agricultural research, soil conservation programs, 
and land- grant eolleges and universities; 
• Identify the assets needed to support agrieultural 
produetion such as land, buildings, machinery, 
and other equipment; 
• Create an extensive database of information on 
uneommon erops and livestoek and the value of 
those eommodities for assessing the need to 
develop polieies and programs to support those 
eommodities; 
• Provide geographie data on produetion so 
agribusinesses will locate near major produetion 
areas for efficieneies for both produeers and 
agribusinesses; 
• Measure the usage of modem teehnologies sueh 
as eonservation practiees, organie production, 
renewable energy systems, internet aeeess, and 
specialized marketing strategies; 
• Develop new and improved methods to inerease 
agrieultural produetion and profitability; 
• Plan for operations during drought and 
emergency outbreaks of diseases or infestations 
of pests. 
AUTHORITY 
The 2012 Census of Agrieulture is required by law 
under the “Census of Agriculture Act of 1997,” 
Public Law 105-113 (Title 7, United States Code, 
Seetion 2204g). The law direets the Seeretary of 
Agrieulture to eonduet a eensus of agrieulture every 
fifth year. The eensus of agrieulture ineludes eaeh 
State, Puerto Rieo, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, 
the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, 
and Ameriean Samoa. 
FARM DEFINITION 
The eensus definition of a farm is any plaee from 
whieh $1,000 or more of agrieultural produets were 
produeed and sold, or normally would have been 
sold, during the eensus year. The definition has 
ehanged nine times sinee it was established in 1850. 
VIII INTRODUCTION 
The eurrent definition was first used for the 1974 
Census of Agrieulture and has been used in eaeh 
subsequent agrieulture eensus. This definition is 
consistent with the definition used for eurrent USD A 
surveys. The farm definition used for each U.S. 
territory varies. The report for eaeh territory 
ineludes a diseussion of its farm definition. 
DATA COMPARABILITY 
Most data are comparable between the 2012 and 
2007 eensuses. A few ehanges were made to the 
2012 eensus that affeet eomparability for some data 
items. See Appendix B, General Explanation and 
Census of Agrieulture Report Form, Data Changes 
for a detailed diseussion of these changes. Dollar 
figures are expressed in eurrent dollars and have not 
been adjusted for inflation or deflation. In general, 
data for eensuses sinee 1974 are not fully 
eomparable with data for 1969 and earlier eensuses 
due to ehanges in the farm definition. 
REFERENCE PERIOD 
Referenee periods for the 2012 Census of 
Agrieulture were similar to those used in the 2007 
Census of Agrieulture. Referenee periods used were: 
• Crop produetion is measured for the calendar 
year, exeept for a few erops sueh as avoeados, 
citrus, and olives for whieh the production year 
overlaps the ealendar year. See Appendix B, 
General Explanation and Census of Agrieulture 
Report Form for details. 
• Livestock, poultry, and machinery and equipment 
inventories, market value of land and buildings, 
and grain storage eapaeity are measured as of 
December 3 1 of the eensus year. 
• Crop and livestoek sales, other farm-related 
ineome, direet sales ineome, ineome from federal 
farm programs. Commodity Credit Corporation 
loans. Conservation Reserve, Farmable Wetlands, 
Conservation Reserve Enhaneement, and 
Wetlands Reserve Program participation, farm 
expenses, ehemieal and fertilizer use, irrigated 
aereage, and hired farm labor data are measured 
for the calendar year. 
2012 Census of Agriculture 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
