078 



416 

 27 



Data published in 

 1 978 Census of Agriculture 



1978 

 total= 



54 182 



13 864 787 



173 475 



48 532 



8 445 855 



39 705 



5 962 184 



1 238 



309 519 



3 578 

 11 561 



4 863 

 6 781 



3 336 



2 847 



1 096 



416 



27 



Portion ot 



total from 1978 



area sample^ 



10 078 



653 908 



54 576 



8 159 



326 790 



5 516 



113 287 



99 



825 



2 182 



3 643 

 1 125 

 1 106 



927 

 396 

 297 

 116 

 187 

 99 



34 302 



9 788 



24 514 



8 286 



785 



252 



451 



220 



33 



33 



18 



Percent of 



1978 total 



represented 



by area sample 



portion 



4.7 

 (X) 



16.8 

 3.9 



13,9 



1.9 



8.0 



.3 



61.0 



31.5 



23.1 



16.3 



14.9 



9.1 



10.0 



5.9 



3.3 



2.9 



2.0 

 1.0 



3.3 



34.7 

 9.2 

 3.8 



10.2 

 7.1 

 1.0 

 1.2 

 1.6 



1982 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE 



APPENDIX B B-1 



