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 
28,008 
29,524 
27,870 
27,632 
24,279 
22,821 
24,568 
23,570 
Land in farms 
acres 
59,758,917 
61,388,462 
59,612,403 
58,445,339 
58,607,778 
59,642,536 
60,203,993 
60,539,209 
Average size of farm 
acres 
2,134 
2,079 
2,139 
2,115 
2,414 
2,613 
2,451 
2,568 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
1,674,568 
1,611,155 
835,250 
650,281 
699,069 
594,881 
505,526 
677,995 
Average per acre 
dollars 
785 
775 
386 
309 
294 
227 
205 
259 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
3,854,196 
3,053,603 
2,085,701 
2,028,280 
1,895,934 
1,516,085 
1,488,238 
1,567,780 
Average per farm 
dollars 
137,625 
103,494 
83,976 
73,526 
78,157 
66,472 
60,754 
66,632 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
2,365 
1,917 
1,484 
1,195 
898 
1,209 
1,940 
1,551 
1 0 to 49 acres 
5,518 
5,462 
5,005 
4,673 
3,570 
2,804 
2,745 
2,673 
50 to 1 79 acres 
4,478 
4,971 
4,497 
4,414 
3,575 
3,061 
3,019 
3,080 
180 to 499 acres 
3,835 
4,464 
3,964 
4,032 
3,372 
2,964 
3,315 
3,097 
500 to 999 acres 
2,560 
2,919 
2,770 
3,067 
2,675 
2,521 
2,737 
2,640 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
2,771 
2,935 
3,034 
3,382 
3,127 
3,040 
3,460 
3,345 
2,000 acres or more 
6,481 
6,856 
7,116 
6,869 
7,062 
7,222 
7,352 
7,184 
Total cropland 
farms 
19,888 
21,809 
21,854 
22,803 
20,669 
19,442 
21,064 
20,717 
acres 
17,022,177 
18,241,710 
18,315,514 
18,238,158 
17,629,001 
17,494,553 
17,829,766 
16,452,331 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
15,894 
16,441 
16,543 
19,254 
17,854 
17,100 
19,267 
19,279 
acres 
9,533,929 
9,163,867 
8,742,111 
9,792,216 
9,399,718 
8,199,296 
9,128,013 
9,365,775 
Irrigated land 
farms 
9,451 
10,457 
10,150 
10,098 
9,059 
8,883 
9,520 
9,226 
acres 
1,903,019 
2,013,167 
1,976,111 
2,101,548 
1,994,484 
1,978,167 
1,996,882 
2,023,003 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
4,230,083 
2,803,062 
1,882,114 
1,921,771 
1,870,732 
1,730,237 
1,547,286 
1,547,160 
Average per farm 
dollars 
151,031 
94,942 
67,532 
69,549 
77,051 
75,818 
62,980 
65,641 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
2,255,996 
1,273,721 
733,324 
952,468 
903,822 
691,860 
639,202 
759,171 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
1,974,087 
1,529,340 
1,148,791 
969,303 
966,910 
1,038,377 
908,084 
787,989 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
10,170 
11,977 
10,117 
7,129 
4,996 
4,073 
4,320 
3,914 
$2,500 to $4,999 
1,747 
1,784 
1,776 
2,314 
2,024 
1,764 
2,006 
1,795 
$5,000 to $9,999 
1,988 
1,934 
2,162 
2,559 
2,308 
2,131 
2,374 
2,295 
$10,000 to $24,999 
2,531 
2,770 
3,043 
3,666 
3,415 
3,413 
3,912 
3,703 
$25,000 to $49,999 
2,053 
2,215 
2,718 
3,066 
2,839 
3,051 
3,695 
3,592 
$50,000 to $99,999 
2,178 
2,464 
3,027 
3,425 
3,340 
3,528 
4,064 
3,928 
$100,000 to $499,999 
5,221 
5,247 
4,507 
4,988 
4,878 
4,492 
3,945 
3,981 
$500,000 or more 
2,120 
1,133 
520 
485 
479 
369 
252 
263 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
21,564 
22,625 
22,448 
21,674 
18,751 
17,723 
19,506 
18,842 
Partnership 
2,320 
2,839 
2,192 
2,250 
2,065 
2,046 
2,147 
2,099 
Corporation 
3,509 
3,509 
2,730 
3,317 
3,121 
2,798 
2,656 
2,336 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
615 
551 
500 
391 
342 
254 
259 
293 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
12,116 
1 1 ,746 
13,824 
12,216 
11,320 
11,176 
12,162 
10,964 
Any 
15,892 
17,778 
14,046 
13,578 
11,280 
9,838 
10,764 
10,108 
200 days or more 
9,589 
10,150 
8,900 
7,920 
6,322 
5,261 
5,607 
5,272 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
15,434 
14,957 
17,710 
16,855 
15,703 
16,006 
17,405 
16,898 
Other 
12,574 
14,567 
10,160 
10,777 
8,576 
6,815 
7,163 
6,672 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
58.9 
57.8 
55.4 
53.7 
54.0 
52.9 
51.4 
50.5 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
3,516,180 
2,399,635 
1,862,305 
1,567,648 
1,512,749 
1,399,200 
1,288,299 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
365,896 
291,561 
207,332 
155,882 
153,915 
191,132 
191,557 
165,312 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
439,672 
219,242 
192,619 
154,992 
153,271 
142,789 
119,817 
110,919 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
406,062 
225,315 
115,112 
129,979 
123,302 
85,281 
79,449 
79,823 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
270,619 
221,523 
118,897 
119,167 
115,091 
108,667 
100,191 
136,526 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
239,341 
164,119 
139,334 
113,562 
109,424 
107,632 
102,470 
84,462 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
217,247 
185,028 
187,994 
155,616 
149,306 
146,474 
157,891 
207,237 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
217,620 
120,522 
81,365 
78,492 
74,449 
57,078 
64,461 
43,347 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
11,845 
12,341 
12,951 
15,072 
14,216 
13,813 
14,866 
15,822 
number 
2,633,740 
2,589,679 
2,396,764 
2,595,611 
2,618,319 
2,645,916 
2,591,391 
2,918,599 
Beef cows 
farms 
10,598 
11,162 
11,821 
13,550 
12,902 
12,366 
13,073 
13,942 
number 
1,439,653 
1,522,187 
1,497,915 
1,544,199 
1,558,921 
1,506,445 
1,399,949 
1,528,036 
Milk cows 
farms 
397 
385 
624 
758 
721 
1,092 
1,732 
2,594 
number 
13,947 
17,458 
17,952 
18,008 
18,052 
22,409 
26,879 
29,447 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
10,629 
11,526 
1 1 ,793 
14,795 
14,055 
13,628 
14,718 
15,325 
number 
1,711,264 
1,842,159 
1,770,727 
1,646,213 
1,654,014 
1,677,932 
1,644,768 
1,778,047 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
406 
483 
454 
708 
627 
1,056 
1,406 
1,643 
number 
173,953 
181,602 
172,951 
181,033 
177,740 
222,966 
200,663 
195,949 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
412 
565 
542 
677 
595 
1,030 
1,343 
1,562 
number 
511,483 
334,101 
336,032 
300,502 
293,161 
363,440 
327,855 
311,634 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Montana 7 
