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 
4,391 
4,166 
3,363 
3,928 
2,937 
2,445 
2,515 
2,757 
Land in farms 
acres 
474,065 
471,911 
444,879 
463,383 
415,031 
385,832 
426,237 
469,582 
Average size of farm 
acres 
108 
113 
132 
118 
141 
158 
169 
170 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
449,848 
558,385 
400,943 
295,677 
323,523 
342,607 
358,279 
201,171 
Average per acre 
dollars 
4,167 
4,929 
3,131 
2,448 
2,250 
2,256 
2,112 
1,174 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment ' 
....$1,000 
247,765 
243,349 
137,603 
135,607 
110,872 
83,960 
85,168 
77,239 
Average per farm 
dollars 
56,439 
58,413 
40,868 
34,541 
37,957 
34,566 
33,905 
28,005 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
953 
754 
507 
656 
425 
308 
255 
254 
1 0 to 49 acres 
1,482 
1,405 
1,035 
1,160 
784 
619 
567 
600 
50 to 1 79 acres 
1,292 
1,304 
1,138 
1,351 
1,005 
844 
919 
1,039 
1 80 to 499 acres 
512 
546 
509 
613 
571 
511 
583 
663 
500 to 999 acres 
115 
119 
134 
116 
120 
133 
160 
169 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
21 
26 
22 
25 
25 
27 
29 
29 
2,000 acres or more 
16 
12 
18 
7 
7 
3 
2 
3 
Total cropland 
farms 
2,606 
2,929 
2,505 
3,154 
2,489 
2,242 
2,255 
2,493 
acres 
98,268 
128,938 
129,388 
147,694 
132,619 
135,437 
147,719 
154,926 
Flarvested cropland 
farms 
2,416 
2,494 
2,043 
2,817 
2,256 
2,039 
2,044 
2,282 
acres 
87,382 
99,520 
95,983 
1 1 1 ,870 
101,753 
100,746 
106,629 
116,613 
Irrigated land 
farms 
686 
505 
451 
506 
429 
308 
253 
176 
acres 
2,630 
2,482 
2,292 
2,838 
2,691 
1,746 
2,948 
1,307 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
190,907 
199,051 
144,835 
155,698 
149,467 
114,070 
107,102 
102,520 
Average per farm 
dollars 
43,477 
47,780 
43,067 
39,638 
50,891 
46,654 
42,585 
37,185 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
100,714 
106,467 
83,149 
78,033 
73,728 
45,724 
35,327 
26,207 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
90,193 
92,584 
61,686 
77,665 
75,739 
68,346 
71,775 
76,312 
Farms by value of sales 
Less than $2,500 
2,115 
2,068 
1,757 
1,789 
1,121 
928 
1,020 
1,133 
$2,500 to $4,999 
593 
466 
382 
613 
460 
343 
371 
430 
$5,000 to $9,999 
516 
469 
344 
447 
388 
325 
320 
276 
$10,000 to $24,999 
494 
466 
303 
420 
363 
288 
234 
253 
$25,000 to $49,999 
253 
263 
194 
218 
187 
152 
131 
178 
$50,000 to $99,999 
156 
148 
130 
156 
143 
143 
175 
210 
$100,000 to $499,999 
204 
221 
205 
240 
230 
234 
238 
242 
$500,000 or more 
60 
65 
48 
45 
45 
32 
26 
23 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
3,701 
3,551 
2,917 
3,445 
2,547 
2,136 
2,234 
2,457 
Partnership 
320 
299 
206 
219 
179 
147 
140 
188 
Corporation 
243 
220 
157 
204 
160 
133 
112 
85 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
127 
96 
83 
60 
51 
29 
29 
27 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 
None 
1,572 
1,257 
1,380 
1,283 
1,028 
927 
857 
929 
Any 
2,819 
2,909 
1,983 
2,515 
1,807 
1,420 
1,539 
1,655 
200 days or more 
1,664 
1,706 
1,299 
1,657 
1,152 
848 
959 
1,035 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
2,107 
1,930 
1,636 
1,580 
1,260 
1,204 
1,153 
1,301 
Other 
2,284 
2,236 
1,727 
2,348 
1,677 
1,241 
1,362 
1,456 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
57.8 
56.2 
54.1 
53.6 
54.3 
53.4 
51.9 
50.9 
Total farm production 
expenses ' 
....$1,000 
231,196 
195,791 
145,342 
136,126 
126,098 
95,755 
91,948 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
3,874 
4,470 
1,638 
3,393 
3,031 
2,968 
3,647 
4,013 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
44,756 
30,644 
20,933 
22,974 
22,257 
18,649 
19,529 
25,619 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased ® 
....$1,000 
5,459 
4,627 
2,797 
3,039 
2,931 
2,868 
2,834 
2,767 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
13,389 
13,170 
5,663 
5,729 
5,148 
4,171 
3,979 
5,910 
Flired farm labor 
....$1,000 
53,786 
36,176 
32,013 
31,343 
30,438 
21,601 
18,040 
13,626 
Interest expense ® 
....$1,000 
1 1 ,064 
8,718 
5,468 
6,936 
6,115 
5,177 
5,612 
5,685 
Chemicals purchased 
....$1,000 
3,084 
2,367 
2,043 
1,729 
1,717 
1,528 
1,499 
1,350 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
1,091 
1,027 
852 
1,289 
953 
956 
1,148 
1,515 
number 
33,392 
36,880 
39,912 
47,159 
45,115 
48,419 
54,012 
69,006 
Beef cows 
farms 
683 
642 
527 
754 
540 
494 
587 
713 
number 
4,075 
4,981 
4,473 
4,959 
4,206 
3,727 
4,229 
4,526 
Milk cows 
farms 
251 
225 
255 
392 
329 
389 
518 
785 
number 
13,474 
14,611 
17,467 
19,713 
19,563 
21,659 
25,110 
30,984 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
606 
599 
526 
913 
760 
766 
969 
1,242 
number 
12,784 
12,350 
13,927 
16,953 
16,053 
20,138 
24,611 
29,408 
Flogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
359 
266 
208 
355 
249 
289 
264 
443 
number 
3,287 
2,792 
2,718 
5,843 
4,373 
4,458 
5,040 
6,339 
Flogs and pigs sold 
farms 
343 
298 
212 
202 
137 
173 
180 
278 
number 
6,990 
4,901 
4,227 
15,287 
13,454 
9,063 
6,610 
9,402 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
New Hampshire 7 
