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 
47,740 
47,463 
44,081 
45,808 
34,799 
35,204 
36,556 
36,352 
Land in farms 
acres 
9,548,342 
9,231,570 
10,414,877 
10,659,777 
10,454,217 
10,766,077 
11,194,090 
12,814,216 
Average size of farm 
acres 
200 
195 
236 
233 
300 
306 
306 
353 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
1,040,259 
1,096,718 
665,376 
540,572 
662,538 
619,265 
543,830 
552,586 
Average per acre 
dollars 
5,201 
5,639 
2,836 
2,344 
2,241 
2,037 
1,790 
1,576 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
2,904,423 
2,591,541 
1,723,447 
1,613,796 
1,421,654 
1,414,554 
1,243,530 
1,084,678 
Average per farm 
dollars 
60,845 
54,604 
39,884 
35,239 
40,869 
40,898 
34,799 
30,895 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
11,742 
12,184 
10,267 
10,622 
7,394 
7,664 
7,300 
6,790 
1 0 to 49 acres 
21,013 
20,680 
18,360 
18,680 
12,750 
12,692 
13,346 
12,981 
50 to 1 79 acres 
8,764 
8,543 
8,776 
9,804 
7,932 
7,738 
8,379 
8,711 
1 80 to 499 acres 
3,528 
3,461 
3,684 
3,785 
3,687 
4,011 
4,255 
4,409 
500 to 999 acres 
1,259 
1,225 
1,330 
1,324 
1,390 
1,451 
1,598 
1,660 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
661 
653 
822 
749 
802 
776 
789 
828 
2,000 acres or more 
773 
717 
842 
844 
844 
872 
889 
973 
Total cropland 
farms 
24,544 
26,555 
27,348 
30,792 
27,141 
28,702 
29,386 
30,565 
acres 
2,744,064 
2,953,340 
3,715,257 
3,610,304 
3,639,850 
3,841,505 
3,790,599 
4,093,583 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
21,011 
20,486 
20,495 
23,520 
21,017 
22,556 
22,677 
24,396 
acres 
2,184,485 
2,112,129 
2,313,537 
2,434,379 
2,435,702 
2,400,704 
2,240,831 
2,643,147 
Irrigated land 
farms 
1 1 ,744 
12,868 
13,456 
14,573 
12,673 
13,500 
11,981 
10,550 
acres 
1,493,320 
1,552,118 
1,815,174 
1 ,873,823 
1,862,404 
1,782,680 
1,622,750 
1,585,080 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
7,701,532 
7,785,228 
6,242,272 
6,137,802 
6,004,554 
5,266,033 
4,351,383 
3,522,103 
Average per farm 
dollars 
161,322 
164,027 
141,609 
133,990 
172,550 
149,586 
119,033 
96,889 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
5,969,399 
6,256,228 
5,041,433 
4,853,417 
4,817,261 
4,197,420 
3,317,823 
2,518,959 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
1,732,133 
1,529,000 
1,200,839 
1,284,385 
1,187,292 
1,068,613 
1,033,560 
1,003,144 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
21,263 
21,529 
19,114 
19,006 
11,530 
1 1 ,790 
12,551 
12,287 
$2,500 to $4,999 
4,980 
4,839 
4,544 
5,607 
4,405 
4,318 
4,868 
4,824 
$5,000 to $9,999 
5,125 
4,668 
4,285 
5,131 
4,122 
4,151 
4,470 
4,449 
$10,000 to $24,999 
5,686 
5,404 
5,240 
5,286 
4,572 
4,674 
4,765 
4,797 
$25,000 to $49,999 
2,998 
3,355 
3,305 
3,049 
2,805 
2,901 
2,833 
2,934 
$50,000 to $99,999 
2,464 
2,435 
2,486 
2,349 
2,188 
2,262 
2,273 
2,354 
$100,000 to $499,999 
3,199 
3,166 
3,239 
3,395 
3,249 
3,443 
3,341 
3,399 
$500,000 or more 
2,025 
2,067 
1,868 
1,985 
1,928 
1,665 
1,455 
1,270 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
38,140 
39,792 
37,119 
37,138 
27,173 
27,243 
28,943 
29,556 
Partnership 
2,576 
2,417 
2,429 
3,212 
2,716 
3,233 
3,289 
3,195 
Corporation 
6,155 
4,693 
4,076 
4,989 
4,516 
4,325 
3,961 
3,255 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
869 
561 
457 
469 
394 
403 
363 
346 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
19,233 
16,063 
22,094 
17,389 
14,054 
14,150 
13,494 
12,617 
Any 
28,507 
31,400 
21,987 
25,383 
18,337 
18,791 
21,196 
21,034 
200 days or more 
17,335 
18,743 
16,103 
18,497 
13,152 
13,330 
15,349 
15,536 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
22,902 
20,904 
22,998 
19,207 
15,782 
16,557 
15,821 
15,610 
Other 
24,838 
26,559 
21,083 
26,601 
19,017 
18,647 
20,735 
20,742 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
59.8 
58.4 
57.0 
56.3 
56.5 
55.3 
53.7 
52.5 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
6,484,515 
5,762,883 
4,734,590 
4,553,217 
4,384,423 
4,082,659 
3,200,405 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
163,843 
175,186 
147,080 
160,467 
145,770 
131,497 
148,405 
165,018 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
750,800 
547,947 
410,603 
501,971 
446,861 
382,945 
336,690 
349,630 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
546,306 
439,145 
289,115 
352,800 
347,559 
283,424 
209,617 
217,332 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
325,053 
266,387 
146,528 
138,244 
131,636 
128,168 
104,591 
135,063 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
1,276,025 
1,208,631 
1,157,569 
944,561 
925,607 
937,571 
721,540 
480,444 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
225,460 
203,987 
163,345 
247,091 
237,536 
219,234 
191,913 
198,515 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
564,650 
376,699 
321,442 
355,836 
350,556 
320,675 
227,063 
165,343 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
21,255 
21,011 
19,182 
23,007 
15,849 
15,522 
17,321 
17,822 
number 
1,675,323 
1,711,011 
1,738,874 
1,858,255 
1,808,900 
1,783,968 
1,879,124 
2,178,552 
Beef cows 
farms 
18,433 
16,694 
15,717 
18,945 
13,600 
13,423 
14,672 
14,839 
number 
982,790 
942,419 
982,404 
1,012,614 
1,003,072 
962,527 
995,250 
1,098,152 
Milk cows 
farms 
425 
422 
923 
952 
666 
877 
1,073 
1,385 
number 
123,220 
119,856 
144,843 
160,818 
159,614 
171,675 
176,993 
194,550 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
13,971 
14,146 
14,149 
19,974 
14,600 
14,127 
16,071 
16,075 
number 
860,429 
843,641 
847,869 
895,794 
869,219 
897,455 
1,025,178 
1,108,300 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
1,642 
1,906 
1,471 
2,352 
1,431 
1,926 
2,487 
3,602 
number 
14,915 
19,937 
33,479 
62,967 
50,309 
114,899 
156,137 
203,231 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
1,104 
1,326 
1,090 
1,467 
971 
1,551 
2,103 
3,105 
number 
19,006 
25,398 
50,533 
114,147 
96,512 
200,375 
266,652 
328,150 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Florida 7 
