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 
5,977 
4,916 
4,191 
4,905 
3,687 
3,427 
3,580 
3,754 
Land in farms 
acres 
436,539 
405,616 
357,154 
406,222 
359,313 
358,743 
398,400 
444,242 
Average size of farm 
acres 
73 
83 
85 
83 
97 
105 
111 
118 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
809,375 
1,045,133 
840,302 
516,347 
571,074 
624,135 
467,677 
316,317 
Average per acre 
dollars 
11,082 
12,667 
9,491 
6,270 
5,949 
5,959 
4,171 
2,655 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
352,391 
315,000 
214,739 
182,266 
151,760 
124,989 
132,445 
127,424 
Average per farm 
dollars 
58,958 
64,090 
51,214 
37,167 
41,194 
36,557 
36,996 
33,925 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
1,768 
1,232 
984 
1,065 
744 
606 
560 
594 
1 0 to 49 acres 
2,403 
1,894 
1,625 
1,835 
1,273 
1,172 
1,176 
1,164 
50 to 1 79 acres 
1,317 
1,287 
1,077 
1,447 
1,129 
1,082 
1,176 
1,223 
180 to 499 acres 
379 
400 
387 
453 
436 
455 
546 
632 
500 to 999 acres 
67 
63 
91 
75 
75 
86 
95 
111 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
29 
30 
23 
26 
26 
19 
24 
28 
2,000 acres or more 
14 
10 
4 
4 
4 
7 
3 
2 
Total cropland 
farms 
4,011 
3,884 
3,395 
4,242 
3,289 
3,058 
3,163 
3,326 
acres 
151,144 
163,686 
170,673 
200,586 
181,043 
192,756 
210,012 
224,986 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
3,781 
3,517 
3,000 
3,848 
3,032 
2,789 
2,876 
3,062 
acres 
126,835 
136,833 
131,248 
153,446 
140,513 
143,782 
153,715 
171,229 
Irrigated land 
farms 
1,011 
789 
801 
809 
674 
524 
430 
367 
acres 
9,272 
9,901 
10,139 
7,689 
7,366 
5,893 
7,245 
6,695 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
550,620 
551,553 
470,637 
434,970 
421,648 
336,983 
357,702 
285,324 
Average per farm 
dollars 
92,123 
112,195 
112,297 
88,679 
114,361 
98,332 
99,917 
76,005 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
389,137 
401,372 
327,527 
274,048 
263,799 
183,300 
164,664 
102,058 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
161,482 
150,181 
143,110 
160,922 
157,850 
153,683 
193,039 
183,266 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
2,652 
1,933 
1,900 
1,910 
1,165 
1,120 
1,166 
1,236 
$2,500 to $4,999 
820 
719 
523 
741 
555 
442 
482 
486 
$5,000 to $9,999 
709 
561 
398 
623 
500 
476 
445 
437 
$10,000 to $24,999 
743 
652 
502 
590 
511 
480 
436 
432 
$25,000 to $49,999 
352 
329 
241 
298 
271 
249 
275 
287 
$50,000 to $99,999 
243 
231 
188 
246 
221 
214 
247 
314 
$100,000 to $499,999 
297 
313 
309 
380 
349 
345 
423 
467 
$500,000 or more 
161 
178 
130 
117 
115 
101 
106 
90 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
4,663 
3,967 
3,436 
4,040 
2,996 
2,778 
2,923 
3,119 
Partnership 
612 
485 
341 
435 
344 
326 
355 
360 
Corporation 
523 
389 
338 
386 
311 
289 
276 
251 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
179 
75 
76 
44 
36 
34 
26 
24 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
2,101 
1,561 
1,919 
1,936 
1,565 
1,492 
1,418 
1,459 
Any 
3,876 
3,355 
2,272 
2,756 
1,953 
1,751 
1,940 
2,032 
200 days or more 
2,536 
2,093 
1,619 
1,884 
1,310 
1,098 
1,304 
1,432 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
2,766 
2,273 
2,077 
2,228 
1,824 
1,828 
1,842 
1,957 
Other 
3,211 
2,643 
2,114 
2,677 
1,863 
1,599 
1,738 
1,797 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
58.7 
57.6 
55.4 
55.0 
55.5 
55.0 
53.5 
52.5 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
586,466 
469,319 
397,687 
348,883 
330,902 
282,694 
255,212 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
6,536 
7,164 
8,644 
9,317 
8,740 
9,381 
16,647 
24,973 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
66,754 
55,295 
42,832 
59,852 
58,691 
55,796 
54,207 
66,821 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
22,350 
15,142 
14,211 
13,196 
12,743 
1 1 ,236 
7,333 
7,547 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
37,338 
29,508 
13,064 
11,684 
10,638 
9,985 
9,300 
14,569 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
177,047 
141,360 
127,084 
101,344 
96,925 
77,980 
65,657 
44,278 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
20,412 
16,913 
9,036 
12,153 
11,289 
10,443 
11,616 
12,018 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
15,783 
7,711 
6,681 
5,142 
4,819 
4,506 
4,815 
3,377 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
1,452 
1,210 
1,131 
1,669 
1,227 
1,345 
1,596 
1,896 
number 
48,278 
50,213 
54,247 
68,351 
65,645 
78,044 
89,306 
110,029 
Beef cows 
farms 
1,003 
754 
737 
995 
721 
770 
887 
947 
number 
8,080 
5,982 
6,180 
7,772 
6,887 
6,878 
7,146 
6,746 
Milk cows 
farms 
242 
269 
310 
438 
370 
486 
630 
880 
number 
17,740 
20,685 
23,203 
28,481 
28,017 
34,552 
41,691 
51,795 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
774 
805 
715 
1,208 
983 
1,103 
1,335 
1,592 
number 
14,691 
17,348 
17,823 
26,430 
25,237 
31,200 
41,093 
47,487 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
318 
244 
157 
298 
210 
293 
254 
379 
number 
4,737 
3,645 
3,232 
6,139 
4,521 
5,588 
5,429 
6,915 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
335 
251 
176 
212 
160 
201 
195 
265 
number 
13,912 
6,818 
7,079 
12,196 
9,408 
8,232 
8,776 
9,202 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Connecticut 7 
