Table 1. Historical Highlights: 2012 and Earlier Census Years 
[For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text. 
All farms 
2012 
2007 
2002 
1997 
1992 
1987 
1982 
Farms 
number 
762 
686 
609 
548 
512 
574 
570 
Land in farms 
acres 
833,861 
881,585 
900,715 
881,045 
923,037 
1 ,026,732 
1,323,953 
Average size of farm 
acres 
1,094 
1,285 
1,479 
1,608 
1,803 
1,789 
2,323 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings ^ 
Average per farm 
dollars 
681,479 
502,342 
543,213 
486,827 
486,550 
553,000 
463,849 
Average per acre 
dollars 
623 
391 
367 
303 
270 
309 
200 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment ' 
$1,000 
66,633 
54,082 
41,853 
28,993 
22,423 
22,290 
18,562,436 
Average per farm 
dollars 
87,445 
78,837 
71,790 
53,003 
43,795 
38,901 
32,912 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
247 
165 
127 
96 
76 
96 
91 
1 0 to 49 acres 
181 
164 
129 
98 
93 
113 
115 
50 to 1 79 acres 
145 
156 
162 
171 
160 
172 
184 
1 80 to 499 acres 
103 
111 
93 
93 
85 
97 
88 
500 to 999 acres 
37 
38 
41 
33 
41 
24 
23 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
25 
24 
29 
26 
19 
24 
13 
2,000 acres or more 
24 
28 
28 
31 
38 
48 
56 
Total cropland 
farms 
561 
512 
479 
434 
419 
454 
460 
acres 
84,114 
86,238 
98,131 
94,810 
84,061 
66,305 
54,311 
Flarvested cropland 
farms 
495 
424 
393 
381 
352 
397 
395 
acres 
31,315 
30,772 
31,824 
34,227 
22,699 
28,949 
25,694 
Irrigated land 
farms 
230 
184 
150 
114 
93 
74 
46 
acres 
2,451 
3,730 
2,742 
2,667 
1,566 
1,826 
667 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
$1,000 
58,925 
57,019 
46,143 
24,650 
15,351 
1 7,972 
1 1 ,399 
Average per farm 
dollars 
77,329 
83,119 
75,768 
44,982 
29,982 
31,309 
19,999 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
$1,000 
24,857 
24,749 
20,543 
15,968 
1 1 ,228 
10,768 
6,010 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
$1,000 
34,068 
32,271 
25,600 
8,682 
4,123 
7,204 
5,389 
Farms by value of sales 
Less than $2,500 
238 
231 
207 
187 
211 
242 
267 
$2,500 to $4,999 
95 
81 
59 
75 
75 
92 
110 
$5,000 to $9,999 
107 
91 
96 
66 
67 
73 
85 
$10,000 to $24,999 
140 
91 
89 
99 
70 
65 
46 
$25,000 to $49,999 
55 
68 
53 
44 
30 
38 
25 
$50,000 to $99,999 
40 
47 
34 
30 
25 
25 
11 
$100,000 to $499,999 
66 
58 
56 
41 
31 
34 
23 
$500,000 or more 
21 
19 
15 
6 
3 
5 
3 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
614 
550 
497 
458 
430 
478 
489 
Partnership 
46 
42 
30 
43 
40 
52 
42 
Corporation 
56 
52 
36 
36 
30 
29 
29 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
46 
42 
46 
11 
12 
15 
10 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 
None 
322 
223 
272 
182 
178 
173 
132 
Any 
440 
463 
337 
314 
308 
369 
397 
200 days or more 
232 
219 
172 
145 
145 
182 
200 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
412 
365 
370 
306 
273 
248 
231 
Other 
350 
321 
239 
242 
239 
326 
339 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
57.1 
56.2 
55.2 
53.3 
51.3 
48.9 
45.8 
Total farm production 
expenses ' 
$1,000 
55,918 
50,547 
39,123 
21,821 
16,308 
15,774 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
$1,000 
569 
303 
569 
1,291 
254 
386 
507 
Feed purchased 
$1,000 
6,386 
5,096 
4,078 
2,532 
1,586 
2,978 
2,293 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased ® 
$1,000 
3,240 
2,334 
1,535 
1,549 
1,225 
1,413 
1,118 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
$1,000 
5,091 
3,786 
2,125 
1,728 
1,224 
1,140 
1,113 
Flired farm labor 
$1,000 
18,647 
16,463 
13,427 
5,064 
3,928 
2,647 
1,925 
Interest expense ® 
$1,000 
1,771 
2,655 
2,892 
1,143 
869 
1,275 
1,466 
Chemicals purchased 
$1,000 
367 
282 
187 
219 
110 
166 
45 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
134 
130 
113 
120 
132 
170 
207 
number 
10,667 
14,823 
12,609 
11,111 
8,002 
9,433 
8,729 
Beef cows 
farms 
98 
98 
86 
84 
97 
112 
129 
number 
(D) 
6,468 
5,408 
3,694 
3,224 
3,199 
2,994 
Milk cows 
farms 
28 
28 
31 
30 
34 
50 
64 
number 
(D) 
577 
1,253 
1,101 
715 
1,713 
963 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
71 
75 
83 
92 
115 
134 
151 
number 
1,000 
1,026 
1,356 
2,847 
1,672 
2,538 
1,640 
Flogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
37 
43 
48 
53 
45 
45 
88 
number 
1,009 
757 
1,201 
2,112 
2,135 
573 
3,741 
Flogs and pigs sold 
farms 
42 
50 
47 
33 
40 
37 
70 
number 
2,042 
2,053 
2,002 
2,532 
2,800 
1,100 
6,244 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data Alaska 7 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
