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 1 982 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 1 982 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 



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



Data published m 

 1982 Census of Agnculture 



1978 

 adjusted' 



Data publisfied in 

 1 978 Census of Agnculture 



1978 

 tota|2 



Portion of 



total from 1978 



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. 



acres. 



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 



Market value of agncultural products sold $1,000. 



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



Livestocl^, poultry, and their products $1,000. 



Farms by value of sales; 



Less than $2,500 _ 



$2,500 to $4,999 



$5,000 to $9,999 _._ 



$10,000 10 $19,999 



$20,000 to $39,999 



$40,000 to $99,999 _ 



$100,000 10 $249,999= 



$250,000 to $499,9995 



$500,000 or more ___ ___ 



Abnormal farms 



See footnotes at end of table. 



31 628 



8 928 827 



381 817 



27 424 



6 093 474 



21 991 



4 699 323 



3 693 



693 698 



2 461 



9 411 

 2 523 

 2 753 



2 574 

 1 715 

 1 353 



1 026 



3 253 



2 617 



1 343 

 599 



1 406 458 

 994 976 

 411 482 



12 209 



4 384 



3 515 



2 436 



2 052 



3 054 

 2 638 



944 



356 



40 



31 370 



9 295 029 



290 454 



28 351 



6 343 637 



23 528 



4 838 520 



3 799 



681 056 



1 698 

 8 416 



2 629 

 2 998 



2 789 

 1 906 

 1 450 



1 120 



3 593 



2 798 



1 383 

 590 



1 211 920 

 839 265 

 372 655 



10 208 



4 785 



3 884 



2 936 



2 639 



3 509 

 2 471 



667 



224 



47 



38 923 



9 604 986 



246 753 



34 034 

 6 518 028 



26 940 

 4 915 221 



4 131 

 681 960 



3 952 

 11 716 



2 932 



3 425 

 3 689 



2 060 

 1 562 



1 201 



3 615 



2 798 



1 383 

 590 



1 230 384 

 846 743 

 383 641 



16 283 



5 469 



4 344 



3 201 



2 674 



3 531 

 2 483 



667 



224 



47 



7 553 



309 957 



65 268 



5 683 



174 391 



3 412 



76 701 



332 



904 



18 463 

 7 477 

 10 986 



6 075 



684 



460 



265 



35 



22 



12 



19.4 

 3.2 

 (X) 



16.7 

 2.7 



12.7 



1.6 



8.0 



.1 



57.0 



28.2 



10.3 



12.5 



24.4 



7.5 



7.2 



6.7 



.6 



2.9 



37.3 



12.5 



10.6 



8.3 



1,3 



.6 



.5 



1982 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE 



APPENDIX B B-1 



