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 
12,256 
12,834 
12,198 
13,254 
12,084 
13,037 
14,776 
16,183 
Land in farms 
acres 
2,030,745 
2,051,756 
2,077,630 
2,193,063 
2,154,875 
2,223,476 
2,396,629 
2,557,728 
Average size of farm 
acres 
166 
160 
170 
165 
178 
171 
162 
158 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
1,148,268 
1,124,529 
694,061 
537,600 
563,605 
503,828 
366,788 
332,301 
Average per acre 
dollars 
6,930 
7,034 
4,084 
3,247 
3,176 
2,911 
2,261 
2,121 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
1,420,216 
1,268,194 
870,708 
759,208 
728,486 
657,587 
657,693 
660,519 
Average per farm 
dollars 
115,879 
98,823 
74,528 
57,316 
60,176 
50,564 
44,656 
40,853 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
1,481 
1,554 
1,418 
1,630 
1,407 
1,560 
1,838 
2,015 
1 0 to 49 acres 
4,554 
4,589 
4,412 
4,500 
3,828 
3,979 
4,400 
4,822 
50 to 1 79 acres 
3,695 
4,067 
3,583 
4,121 
3,825 
4,254 
4,885 
5,263 
1 80 to 499 acres 
1,594 
1,719 
1,836 
2,022 
2,038 
2,252 
2,591 
2,978 
500 to 999 acres 
553 
539 
562 
609 
617 
641 
712 
789 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
265 
255 
277 
276 
274 
266 
284 
252 
2,000 acres or more 
114 
111 
110 
96 
95 
85 
66 
64 
Total cropland 
farms 
9,278 
10,235 
10,188 
11,487 
10,702 
11,605 
13,200 
14,719 
acres 
1,396,144 
1,405,442 
1,487,218 
1,617,860 
1,613,497 
1,663,907 
1,744,891 
1,799,220 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
7,530 
8,278 
8,335 
10,027 
9,474 
10,447 
11,960 
13,672 
acres 
1,280,965 
1,246,603 
1,282,004 
1,377,747 
1,382,035 
1,397,069 
1,346,913 
1,528,994 
Irrigated land 
farms 
1,220 
1,326 
1,265 
1,198 
1,154 
1,063 
1,074 
845 
acres 
104,910 
92,805 
80,828 
68,663 
68,588 
56,913 
50,762 
38,556 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
2,271,397 
1,835,090 
1,293,303 
1,371,374 
1,312,086 
1,169,331 
989,061 
1,029,244 
Average per farm 
dollars 
185,329 
142,987 
106,026 
103,469 
108,580 
89,693 
66,937 
63,600 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
1,050,557 
629,303 
450,202 
456,523 
458,719 
388,143 
253,056 
339,430 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
1,220,840 
1,205,787 
843,101 
914,851 
853,367 
781,188 
736,006 
689,815 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
4,798 
4,985 
5,116 
3,933 
3,097 
3,165 
4,165 
3,891 
$2,500 to $4,999 
966 
1,248 
1,199 
1,517 
1,365 
1,642 
1,948 
2,123 
$5,000 to $9,999 
1,207 
1,272 
1,067 
1,645 
1,551 
1,698 
1,881 
2,044 
$10,000 to $24,999 
1,226 
1,469 
1,319 
1,776 
1,668 
1,822 
2,012 
2,388 
$25,000 to $49,999 
993 
910 
728 
908 
952 
1,096 
1,100 
1,451 
$50,000 to $99,999 
545 
691 
670 
829 
854 
904 
1,084 
1,504 
$100,000 to $499,999 
1,306 
1,289 
1,444 
1,931 
1,944 
2,229 
2,306 
2,525 
$500,000 or more 
1,215 
970 
655 
715 
653 
481 
280 
239 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
10,132 
10,609 
10,577 
11,308 
10,229 
11,129 
12,738 
14,040 
Partnership 
931 
1,038 
763 
1,039 
994 
1,114 
1,323 
1,544 
Corporation 
975 
977 
726 
812 
771 
709 
619 
519 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
218 
210 
132 
95 
90 
85 
96 
80 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
4,860 
4,548 
5,861 
5,160 
4,873 
5,440 
5,766 
6,255 
Any 
7,396 
8,286 
6,337 
7,217 
6,362 
6,745 
7,985 
8,682 
200 days or more 
4,917 
5,052 
4,334 
4,962 
4,317 
4,563 
5,504 
5,875 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
5,996 
6,269 
6,977 
6,523 
6,235 
6,980 
7,882 
8,740 
Other 
6,260 
6,565 
5,221 
6,731 
5,849 
6,057 
6,894 
7,443 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
59.0 
57.3 
55.9 
54.9 
55.2 
53.9 
52.7 
51.5 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
1,940,277 
1,546,646 
1,127,590 
1,192,138 
1,123,200 
974,511 
851,440 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
161,816 
171,246 
96,056 
137,064 
129,432 
126,429 
102,147 
98,291 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
629,143 
456,411 
318,290 
481,092 
435,279 
299,426 
300,284 
275,819 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
144,207 
98,320 
55,169 
58,894 
58,488 
59,352 
50,516 
72,146 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
86,919 
67,511 
43,006 
34,819 
33,726 
33,278 
30,365 
45,329 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
179,692 
151,232 
127,779 
105,720 
102,425 
93,631 
81,230 
68,545 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
76,066 
64,323 
50,924 
47,676 
45,896 
42,938 
40,272 
58,509 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
78,148 
50,845 
33,887 
38,829 
38,516 
34,930 
26,447 
27,401 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
3,499 
3,695 
3,990 
4,885 
4,444 
4,978 
5,780 
7,002 
number 
194,524 
190,504 
240,918 
258,831 
261,324 
283,167 
308,052 
355,418 
Beef cows 
farms 
2,403 
2,526 
2,684 
3,012 
2,726 
2,921 
3,185 
3,736 
number 
39,188 
44,015 
55,754 
50,514 
50,619 
51,676 
48,454 
52,151 
Milk cows 
farms 
573 
663 
825 
1,116 
1,091 
1,329 
1,694 
2,218 
number 
50,923 
57,172 
72,764 
83,780 
84,953 
94,751 
110,463 
128,183 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
2,663 
2,947 
3,004 
4,410 
4,111 
4,545 
5,368 
6,245 
number 
89,755 
90,130 
104,109 
135,790 
136,747 
133,633 
154,540 
164,982 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
333 
412 
355 
625 
584 
910 
1,322 
1,861 
number 
19,869 
(D) 
(D) 
82,741 
80,850 
145,519 
197,214 
179,149 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
340 
454 
379 
518 
495 
843 
1,265 
1,625 
number 
(D) 
123,734 
137,357 
152,926 
149,472 
289,149 
372,470 
335,333 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Maryland 7 
