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 
2,451 
2,546 
2,391 
2,671 
2,460 
2,633 
2,966 
3,338 
Land in farms 
acres 
508,652 
510,253 
540,080 
589,107 
579,545 
589,189 
608,245 
655,465 
Average size of farm 
acres 
208 
200 
226 
221 
236 
224 
205 
196 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings ^ 
Average per farm 
dollars 
1,694,584 
2,073,605 
980,323 
576,420 
609,974 
514,156 
369,751 
364,843 
Average per acre 
dollars 
8,166 
10,347 
4,054 
2,687 
2,660 
2,246 
1,765 
1,829 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment ' 
....$1,000 
395,981 
304,801 
271 ,874 
195,342 
187,259 
177,139 
158,043 
153,587 
Average per farm 
dollars 
161,559 
119,718 
113,755 
73,162 
76,183 
67,843 
53,447 
46,012 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
452 
651 
456 
460 
399 
421 
514 
503 
1 0 to 49 acres 
933 
802 
794 
880 
772 
797 
867 
905 
50 to 1 79 acres 
543 
568 
562 
677 
638 
725 
788 
1,012 
1 80 to 499 acres 
283 
280 
316 
359 
359 
398 
481 
591 
500 to 999 acres 
92 
99 
122 
156 
155 
161 
188 
211 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
90 
99 
89 
93 
91 
89 
100 
90 
2,000 acres or more 
58 
47 
52 
46 
46 
42 
28 
26 
Total cropland 
farms 
1,658 
1,989 
1,826 
2,093 
1,981 
2,162 
2,397 
2,843 
acres 
439,157 
432,773 
457,201 
491,489 
486,981 
495,156 
501,290 
521,104 
Flarvested cropland 
farms 
1,448 
1,615 
1,548 
1,901 
1,810 
1,956 
2,172 
2,700 
acres 
421,321 
409,468 
433,105 
469,920 
466,555 
470,348 
441,502 
499,986 
Irrigated land 
farms 
533 
560 
439 
430 
415 
352 
384 
323 
acres 
127,272 
104,562 
97,167 
75,024 
72,635 
61,774 
60,812 
44,168 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
1,274,014 
1,083,035 
618,853 
767,254 
690,794 
559,766 
443,575 
370,562 
Average per farm 
dollars 
519,794 
425,387 
258,826 
287,253 
280,811 
212,596 
149,553 
111,013 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
429,039 
210,635 
150,404 
176,356 
174,845 
142,963 
96,118 
110,276 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
844,975 
872,400 
468,449 
590,898 
515,949 
416,802 
347,456 
260,286 
Farms by value of sales 
Less than $2,500 
585 
683 
607 
459 
375 
392 
540 
548 
$2,500 to $4,999 
137 
201 
141 
195 
173 
213 
270 
304 
$5,000 to $9,999 
145 
159 
133 
208 
195 
252 
297 
306 
$10,000 to $24,999 
240 
272 
159 
278 
262 
301 
280 
479 
$25,000 to $49,999 
188 
127 
147 
198 
200 
202 
214 
333 
$50,000 to $99,999 
135 
115 
180 
178 
177 
182 
257 
346 
$100,000 to $499,999 
278 
281 
694 
634 
623 
818 
952 
904 
$500,000 or more 
743 
708 
330 
521 
455 
273 
156 
118 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
1,917 
2,006 
2,015 
2,176 
1,995 
2,226 
2,553 
2,830 
Partnership 
161 
210 
136 
216 
207 
213 
216 
302 
Corporation 
317 
282 
212 
254 
236 
181 
181 
190 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
56 
48 
28 
25 
22 
13 
16 
16 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 
None 
1,366 
1,126 
1,296 
1,235 
1,149 
1,153 
1,263 
1,367 
Any 
1,085 
1,420 
1,095 
1,209 
1,097 
1,287 
1,426 
1,629 
200 days or more 
756 
918 
690 
821 
744 
849 
955 
1,129 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
1,565 
1,504 
1,659 
1,601 
1,497 
1,578 
1,774 
1,956 
Other 
886 
1,042 
732 
1,070 
963 
1,055 
1,192 
1,382 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
58.4 
55.4 
54.8 
53.4 
54.0 
52.7 
51.5 
50.6 
Total farm production 
expenses ' 
....$1,000 
981,803 
823,103 
471,674 
686,028 
620,297 
448,199 
377,102 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
94,265 
102,328 
55,182 
70,407 
63,980 
64,080 
53,522 
37,202 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
503,159 
416,368 
207,528 
415,739 
363,258 
189,867 
187,183 
140,508 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased ® 
....$1,000 
52,806 
35,665 
23,780 
20,606 
20,537 
19,838 
15,802 
19,993 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
30,861 
20,685 
21,131 
12,974 
12,659 
10,367 
8,787 
13,435 
Flired farm labor 
....$1,000 
50,307 
36,460 
31,579 
30,819 
30,207 
23,911 
22,788 
17,893 
Interest expense ® 
....$1,000 
18,464 
14,590 
14,025 
19,115 
17,866 
16,664 
14,872 
16,948 
Chemicals purchased 
....$1,000 
32,280 
23,147 
15,174 
16,447 
16,274 
15,272 
11,197 
10,868 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
431 
399 
371 
484 
434 
411 
461 
660 
number 
18,225 
20,994 
22,027 
28,119 
27,968 
28,838 
31,191 
33,360 
Beef cows 
farms 
296 
253 
230 
251 
224 
204 
216 
311 
number 
3,833 
3,668 
3,537 
3,658 
3,685 
2,856 
2,187 
5,129 
Milk cows 
farms 
77 
83 
96 
144 
132 
137 
169 
248 
number 
4,512 
6,526 
8,948 
9,312 
9,241 
8,659 
9,354 
9,956 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
293 
307 
276 
404 
370 
337 
376 
521 
number 
10,481 
11,219 
8,212 
18,311 
18,179 
22,655 
26,934 
26,224 
Flogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
59 
77 
84 
147 
132 
205 
301 
421 
number 
5,891 
8,955 
1 1 ,775 
33,642 
33,355 
58,913 
49,714 
54,411 
Flogs and pigs sold 
farms 
60 
84 
86 
125 
115 
195 
310 
413 
number 
23,422 
49,898 
68,934 
60,553 
60,245 
118,100 
109,600 
101,972 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Delaware 7 
