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 
36,180 
37,054 
31,369 
30,197 
28,268 
27,152 
27,284 
27,111 
Land in farms 
acres 
31,886,676 
31,604,911 
31,093,336 
32,349,832 
32,634,221 
33,983,029 
34,048,433 
33,537,998 
Average size of farm 
acres 
881 
853 
991 
1,071 
1,154 
1,252 
1,248 
1,237 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
1,128,277 
892,170 
757,613 
671,446 
707,165 
536,510 
458,906 
562,479 
Average per acre 
dollars 
1,280 
1,046 
756 
629 
618 
426 
369 
454 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
3,953,022 
3,680,884 
2,585,783 
2,079,906 
2,019,029 
1,485,320 
1,347,073 
1,390,665 
Average per farm 
dollars 
110,134 
99,344 
87,871 
68,937 
71,417 
54,868 
49,534 
51,457 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
4,251 
4,276 
2,813 
3,046 
2,502 
2,424 
2,725 
2,677 
1 0 to 49 acres 
10,008 
9,359 
7,475 
6,253 
5,516 
4,867 
4,352 
4,278 
50 to 1 79 acres 
8,187 
8,476 
6,956 
6,253 
5,748 
5,371 
5,111 
5,162 
1 80 to 499 acres 
4,939 
5,501 
5,015 
5,065 
4,833 
4,594 
4,862 
4,896 
500 to 999 acres 
2,930 
3,185 
2,998 
3,105 
3,030 
3,188 
3,355 
3,337 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
2,263 
2,521 
2,492 
2,699 
2,731 
2,740 
2,918 
2,914 
2,000 acres or more 
3,602 
3,736 
3,620 
3,776 
3,908 
3,968 
3,961 
3,847 
Total cropland 
farms 
24,009 
24,938 
22,240 
22,772 
22,357 
21,882 
22,334 
22,421 
acres 
10,649,747 
11,483,936 
11,530,700 
10,787,080 
10,509,384 
10,933,484 
10,988,853 
10,552,383 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
17,379 
17,899 
14,655 
18,532 
18,406 
18,573 
19,446 
20,061 
acres 
5,182,628 
5,888,926 
4,346,955 
6,099,357 
5,896,984 
5,532,964 
5,522,216 
6,036,679 
Irrigated land 
farms 
15,547 
15,774 
13,623 
15,747 
15,470 
15,193 
14,913 
15,232 
acres 
2,516,785 
2,867,957 
2,590,654 
3,374,233 
3,430,129 
3,169,839 
3,013,773 
3,200,942 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
7,780,874 
6,061,134 
4,525,196 
4,553,732 
4,534,213 
4,115,552 
3,143,131 
2,940,897 
Average per farm 
dollars 
215,060 
163,576 
144,257 
150,801 
160,401 
151,575 
115,201 
108,476 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
2,434,583 
1,981,399 
1,216,278 
1,350,817 
1,326,944 
1,036,174 
781,934 
847,323 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
5,346,292 
4,079,735 
3,308,918 
3,202,915 
3,207,269 
3,079,378 
2,361,197 
2,093,574 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
16,597 
17,566 
13,016 
9,003 
7,328 
6,365 
6,607 
6,259 
$2,500 to $4,999 
2,889 
3,002 
2,979 
2,902 
2,849 
2,637 
2,582 
2,733 
$5,000 to $9,999 
3,065 
3,122 
2,967 
3,392 
3,220 
3,005 
3,008 
3,042 
$10,000 to $24,999 
3,525 
3,600 
3,778 
4,472 
4,427 
4,249 
4,245 
4,143 
$25,000 to $49,999 
2,368 
2,383 
2,520 
3,066 
3,060 
3,135 
3,316 
3,334 
$50,000 to $99,999 
2,103 
2,283 
2,179 
2,608 
2,620 
2,866 
3,117 
3,177 
$100,000 to $499,999 
3,808 
3,595 
2,931 
3,747 
3,774 
3,986 
3,721 
3,694 
$500,000 or more 
1,825 
1,503 
999 
1,007 
990 
909 
688 
681 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
29,367 
30,164 
27,280 
25,023 
23,281 
22,359 
22,586 
22,589 
Partnership 
3,228 
3,762 
2,109 
2,892 
2,789 
2,890 
2,994 
2,938 
Corporation 
2,522 
2,342 
1,629 
1,960 
1,886 
1,649 
1,469 
1,356 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
1,063 
786 
351 
322 
312 
254 
235 
228 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
13,721 
11,079 
13,568 
11,290 
10,933 
1 1 ,472 
11,315 
10,694 
Any 
22,459 
25,975 
17,801 
16,930 
15,459 
13,914 
14,202 
14,050 
200 days or more 
13,722 
14,712 
12,081 
10,751 
9,615 
8,353 
8,311 
8,396 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
17,962 
14,958 
18,331 
15,797 
15,399 
16,181 
16,504 
16,336 
Other 
18,218 
22,096 
13,038 
14,400 
12,869 
10,971 
10,780 
10,775 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
58.9 
57.0 
54.5 
53.5 
53.8 
52.9 
51.8 
50.4 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
6,910,512 
5,431,280 
4,412,593 
3,750,700 
3,725,343 
3,569,175 
2,700,407 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
1,885,482 
1,778,706 
1,662,797 
1,272,964 
1,271,336 
1,576,251 
1,084,325 
987,614 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
1,972,993 
1,221,367 
866,170 
862,564 
861,580 
643,202 
464,149 
497,587 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
311,338 
201,343 
115,405 
126,077 
124,307 
93,985 
72,666 
77,644 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
288,559 
252,730 
123,357 
123,726 
121,592 
115,815 
99,575 
134,797 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
471,562 
390,625 
367,016 
267,941 
263,603 
209,675 
172,070 
129,180 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
228,119 
229,425 
199,300 
182,829 
179,469 
165,509 
174,717 
267,692 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
182,467 
102,032 
64,906 
76,178 
74,701 
57,644 
45,925 
32,960 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
13,970 
14,685 
13,311 
15,957 
15,592 
14,797 
14,637 
16,127 
number 
2,630,082 
2,745,253 
2,656,351 
3,262,093 
3,307,301 
3,086,717 
2,946,334 
2,944,702 
Beef cows 
farms 
11,267 
11,627 
10,801 
12,369 
12,243 
11,596 
11,132 
11,950 
number 
683,291 
735,014 
720,400 
890,540 
918,891 
900,347 
830,216 
847,010 
Milk cows 
farms 
517 
449 
616 
820 
814 
1,162 
1,714 
2,735 
number 
130,736 
126,944 
98,587 
79,304 
79,617 
81,825 
76,285 
76,279 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
11,570 
1 1 ,963 
11,877 
15,324 
15,124 
14,439 
14,569 
15,288 
number 
3,211,467 
3,148,677 
3,625,015 
3,729,024 
3,751,788 
3,569,739 
3,476,740 
3,272,288 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
1,001 
1,171 
989 
1,335 
1,225 
1,643 
1,685 
2,518 
number 
727,301 
882,695 
783,467 
791,529 
787,440 
464,479 
258,725 
333,370 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
956 
1,230 
1,158 
1,119 
1,035 
1,558 
1,620 
2,315 
number 
2,784,645 
2,376,709 
2,933,721 
1,462,187 
1,452,164 
878,515 
460,359 
605,517 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Colorado 7 
