Table 1. County Summary Highlights: 2012 
[For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] 
Item 
North Carolina 
Alamance 
Alexander 
Alleghany 
Anson 
Ashe 
Avery 
Farms 
number 
50,218 
732 
603 
567 
429 
1,140 
483 
Land in farms 
acres 
8,414,756 
83,551 
58,668 
90,926 
83,601 
112,462 
28,224 
Average size of farm 
acres 
168 
114 
97 
160 
195 
99 
58 
Median size of farm 
acres 
51 
59 
42 
60 
96 
50 
33 
Estimated market value of land and buildings: 
Average per farm 
dollars 
726,944 
538,171 
578,787 
770,167 
725,957 
561,065 
407,194 
Average per acre 
dollars 
4,338 
4,715 
5,949 
4,803 
3,725 
5,687 
6,968 
Estimated market value of all machinery and 
equipment 
$1,000 
4,664,336 
44,251 
42,624 
40,000 
41,719 
62,510 
26,659 
Average per farm 
dollars 
92,887 
60,452 
70,922 
70,547 
97,248 
54,833 
55,194 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
4,155 
61 
52 
35 
7 
98 
74 
1 0 to 49 acres 
20,014 
250 
282 
209 
108 
445 
231 
50 to 1 79 acres 
17,260 
300 
195 
192 
190 
429 
153 
180 to 499 acres 
5,387 
87 
44 
105 
84 
144 
21 
500 to 999 acres 
1,706 
32 
28 
14 
28 
17 
2 
1 ,000 acres or more 
1,696 
2 
2 
12 
12 
7 
2 
Total cropland 
farms 
37,247 
532 
413 
471 
273 
934 
433 
acres 
4,745,014 
31,760 
20,942 
32,946 
28,323 
33,134 
11,608 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
32,802 
470 
374 
455 
220 
887 
428 
acres 
4,378,097 
26,843 
19,005 
30,201 
24,035 
27,700 
9,935 
Irrigated land 
farms 
4,699 
71 
31 
7 
26 
79 
24 
acres 
174,526 
878 
592 
(D) 
1,082 
170 
354 
Market value of agricultural products sold (see text) .... 
$1,000 
12,588,142 
32,930 
187,670 
36,340 
193,865 
54,480 
17,198 
Average per farm 
dollars 
250,670 
44,986 
311,228 
64,091 
451,901 
47,789 
35,607 
Crops, including nursery and greenhouse crops 
$1,000 
4,302,877 
15,406 
10,812 
20,585 
16,905 
40,553 
16,535 
Livestock, poultry, and their products 
$1,000 
8,285,265 
17,524 
176,858 
15,754 
176,960 
13,927 
664 
Farms by value of sales: 
Less than $2,500 
19,294 
287 
187 
174 
147 
359 
134 
$2,500 to $4,999 
5,891 
109 
82 
65 
27 
164 
48 
$5,000 to $9,999 
6,307 
114 
59 
78 
43 
183 
86 
$10,000 to $24,999 
5,579 
85 
52 
88 
43 
160 
82 
$25,000 to $49,999 
2,870 
36 
35 
48 
24 
103 
49 
$50,000 to $99,999 
1,946 
34 
14 
49 
15 
81 
45 
$100,000 or more 
8,331 
67 
174 
65 
130 
90 
39 
Government payments 
farms 
14,417 
128 
41 
131 
157 
119 
23 
$1,000 
120,129 
470 
177 
590 
551 
216 
71 
Total income from farm-related sources, 
gross before taxes and expenses (see text) 
farms 
16,809 
239 
198 
141 
176 
283 
154 
$1,000 
217,404 
1,637 
1,114 
1,061 
2,314 
3,254 
1,637 
Total farm production expenses 
$1,000 
10,061,152 
34,188 
151,770 
33,026 
154,176 
48,292 
14,678 
Average per farm 
dollars 
200,350 
46,705 
251,692 
58,246 
359,385 
42,362 
30,389 
Net cash farm income of operation (see text) 
farms 
50,218 
732 
603 
567 
429 
1,140 
483 
$1,000 
2,864,522 
849 
37,191 
4,965 
42,555 
9,657 
4,229 
Average per farm 
dollars 
57,042 
1,160 
61,676 
8,757 
99,195 
8,471 
8,755 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
number 
24,574 
305 
321 
282 
239 
529 
223 
Other 
number 
25,644 
427 
282 
285 
190 
611 
260 
Principal operator by days worked off farm: 
Any 
number 
30,171 
480 
351 
336 
234 
744 
298 
200 days or more 
number 
19,553 
331 
241 
196 
143 
444 
157 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves inventory 
farms 
19,548 
383 
371 
310 
183 
479 
78 
number 
829,717 
17,733 
23,921 
23,828 
11,158 
19,529 
1,444 
Beef cows 
farms 
16,059 
319 
290 
192 
159 
318 
63 
number 
348,196 
6,803 
6,671 
6,674 
4,270 
6,009 
700 
Milk cows 
farms 
571 
14 
11 
15 
5 
9 
5 
number 
45,960 
1,193 
1,545 
1,668 
34 
115 
27 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
15,312 
325 
273 
279 
151 
396 
73 
number 
435,411 
8,036 
19,789 
12,080 
7,221 
14,681 
603 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
2,217 
16 
11 
8 
9 
18 
8 
number 
8,901,434 
95 
86 
105 
24,199 
221 
20 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
1,833 
7 
3 
2 
9 
9 
4 
number 
34,456,613 
33 
28 
(D) 
133,732 
90 
52 
Sheep and lambs inventory 
farms 
1,311 
27 
11 
4 
5 
58 
10 
number 
29,224 
1,041 
452 
(D) 
32 
1,148 
251 
Layers inventory (see text) 
farms 
4,996 
93 
95 
24 
31 
107 
31 
number 
13,091,384 
140,617 
794,045 
668 
272,448 
2,526 
700 
Broilers and other meat-type chickens sold 
farms 
1,969 
14 
75 
1 
61 
4 
2 
number 
801,883,037 
649,383 
31,190,123 
(D) 
28,610,156 
270 
(D) 
Selected crops harvested: 
Corn for grain 
farms 
5,366 
40 
20 
6 
37 
14 
13 
acres 
803,020 
2,792 
1,446 
(D) 
5,529 
52 
60 
bushels 
93,402,417 
178,908 
100,025 
(D) 
483,511 
6,276 
5,363 
Corn for silage or greenchop 
farms 
602 
12 
13 
39 
6 
17 
- 
acres 
46,650 
951 
1,200 
3,025 
360 
322 
- 
tons 
732,594 
12,500 
19,410 
60,723 
6,300 
5,477 
- 
Wheat for grain, all 
farms 
4,156 
42 
11 
3 
28 
- 
- 
acres 
753,713 
3,789 
1,495 
(D) 
4,675 
- 
- 
bushels 
42,625,819 
229,167 
64,935 
(D) 
232,183 
- 
- 
Winter wheat for grain 
farms 
4,149 
42 
11 
3 
28 
- 
- 
acres 
753,489 
3,789 
1,495 
(D) 
4,675 
- 
- 
bushels 
42,616,223 
229,167 
64,935 
(D) 
232,183 
- 
- 
Spring wheat for grain 
farms 
10 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
acres 
224 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
bushels 
9,596 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
-continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - County Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
North Carolina 229 
