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 
77,857 
81,033 
79,631 
87,991 
74,126 
77,669 
83,217 
82,463 
Land in farms 
acres 
25,569,001 
25,364,695 
27,589,027 
28,795,834 
27,698,779 
28,978,997 
30,598,178 
32,156,894 
Average size of farm 
acres 
328 
313 
346 
327 
374 
373 
368 
390 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
2,061,792 
2,005,768 
1,206,822 
839,126 
941,170 
820,063 
583,668 
746,577 
Average per acre 
dollars 
6,278 
6,408 
3,526 
2,643 
2,605 
2,213 
1,575 
1,918 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
9,709,545 
8,761,575 
6,325,990 
5,463,053 
5,155,473 
4,363,190 
4,081,738 
3,873,341 
Average per farm 
dollars 
124,720 
108,145 
81,933 
62,129 
69,590 
56,485 
49,223 
47,361 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
24,637 
25,278 
21,827 
27,151 
20,662 
21,485 
22,697 
22,951 
1 0 to 49 acres 
25,811 
28,080 
27,307 
28,613 
24,250 
26,089 
28,498 
28,203 
50 to 1 79 acres 
13,056 
12,939 
14,356 
14,874 
13,288 
13,883 
15,017 
14,873 
180 to 499 acres 
6,649 
7,014 
7,741 
8,055 
7,270 
7,512 
8,028 
7,636 
500 to 999 acres 
3,230 
3,267 
3,604 
3,912 
3,572 
3,702 
3,804 
3,635 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
2,040 
2,194 
2,374 
2,683 
2,439 
2,411 
2,544 
2,435 
2,000 acres or more 
2,434 
2,261 
2,422 
2,703 
2,645 
2,587 
2,629 
2,730 
Total cropland 
farms 
57,731 
61,215 
61,810 
70,231 
62,269 
64,417 
68,266 
67,916 
acres 
9,591,783 
9,464,647 
10,994,161 
11,062,811 
10,803,804 
10,479,268 
10,894,503 
11,257,374 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
53,372 
53,000 
54,115 
62,031 
55,590 
56,785 
59,259 
59,048 
acres 
8,007,461 
7,633,173 
8,466,321 
8,676,242 
8,543,159 
7,760,773 
7,676,287 
8,764,808 
Irrigated land 
farms 
53,546 
53,400 
55,596 
63,226 
55,920 
56,546 
58,868 
58,389 
acres 
7,861,964 
8,016,159 
8,709,353 
8,886,693 
8,712,893 
7,571,313 
7,596,091 
8,460,508 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
42,627,472 
33,885,064 
25,737,173 
23,280,110 
23,032,259 
17,051,912 
13,922,234 
12,491,442 
Average per farm 
dollars 
547,510 
418,164 
323,205 
264,574 
310,718 
219,546 
167,300 
151,479 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
30,366,898 
22,903,021 
19,152,722 
17,201,736 
17,033,714 
1 1 ,747,474 
9,269,389 
8,158,494 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
12,260,574 
10,982,043 
6,584,451 
6,078,374 
5,998,545 
5,304,438 
4,652,845 
4,332,948 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
19,986 
23,965 
23,362 
28,871 
19,473 
22,692 
23,187 
25,513 
$2,500 to $4,999 
5,736 
6,548 
6,038 
7,470 
6,516 
7,160 
8,661 
8,871 
$5,000 to $9,999 
7,718 
7,208 
7,262 
7,560 
6,498 
7,417 
8,512 
8,515 
$10,000 to $24,999 
10,137 
10,481 
9,455 
9,685 
8,621 
9,324 
11,028 
10,178 
$25,000 to $49,999 
7,043 
7,578 
7,131 
7,360 
6,747 
6,899 
7,863 
7,218 
$50,000 to $99,999 
6,679 
6,212 
6,798 
6,909 
6,544 
6,360 
6,895 
6,423 
$100,000 to $499,999 
11,039 
10,461 
1 1 ,426 
12,159 
1 1 ,823 
11,143 
1 1 ,430 
10,675 
$500,000 or more 
9,519 
8,580 
8,159 
7,977 
7,904 
6,674 
5,641 
4,990 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
59,732 
64,001 
64,442 
69,154 
56,755 
60,187 
64,928 
65,482 
Partnership 
8,984 
9,552 
8,953 
11,836 
10,813 
11,350 
12,127 
11,360 
Corporation 
6,361 
5,750 
5,070 
5,504 
5,252 
5,067 
5,367 
4,849 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
2,780 
1,730 
1,166 
1,497 
1,306 
1,065 
795 
772 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
31,311 
26,322 
40,223 
35,359 
31,588 
32,118 
32,051 
29,641 
Any 
46,546 
54,711 
39,408 
47,362 
37,919 
41,278 
47,085 
47,387 
200 days or more 
27,947 
30,510 
26,037 
30,644 
24,012 
26,681 
30,948 
31,587 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
42,469 
40,910 
49,132 
43,783 
39,267 
40,215 
41,906 
40,633 
Other 
35,388 
40,123 
30,499 
44,208 
34,859 
37,454 
41,311 
41,830 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
60.1 
58.4 
56.8 
55.7 
56.5 
55.2 
53.6 
51.8 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
35,455,667 
26,962,641 
20,527,198 
17,085,533 
16,817,253 
13,804,983 
10,917,593 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
1,254,286 
1,264,818 
949,697 
774,047 
759,223 
935,152 
776,540 
855,311 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
6,069,374 
4,274,263 
2,494,806 
2,616,926 
2,588,982 
2,108,719 
1,707,608 
1,721,393 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
1,806,062 
1,314,175 
834,536 
757,065 
746,325 
568,772 
427,924 
427,823 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
1,552,328 
1,124,340 
610,228 
500,700 
488,226 
414,984 
332,166 
449,759 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
5,877,973 
5,015,513 
4,317,078 
3,435,777 
3,392,577 
2,922,390 
2,385,242 
1,819,323 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
1,217,781 
1,099,536 
930,722 
978,929 
958,431 
738,910 
697,449 
938,913 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
2,190,674 
1,369,132 
1,102,974 
970,316 
957,006 
694,549 
544,779 
468,604 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
16,764 
16,638 
17,379 
21,522 
17,335 
19,097 
22,119 
26,579 
number 
5,370,531 
5,498,025 
5,234,177 
5,121,933 
4,968,679 
4,702,114 
4,570,667 
4,612,967 
Beef cows 
farms 
10,925 
11,827 
12,497 
15,172 
12,158 
13,105 
14,966 
17,199 
number 
583,594 
662,423 
735,045 
959,772 
890,805 
862,971 
906,006 
952,164 
Milk cows 
farms 
1,931 
2,165 
2,793 
2,922 
2,650 
3,124 
3,631 
4,638 
number 
1,815,655 
1,840,730 
1,644,692 
1,406,884 
1,403,217 
1,249,038 
1,070,366 
946,201 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
12,594 
12,681 
12,897 
19,134 
16,007 
17,205 
20,486 
22,947 
number 
3,671,078 
3,553,530 
3,157,013 
3,191,996 
3,107,562 
2,993,538 
3,097,084 
3,338,619 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
1,437 
1,389 
1,521 
2,351 
1,593 
2,221 
2,699 
4,800 
number 
111,893 
153,983 
163,465 
221,174 
212,088 
258,130 
150,931 
184,577 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
1,163 
1,267 
1,513 
1,638 
1,193 
1,761 
2,297 
3,769 
number 
290,488 
296,378 
308,769 
396,891 
373,352 
481,270 
303,406 
281,733 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
California 7 
