DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS 
The following definitions and explanations provide a 
detailed description of specific terms and phrases 
used in this publication. Items in the publication 
tables which carry the note “See text” also are 
explained. Report form section number references 
refer to the regional version. Many of the definitions 
and explanations are the same as those used in earlier 
censuses. 
Acres and quantity harvested. Crops were reported 
in whole acres, except for the following crops that 
were reported in tenths of acres: tobacco, nursery 
and greenhouse crops in the open, vegetables 
including potatoes and sweet potatoes, fruit and nut 
crops including land in orchards, and berries; and in 
Hawaii, coffee. Totals for crops reported in tenths of 
acres were rounded to whole acres at the aggregate 
level during the tabulation process. Nursery and 
greenhouse crops grown under glass or other 
protection were reported in square feet and are 
published in square feet. 
If two or more crops were harvested from the same 
land during the year (double cropping), the acres 
were counted for each crop. Therefore, the total 
acres of all crops harvested could exceed the acres of 
cropland harvested. An exception to this procedure 
was hay. 
When more than one cutting of hay was taken from 
the same acres, the acres were counted only once. If 
there were multiple cuttings of one type of hay 
production, e.g. two cuttings of alfalfa for dry hay, 
acreage was reported once but the quantity harvested 
includes all cuttings. Acreage cut and tons harvested 
for both dry hay and haylage, silage, or greenchop 
was reported for each crop. For interplanted crops or 
“skip-row” crops, acres were reported according to 
the portion of the field occupied, whether by a crop 
or whether it was idle land. If a crop was interplanted 
in an orchard or vineyard and harvested, then the 
entire orchard or vineyard acreage was reported 
under the appropriate fruit crop and the interplanted 
estimated crop acreage was reported under the 
appropriate crop. 
If a crop was planted but not harvested, the acres 
were not reported as harvested. These acres were 
reported in the “land” section on the report form 
2012 Census of Agriculture 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
under the appropriate cropland items - cropland on 
which all crops failed or were abandoned, cropland 
in cultivated summer fallow, cropland idle or used 
for cover crops or soil-improvement but not 
harvested and not pastured or grazed, or other 
pasture and grazing land that could have been used 
for crops without additional improvements. This 
does not include fruit and nut orchards, vineyards, 
berries, acres in production for cut Christmas trees, 
and acres in production for short rotation woody 
crops that were not harvested. Acreage in these 
commodities were included in cropland harvested 
whether the crop was harvested or not. Abandoned 
orchards were reported as cropland idle, not as 
harvested cropland, and the individual abandoned 
orchard crop acres were not reported. 
Crops that were only hogged or grazed were reported 
as “Other pasture and grazing land that could have 
been used for crops without additional 
improvements.” Crop residue left in fields after the 
2012 harvest and later hogged or grazed was 
reported as cropland harvested and not as other 
pasture and grazing land that could have been used 
for crops. 
Quantity harvested was not obtained for crops such 
as fruits and nuts, berries, vegetables and melons, 
and nursery and greenhouse crops. 
Age of operator. See Farms by age and primary 
occupation of operator. 
Agri-tourism and recreational services. See Total 
income from farm-related sources, gross before taxes 
and expenses. 
Agricultural products sold directly to 
individuals for human consumption. See Value 
of agricultural products sold directly to individuals 
for human consumption. 
All (multiple) operators. See Operator. 
All haylage, grass silage, and greenchop (tons). 
See Haylage, grass silage, and greenchop, all. 
All other production expenses. See Total farm 
production expenses. 
APPENDIX B B -3 
