Table 70. Summary by Tenure of Principal Operator and by Operators on Farm: 2012 
[For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] 
Tenure of principal operator 
Operators on farm 
Item 
Total 
Full owners 
Part owners 
Tenants 
One operator 
More than one 
operator 
FARMS AND LAND IN FARMS 
Farms 
number 
50,218 
32,936 
14,221 
3,061 
30,657 
19,561 
percent 
100.0 
65.6 
28.3 
6.1 
61.0 
39.0 
Land in farms 
acres 
8,414,756 
2,883,916 
4,957,315 
573,525 
4,852,960 
3,561,796 
Average size of farm 
acres 
168 
88 
349 
187 
158 
182 
MARKET VALUE OF AGRICULTURAL 
PRODUCTS SOLD AND GOVERNMENT 
PAYMENTS 
Total 
farms 
50,218 
32,936 
14,221 
3,061 
30,657 
19,561 
$1,000 
12,708,271 
5,406,426 
6,592,931 
708,915 
6,686,256 
6,022,015 
Average per farm 
dollars 
253,062 
164,149 
463,605 
231,596 
218,099 
307,858 
Farms by economic class: 
Less than $1 ,000 (see text) 
10,924 
9,046 
1,391 
487 
6,159 
4,765 
$1,000 to $2,499 
6,743 
5,673 
829 
241 
4,169 
2,574 
$2,500 to $4,999 
6,606 
4,960 
1,325 
321 
4,119 
2,487 
$5,000 to $9,999 
6,687 
4,625 
1,758 
304 
4,216 
2,471 
$10,000 to $24,999 
5,840 
3,354 
2,029 
457 
3,727 
2,113 
$25,000 to $49,999 
2,985 
1,399 
1,305 
281 
1,954 
1,031 
$50,000 to $99,999 
2,008 
815 
975 
218 
1,319 
689 
$100,000 to $249,999 
1,862 
527 
1,045 
290 
1,208 
654 
$250,000 to $499,999 
1,459 
429 
872 
158 
971 
488 
$500,000 to $999,999 
1,527 
583 
835 
109 
917 
610 
$1 ,000,000 or more 
3,577 
1,525 
1,857 
195 
1,898 
1,679 
$1,000,000 to $2,499,999 
2,518 
1,076 
1,294 
148 
1,386 
1,132 
$2,500,000 to $4,999,999 
690 
305 
350 
35 
340 
350 
$5,000,000 or more 
369 
144 
213 
12 
172 
197 
Total sales 
farms 
50,218 
32,936 
14,221 
3,061 
30,657 
19,561 
$1,000 
12,588,142 
5,377,359 
6,513,789 
696,995 
6,612,983 
5,975,159 
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and 
dry peas 
farms 
9,685 
2,996 
5,619 
1,070 
6,665 
3,020 
$1,000 
1,774,127 
196,981 
1,400,623 
176,523 
936,575 
837,552 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
3,919 
386 
3,053 
480 
2,543 
1,376 
$1,000 
1,694,803 
171,014 
1,357,521 
166,268 
879,039 
815,763 
Corn 
farms 
5,641 
1,523 
3,541 
577 
3,757 
1,884 
$1,000 
656,973 
93,297 
501,088 
62,587 
324,746 
332,227 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
1,957 
183 
1,569 
205 
1,169 
788 
$1,000 
610,141 
81,982 
471,347 
56,811 
290,972 
319,169 
Wheat 
farms 
4,146 
764 
2,855 
527 
2,764 
1,382 
$1,000 
285,459 
23,666 
232,194 
29,598 
155,166 
130,293 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
1,482 
91 
1,248 
143 
878 
604 
$1,000 
242,928 
17,171 
202,232 
23,525 
125,214 
117,714 
Soybeans 
farms 
7,006 
1,770 
4,373 
863 
4,905 
2,101 
$1,000 
799,769 
75,074 
642,927 
81,768 
439,253 
360,516 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
2,916 
231 
2,336 
349 
1,865 
1,051 
$1,000 
736,021 
59,138 
604,133 
72,750 
392,576 
343,445 
Sorghum 
farms 
639 
115 
448 
76 
399 
240 
$1,000 
20,911 
2,513 
16,246 
2,152 
11,531 
9,380 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
129 
15 
102 
12 
63 
66 
$1,000 
12,793 
1,517 
10,193 
1,084 
6,271 
6,523 
Barley 
farms 
243 
46 
194 
3 
123 
120 
$1,000 
3,460 
(D) 
2,881 
(D) 
1,231 
2,229 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
15 
2 
13 
4 
11 
$1,000 
1,343 
(D) 
(D) 
- 
266 
1,077 
Rice 
farms 
- 
- 
- 
- 
$1,000 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
$1,000 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
Other grains, oilseeds, 
dry beans, and dry peas 
farms 
712 
199 
462 
51 
466 
246 
$1,000 
7,556 
(D) 
5,287 
(D) 
4,648 
2,908 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
22 
3 
19 
9 
13 
$1,000 
3,068 
1,210 
1,858 
- 
1,777 
1,291 
Tobacco 
farms 
1,681 
272 
1,190 
219 
1,074 
607 
$1,000 
732,772 
31,113 
628,511 
73,148 
400,847 
331,925 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
1,400 
146 
1,074 
180 
888 
512 
$1,000 
726,964 
28,541 
626,104 
72,320 
397,042 
329,922 
Cotton and cottonseed 
farms 
1,430 
209 
977 
244 
888 
542 
$1,000 
403,366 
32,960 
302,898 
67,509 
203,980 
199,386 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
1,096 
94 
822 
180 
654 
442 
$1,000 
395,679 
31,009 
299,020 
65,650 
198,679 
197,000 
Vegetables, melons, potatoes, 
and sweet potatoes 
farms 
3,304 
1,999 
1,029 
276 
1,718 
1,586 
$1,000 
434,974 
59,634 
329,707 
45,634 
162,620 
272,354 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
566 
114 
376 
76 
299 
267 
$1,000 
410,103 
45,162 
321,630 
43,311 
149,345 
260,758 
Fruits, tree nuts, and berries 
farms 
2,151 
1,663 
398 
90 
985 
1,166 
$1,000 
85,150 
45,350 
37,325 
2,475 
36,295 
48,855 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
206 
108 
85 
13 
106 
100 
$1,000 
70,275 
34,289 
34,581 
1,405 
29,027 
41,248 
Fruits and tree nuts 
farms 
1,230 
993 
195 
42 
591 
639 
$1,000 
30,728 
16,742 
12,561 
1,425 
15,240 
15,488 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
119 
68 
44 
7 
62 
57 
$1,000 
21,669 
9,611 
11,209 
850 
10,609 
11,060 
Berries 
farms 
1,176 
856 
259 
61 
514 
662 
$1,000 
54,421 
28,607 
24,764 
1,050 
21,055 
33,367 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
84 
41 
37 
6 
38 
46 
$1,000 
47,588 
24,266 
22,781 
541 
17,637 
29,951 
Nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, 
and sod (see text) 
farms 
2,475 
1,807 
469 
199 
1,276 
1,199 
$1,000 
580,230 
415,126 
104,542 
60,562 
212,320 
367,910 
Sales of $50,000 or more 
farms 
699 
419 
192 
88 
332 
367 
$1,000 
558,671 
398,761 
101,036 
58,874 
200,613 
358,058 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
216 North Carolina 2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
