Table 1. Historical Highlights: 2012 and Earlier Census Years 
[For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] 
All farms 
2012 
2007 
2002 
1997 
Not adjusted for coverage 
1997 
1992 
1987 
1982 
Farms 
... number 
45,071 
49,346 
47,483 
49,493 
45,142 
43,937 
48,242 
50,525 
Land in farms 
acres 
13,810,786 
13,872,862 
14,502,793 
14,823,865 
14,364,955 
14,127,711 
14,355,611 
14,682,960 
Average size of farm 
acres 
306 
281 
305 
300 
318 
322 
298 
291 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
807,965 
658,732 
447,104 
354,095 
360,114 
282,389 
225,604 
286,402 
Average per acre 
dollars 
2,637 
2,343 
1,469 
1,157 
1,151 
880 
761 
972 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment ' 
....$1,000 
5,202,799 
4,481,741 
3,007,394 
2,749,848 
2,510,490 
1,957,035 
1,661,321 
1 ,790,270 
Average per farm 
dollars 
115,438 
90,823 
65,299 
55,572 
55,619 
44,601 
34,505 
35,483 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
1,918 
2,581 
1,728 
2,043 
1,686 
1,727 
2,249 
2,069 
1 0 to 49 acres 
1 1 ,947 
15,119 
1 1 ,222 
10,760 
9,186 
8,295 
9,723 
10,255 
50 to 1 79 acres 
16,631 
16,916 
17,297 
18,241 
16,450 
15,771 
17,551 
19,022 
1 80 to 499 acres 
8,722 
8,590 
10,369 
10,975 
10,437 
10,719 
11,173 
1 1 ,622 
500 to 999 acres 
2,598 
2,959 
3,526 
4,103 
4,049 
4,188 
4,371 
4,519 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
1,760 
1,803 
2,122 
2,326 
2,298 
2,287 
2,304 
2,154 
2,000 acres or more 
1,495 
1,378 
1,219 
1,045 
1,036 
950 
871 
884 
Total cropland 
farms 
29,380 
35,154 
36,908 
39,704 
37,205 
37,408 
40,536 
43,228 
acres 
7,931,111 
8,432,221 
9,576,047 
10,271,653 
10,062,289 
10,064,948 
9,950,401 
10,042,942 
Flarvested cropland 
farms 
25,535 
29,050 
29,466 
31,847 
30,125 
30,441 
32,248 
34,725 
acres 
7,316,469 
7,367,068 
7,457,599 
7,814,711 
7,665,490 
7,295,095 
6,477,365 
7,484,316 
Irrigated land 
farms 
5,084 
5,393 
5,847 
6,887 
6,593 
6,682 
7,269 
6,678 
acres 
4,803,902 
4,460,682 
4,149,766 
3,785,338 
3,717,217 
2,701,651 
2,406,338 
2,022,695 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
9,775,758 
7,508,806 
4,950,397 
5,613,156 
5,479,692 
4,159,505 
3,320,258 
2,826,497 
Average per farm 
dollars 
216,897 
152,166 
104,256 
113,413 
121,388 
94,670 
68,825 
55,943 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
4,834,879 
2,900,973 
1,620,384 
2,232,440 
2,188,026 
1,714,842 
1,246,686 
1,356,618 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
4,940,880 
4,607,833 
3,330,014 
3,380,717 
3,291,665 
2,444,663 
2,073,572 
1 ,469,879 
Farms by value of sales 
Less than $2,500 
15,268 
17,810 
16,408 
13,179 
1 1 ,029 
9,566 
12,130 
15,515 
$2,500 to $4,999 
4,497 
5,353 
5,975 
7,533 
6,901 
6,405 
7,609 
7,768 
$5,000 to $9,999 
5,455 
6,263 
6,237 
7,509 
6,723 
6,844 
7,101 
6,403 
$10,000 to $24,999 
6,788 
7,147 
6,308 
6,446 
6,071 
6,071 
6,088 
5,544 
$25,000 to $49,999 
3,529 
3,018 
2,176 
2,448 
2,408 
2,717 
2,885 
3,106 
$50,000 to $99,999 
2,028 
1,685 
1,865 
2,075 
1,978 
2,614 
3,329 
4,020 
$100,000 to $499,999 
2,386 
3,471 
5,775 
7,056 
6,832 
7,900 
8,197 
7,436 
$500,000 or more 
5,120 
4,599 
2,739 
3,247 
3,200 
1,820 
903 
712 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
39,351 
42,470 
43,458 
43,020 
39,009 
38,221 
42,885 
45,152 
Partnership 
3,344 
4,667 
2,626 
4,095 
3,891 
3,824 
3,626 
3,856 
Corporation 
1,842 
1,854 
1,182 
2,142 
2,025 
1,714 
1,542 
1,326 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
534 
355 
217 
236 
217 
178 
189 
191 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 
None 
18,308 
18,241 
21,312 
18,908 
17,714 
17,942 
19,132 
18,816 
Any 
26,763 
31,105 
26,171 
27,841 
24,906 
22,755 
26,208 
26,948 
200 days or more 
18,857 
20,755 
20,044 
20,078 
17,855 
16,181 
18,417 
18,455 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
21,315 
21,960 
27,411 
23,678 
22,300 
23,273 
24,210 
25,701 
Other 
23,756 
27,386 
20,072 
25,815 
22,842 
20,664 
24,032 
24,824 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
58.1 
56.5 
54.9 
53.4 
53.5 
53.0 
51.8 
50.9 
Total farm production 
expenses ' 
....$1,000 
7,701,266 
6,134,870 
3,898,297 
4,709,755 
4,161,029 
3,245,341 
2,454,097 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ^ 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
891,909 
828,459 
515,620 
512,770 
467,737 
414,337 
368,424 
272,441 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
2,617,016 
2,023,611 
1 ,250,849 
1,954,542 
1 ,654,949 
964,146 
774,203 
570,609 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased ® 
....$1,000 
629,255 
437,022 
216,013 
233,756 
213,542 
184,504 
123,230 
131,022 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
510,909 
395,167 
188,568 
200,723 
181,212 
169,025 
136,284 
191,553 
Flired farm labor 
....$1,000 
342,712 
268,860 
253,395 
259,973 
238,733 
223,124 
198,167 
164,885 
Interest expense ® 
....$1,000 
245,943 
231,796 
203,361 
211,518 
192,005 
165,014 
135,440 
192,827 
Chemicals purchased 
....$1,000 
505,519 
327,730 
245,100 
263,161 
237,031 
201,753 
115,386 
114,397 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
25,866 
28,292 
29,925 
32,775 
30,369 
29,162 
31,606 
34,779 
number 
1,615,774 
1 ,802,653 
1 ,842,273 
1,784,191 
1 ,770,248 
1,632,666 
1,562,243 
1,718,315 
Beef cows 
farms 
23,385 
25,361 
26,526 
28,818 
26,981 
26,011 
27,297 
30,083 
number 
813,250 
947,765 
951,803 
924,826 
927,357 
826,306 
786,183 
819,320 
Milk cows 
farms 
100 
339 
486 
1,260 
1,193 
1,688 
2,252 
3,769 
number 
8,972 
16,718 
30,414 
49,280 
49,012 
64,427 
70,926 
86,779 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
22,116 
23,731 
25,955 
32,044 
29,903 
28,545 
31,315 
33,292 
number 
954,433 
992,422 
932,963 
992,313 
978,007 
817,838 
888,755 
821,500 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
752 
1,142 
846 
1,369 
1,247 
1,883 
2,467 
3,737 
number 
109,316 
289,342 
305,659 
866,082 
858,741 
725,497 
452,930 
388,388 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
540 
954 
867 
1,106 
1,019 
1,666 
2,168 
3,172 
number 
1,144,573 
1,866,416 
2,408,257 
2,792,531 
2,762,914 
2,016,536 
1,211,130 
827,413 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Arkansas 7 
