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 
2,109,303 
2,204,792 
2,128,982 
2,215,876 
1,911,859 
1 ,925,300 
2,087,759 
2,240,976 
Land in farms 
acres 
914,527,657 
922,095,840 
938,279,056 
954,752,502 
931,795,255 
945,531,506 
964,470,625 
986,796,579 
Average size of farm 
acres 
434 
418 
441 
431 
487 
491 
462 
440 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
1,075,491 
791,138 
537,833 
416,007 
449,748 
357,056 
289,387 
345,869 
Average per acre 
dollars 
2,481 
1,892 
1,213 
967 
933 
727 
627 
784 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment ' 
....$1,000 
243,966,688 
194,783,471 
136,624,880 
119,302,923 
110,256,802 
93,316,496 
85,801,360 
93,662,947 
Average per farm 
dollars 
115,706 
88,357 
66,570 
53,861 
57,678 
48,605 
41,227 
41,919 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
223,634 
232,849 
1 79,346 
205,390 
153,515 
166,496 
183,257 
187,665 
1 0 to 49 acres 
589,549 
620,283 
563,772 
530,902 
410,833 
387,71 1 
412,437 
449,252 
50 to 1 79 acres 
634,047 
660,530 
658,705 
694,489 
592,972 
584,146 
644,849 
711,652 
1 80 to 499 acres 
346,038 
368,368 
388,617 
428,215 
402,769 
427,648 
478,294 
526,510 
500 to 999 acres 
142,555 
149,713 
161,552 
179,447 
175,690 
186,387 
200,058 
203,925 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
91,273 
92,656 
99,020 
103,007 
101,468 
101,923 
102,078 
97,395 
2,000 acres or more 
82,207 
80,393 
77,970 
74,426 
74,612 
70,989 
66,786 
64,577 
Total cropland 
farms 
1,551,654 
1 ,685,339 
1,751,450 
1 ,857,239 
1 ,661 ,395 
1,697,137 
1 ,848,574 
2,010,609 
acres 
389,690,414 
406,424,909 
434,164,946 
445,324,765 
431,144,896 
435,365,878 
443,318,233 
445,362,028 
Flarvested cropland 
farms 
1,288,875 
1,328,004 
1,362,608 
1,545,681 
1,410,606 
1,491,786 
1,643,633 
1 ,809,756 
acres 
314,964,600 
309,607,601 
302,697,252 
318,937,401 
309,395,475 
295,936,976 
282,223,880 
326,306,462 
Irrigated land 
farms 
296,303 
301,028 
299,583 
308,818 
279,442 
279,357 
291,628 
278,277 
acres 
55,822,231 
56,599,305 
55,311,236 
56,289,172 
55,058,128 
49,404,030 
46,386,201 
49,002,433 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
394,644,481 
297,220,491 
200,646,355 
201,379,812 
196,864,649 
162,608,334 
136,048,516 
131,900,223 
Average per farm 
dollars 
187,097 
134,807 
94,245 
90,880 
102,970 
84,459 
65,165 
58,858 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
212,397,074 
143,657,928 
95,151,954 
100,668,794 
98,055,656 
75,228,256 
58,931,085 
62,256,087 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
182,247,407 
153,562,563 
105,494,401 
100,711,018 
98,808,993 
87,380,078 
77,117,431 
69,644,136 
Farms by value of sales 
Less than $2,500 
788,310 
900,327 
826,558 
693,026 
496,514 
422,767 
490,296 
536,327 
$2,500 to $4,999 
191,422 
200,302 
213,326 
265,667 
228,477 
231,867 
262,918 
278,208 
$5,000 to $9,999 
214,245 
218,531 
223,168 
267,575 
237,975 
251,883 
274,972 
281,802 
$10,000 to $24,999 
244,954 
248,285 
256,157 
293,639 
274,040 
301,804 
326,166 
340,254 
$25,000 to $49,999 
152,873 
154,732 
157,906 
179,629 
170,705 
195,354 
219,636 
248,828 
$50,000 to $99,999 
129,366 
125,456 
140,479 
163,510 
158,160 
187,760 
218,050 
251,501 
$100,000 to $499,999 
232,955 
240,873 
240,746 
282,422 
277,194 
286,951 
263,698 
274,580 
$500,000 or more 
155,178 
116,286 
70,642 
70,408 
68,794 
46,914 
32,023 
27,800 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
1,828,946 
1 ,906,335 
1 ,909,598 
1 ,922,590 
1 ,643,424 
1,653,491 
1,809,324 
1 ,945,639 
Partnership 
137,987 
174,247 
129,593 
185,607 
169,462 
186,806 
199,559 
223,274 
Corporation 
106,716 
96,074 
73,752 
90,432 
84,002 
72,567 
66,969 
59,792 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
35,654 
28,136 
16,039 
17,247 
14,971 
12,436 
1 1 ,907 
12,271 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 
None 
823,659 
777,747 
962,200 
832,585 
755,254 
801,881 
844,476 
861,798 
Any 
1,285,644 
1,427,045 
1,166,782 
1,254,537 
1,042,158 
992,773 
1,115,560 
1,187,374 
200 days or more 
842,600 
876,301 
832,348 
870,945 
709,279 
665,570 
737,206 
774,844 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
1,007,904 
993,881 
1 ,224,246 
1 ,044,388 
961,560 
1,053,150 
1,138,179 
1 ,234,787 
Other 
1,101,399 
1,210,911 
904,736 
1,171,488 
950,299 
872,150 
949,580 
1,006,189 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
58.3 
57.1 
55.3 
54.0 
54.3 
53.3 
52.0 
50.5 
Total farm production 
expenses ' 
....$1,000 
328,939,354 
241,113,666 
173,199,216 
157,752,357 
150,590,993 
130,779,261 
108,138,053 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ^ 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
41,586,018 
38,003,682 
27,420,965 
22,213,229 
21,614,559 
23,043,431 
19,344,645 
17,174,334 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
75,706,467 
49,095,106 
31,694,850 
34,749,048 
32,759,966 
24,084,507 
19,163,364 
18,591,984 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased ® 
....$1,000 
28,532,713 
18,107,194 
9,751 ,460 
9,999,752 
9,597,128 
8,204,324 
6,684,944 
7,689,365 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
16,573,188 
12,912,179 
6,675,419 
6,715,936 
6,371,515 
6,120,452 
5,277,227 
7,888,052 
Flired farm labor 
....$1,000 
26,986,669 
21,877,661 
18,568,446 
15,457,896 
14,841,036 
12,961,639 
10,866,236 
8,441,180 
Interest expense ® 
....$1,000 
12,123,573 
10,880,731 
9,571,577 
9,392,431 
8,928,107 
8,111,337 
8,158,268 
1 1 ,668,942 
Chemicals purchased 
....$1,000 
16,459,840 
10,074,914 
7,608,921 
7,934,936 
7,581,424 
6,133,705 
4,690,243 
4,282,213 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
913,246 
963,669 
1,018,359 
1,188,659 
1 ,046,863 
1 ,074,349 
1,176,346 
1 ,354,992 
number 
89,994,614 
96,347,858 
95,497,994 
99,907,017 
98,989,244 
96,135,825 
95,847,299 
104,475,827 
Beef cows 
farms 
727,906 
764,984 
796,436 
899,756 
804,595 
803,241 
841,778 
957,698 
number 
28,956,553 
32,834,801 
33,398,271 
34,193,965 
34,066,615 
32,545,976 
31,652,593 
34,202,607 
Milk cows 
farms 
64,098 
69,890 
91,989 
125,041 
116,874 
155,339 
202,068 
277,762 
number 
9,252,272 
9,266,574 
9,103,959 
9,139,812 
9,095,439 
9,491,818 
10,084,697 
10,849,890 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
740,978 
798,290 
851,971 
1,121,003 
1,011,809 
1,034,189 
1,150,523 
1,278,609 
number 
69,759,776 
74,071,936 
73,509,165 
75,005,184 
74,089,046 
70,562,908 
72,603,841 
71,216,727 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
63,246 
75,442 
78,895 
124,889 
109,754 
191,347 
243,398 
329,833 
number 
66,026,785 
67,786,318 
60,405,103 
61,188,149 
61,206,236 
57,563,118 
52,271,120 
55,366,205 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
55,882 
74,789 
82,028 
112,377 
102,106 
188,167 
238,819 
315,095 
number 
199,115,305 
206,807,181 
184,997,686 
142,956,569 
142,611,882 
1 1 1 ,326,807 
96,569,359 
94,783,598 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - UNITED STATES DATA 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
United States 7 
