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 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 ot abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text] 



Item 



Data published in 

 1982 Census of Agriculture 



1978 

 adjusted' 



Data published in 

 1978 Census of Agriculture 



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 ot land and buildings*, average per farm dollars. 



Total cropland farms. 



acres. 



Harvested cropland _-_ _ farms, 



acres. 



Imgated 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 ot agricultural products sold $1,000. 



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



Livestock, poultry, and their products _ $1,000. 



Farms by value of sales: 



Less than S2.500. 



$2,500 to S4.999 ,__ _. 



$5,000 to S9.999 _. 



$10,000 to $19,999 



$20,000 to $39,999 



$40,000 to $99,999--- 



$100,000 to $249,9995 



$250,000 to $499.9995 



$500,000 or more 



Abnormal farms 



See footnotes at end of table. 



1982 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE 



728 



62 466 



237 141 



655 



28 180 



576 



21 252 



84 



2 224 



113 



273 



70 



64 



76 



41 



28 



20 



34 



6 



3 



30 376 

 18 139 

 12 237 



271 

 95 

 91 

 73 

 57 

 72 

 47 

 8 

 14 



674 



66 233 



236 436 



624 



32 418 



560 



23 704 



78 



2 801 



120 



206 



77 



49 



80 



46 



30 



14 



38 



10 



3 



1 



25 757 

 15 211 

 10 546 



206 



112 



65 



67 



86 



83 



35 



8 



9 



3 



866 



74 585 



209 667 



804 

 36 434 



710 

 24 997 



100 

 2 985 



185 



252 



115 



72 



90 



56 



30 



14 



38 



10 



3 



1 



26 448 

 15 738 

 10 710 



343 



124 



101 



67 



91 



85 



35 



8 



9 



3 



192 



8 352 



115 698 



180 

 4 016 



150 



1 293 



22 



184 



65 

 46 

 38 

 23 

 10 

 10 



691 

 527 

 164 



137 

 12 

 36 



22.2 



11.2 



(X) 



22,4 

 11.0 

 21.1 



5.2 

 22.0 



6.2 



35.1 

 18.3 

 33.0 

 31 9 

 111 

 17.9 



2.6 

 33 

 1.5 



39.9 



97 



356 



5.5 

 2.4 



APPENDIX B B-1 



