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 
52,194 
56,014 
53,315 
53,519 
46,027 
46,562 
51,172 
58,661 
Land in farms 
acres 
9,948,564 
10,031,807 
10,142,958 
10,443,935 
9,872,812 
10,088,170 
10,316,861 
10,942,172 
Average size of farm 
acres 
191 
179 
190 
195 
215 
217 
202 
187 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
766,148 
610,556 
509,299 
335,580 
358,166 
247,370 
196,065 
228,238 
Average per acre 
dollars 
4,020 
3,409 
2,667 
1,704 
1,671 
1,131 
971 
1,223 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
6,395,233 
5,082,342 
3,761,334 
3,318,370 
3,055,199 
2,558,206 
2,347,585 
2,676,343 
Average per farm 
dollars 
122,533 
90,742 
73,910 
62,011 
66,361 
55,028 
45,954 
45,711 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
4,162 
4,219 
3,235 
3,375 
2,611 
2,562 
2,866 
2,714 
1 0 to 49 acres 
18,764 
20,726 
18,663 
15,243 
12,075 
11,148 
12,174 
14,300 
50 to 1 79 acres 
17,634 
19,206 
18,605 
20,322 
17,439 
17,449 
19,779 
23,336 
180 to 499 acres 
7,040 
7,275 
7,993 
9,606 
8,989 
10,289 
1 1 ,329 
13,539 
500 to 999 acres 
2,574 
2,619 
2,856 
3,245 
3,201 
3,576 
3,667 
3,672 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
1,417 
1,424 
1,468 
1,354 
1,338 
1,234 
1,134 
924 
2,000 acres or more 
603 
545 
495 
374 
374 
304 
223 
176 
Total cropland 
farms 
44,668 
48,592 
47,904 
49,199 
43,017 
44,320 
48,653 
56,321 
acres 
7,669,071 
7,803,643 
7,983,574 
8,273,748 
7,891,802 
8,156,388 
8,181,320 
8,458,021 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
37,479 
37,868 
38,244 
42,704 
37,941 
41,334 
46,017 
53,738 
acres 
7,057,978 
6,859,081 
6,827,903 
6,989,300 
6,724,480 
6,584,251 
6,172,468 
7,255,909 
Irrigated land 
farms 
5,025 
5,078 
4,413 
4,123 
3,752 
3,823 
3,755 
3,179 
acres 
592,243 
500,428 
456,278 
407,071 
393,485 
366,465 
314,953 
285,983 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
8,678,050 
5,753,219 
3,772,435 
3,694,670 
3,567,825 
3,028,547 
2,545,078 
2,588,317 
Average per farm 
dollars 
166,265 
102,710 
70,757 
69,035 
77,516 
65,043 
49,736 
44,123 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
5,506,437 
3,329,928 
2,362,628 
2,314,487 
2,199,721 
1,671,563 
1,272,802 
1,364,665 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
3,171,614 
2,423,291 
1,409,807 
1,380,183 
1,368,104 
1,356,984 
1,272,276 
1,223,652 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
20,331 
24,150 
23,291 
16,794 
12,557 
10,923 
12,670 
13,718 
$2,500 to $4,999 
4,303 
5,229 
4,749 
5,863 
5,049 
5,579 
6,774 
7,751 
$5,000 to $9,999 
4,609 
5,292 
5,107 
6,610 
5,800 
6,387 
7,548 
8,741 
$10,000 to $24,999 
5,946 
6,094 
6,429 
8,066 
7,213 
7,752 
8,460 
10,335 
$25,000 to $49,999 
3,986 
3,941 
4,019 
4,843 
4,472 
4,683 
5,002 
6,143 
$50,000 to $99,999 
3,623 
3,342 
3,229 
3,837 
3,663 
4,163 
4,322 
5,334 
$100,000 to $499,999 
5,914 
5,546 
5,038 
6,151 
5,962 
6,156 
5,808 
6,140 
$500,000 or more 
3,482 
2,420 
1,453 
1,355 
1,311 
919 
588 
480 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
45,174 
48,687 
48,070 
47,103 
40,190 
40,654 
45,166 
52,022 
Partnership 
3,470 
4,260 
3,172 
4,121 
3,778 
4,316 
4,662 
5,495 
Corporation 
2,662 
2,494 
1,817 
2,035 
1,834 
1,431 
1,167 
947 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
888 
573 
256 
260 
225 
161 
177 
197 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
21,550 
20,533 
23,109 
19,790 
17,964 
18,547 
19,384 
21,350 
Any 
30,644 
35,481 
30,206 
31,304 
25,906 
25,462 
29,155 
33,579 
200 days or more 
20,205 
22,413 
22,347 
22,835 
18,568 
17,984 
20,818 
23,181 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
25,285 
24,795 
29,071 
24,133 
22,043 
24,396 
26,112 
30,107 
Other 
26,909 
31,219 
24,244 
29,386 
23,984 
22,166 
25,060 
28,554 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
57.6 
56.3 
54.2 
52.8 
53.3 
51.9 
50.9 
49.5 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
6,942,117 
4,786,767 
3,333,716 
2,975,925 
2,835,658 
2,583,189 
2,211,823 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
326,573 
308,543 
196,578 
182,079 
175,474 
205,867 
190,386 
170,034 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
1,240,433 
740,126 
390,264 
422,966 
414,770 
333,497 
273,192 
254,964 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
785,135 
453,795 
241,158 
255,435 
244,613 
218,185 
194,526 
242,091 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
397,260 
300,854 
145,503 
150,939 
142,449 
141,653 
120,621 
181,320 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
744,744 
606,717 
469,731 
389,932 
369,145 
318,276 
242,445 
186,312 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
293,485 
261,676 
211,406 
201,024 
189,849 
181,417 
197,966 
273,637 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
362,470 
229,101 
181,198 
192,051 
182,494 
149,282 
119,993 
114,159 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
13,626 
14,454 
14,495 
18,130 
15,468 
17,031 
19,436 
25,657 
number 
1,130,477 
1,048,206 
998,204 
1,051,130 
1,025,702 
1,113,604 
1,163,352 
1,345,793 
Beef cows 
farms 
8,016 
7,848 
8,144 
9,062 
7,566 
7,548 
8,163 
10,810 
number 
108,126 
109,500 
117,564 
125,630 
116,399 
116,106 
110,156 
140,969 
Milk cows 
farms 
2,409 
2,647 
3,013 
4,226 
3,990 
5,198 
6,499 
9,142 
number 
376,255 
344,233 
298,429 
301,568 
300,641 
316,954 
344,550 
398,211 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
10,677 
11,631 
1 1 ,293 
16,330 
14,293 
15,780 
18,164 
22,849 
number 
681,128 
603,609 
516,107 
554,154 
537,681 
594,685 
653,806 
642,060 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
2,198 
2,691 
2,180 
3,316 
2,853 
4,774 
5,577 
7,433 
number 
1,099,478 
1,032,054 
927,400 
1,024,236 
1,032,014 
1,231,641 
1,227,069 
1,064,073 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
2,150 
2,930 
2,336 
3,029 
2,690 
4,770 
5,603 
7,194 
number 
3,598,475 
3,316,183 
2,789,197 
2,195,553 
2,206,940 
2,300,151 
2,215,872 
1,734,236 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Michigan 7 
