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 
77,064 
85,260 
86,541 
91,198 
82,273 
90,281 
92,453 
101,642 
Land in farms 
acres 
13,049,347 
13,993,121 
13,843,706 
13,940,180 
13,334,234 
13,665,798 
14,012,700 
14,179,284 
Average size of farm 
acres 
169 
164 
160 
153 
162 
151 
152 
140 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
512,033 
440,213 
294,056 
222,914 
230,274 
163,660 
135,696 
144,427 
Average per acre 
dollars 
3,024 
2,682 
1,824 
1,470 
1,450 
1,077 
896 
1,049 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
5,408,946 
4,910,199 
3,495,669 
2,972,739 
2,741,593 
2,244,930 
2,091,558 
2,233,182 
Average per farm 
dollars 
70,190 
57,591 
41,458 
32,604 
33,327 
24,918 
22,670 
22,001 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
4,337 
4,579 
5,342 
8,261 
7,114 
10,402 
10,648 
13,248 
1 0 to 49 acres 
23,776 
25,235 
24,758 
24,285 
20,754 
21,911 
20,707 
23,654 
50 to 1 79 acres 
31,151 
35,379 
36,628 
37,646 
33,992 
36,515 
38,261 
41,739 
180 to 499 acres 
13,024 
15,080 
14,950 
16,110 
15,522 
16,586 
17,920 
18,352 
500 to 999 acres 
2,848 
3,242 
3,175 
3,374 
3,399 
3,468 
3,618 
3,527 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
1,323 
1,207 
1,214 
1,131 
1,104 
1,066 
1,052 
904 
2,000 acres or more 
605 
538 
474 
391 
388 
333 
247 
218 
Total cropland 
farms 
61,314 
72,015 
80,927 
85,247 
77,784 
86,345 
88,664 
98,331 
acres 
6,336,247 
7,278,098 
8,412,354 
8,887,861 
8,549,027 
8,880,989 
8,900,086 
8,960,250 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
52,547 
57,528 
65,815 
74,360 
68,953 
79,590 
83,097 
93,082 
acres 
5,349,545 
5,057,883 
4,978,994 
4,853,500 
4,678,622 
4,417,651 
4,250,284 
4,835,631 
Irrigated land 
farms 
2,910 
2,980 
3,606 
4,233 
4,104 
2,120 
3,733 
2,815 
acres 
73,573 
58,730 
36,751 
60,027 
58,490 
27,647 
37,693 
22,707 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
5,067,334 
4,824,561 
3,080,080 
3,158,783 
3,064,460 
2,663,702 
2,075,571 
2,376,882 
Average per farm 
dollars 
65,755 
56,586 
35,591 
34,637 
37,247 
29,505 
22,450 
23,385 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
2,280,568 
1,404,769 
1,110,209 
1,610,935 
1,578,861 
1,449,823 
889,882 
1,358,309 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
2,786,765 
3,419,792 
1,969,871 
1,547,847 
1,485,599 
1,213,879 
1,185,689 
1,018,573 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
29,963 
35,800 
32,918 
24,238 
19,143 
17,881 
24,380 
21,706 
$2,500 to $4,999 
8,655 
9,787 
11,778 
13,756 
12,566 
14,745 
16,421 
17,829 
$5,000 to $9,999 
10,313 
11,150 
13,561 
15,725 
14,393 
17,129 
17,620 
20,020 
$10,000 to $24,999 
1 1 ,453 
12,642 
13,154 
17,967 
17,388 
20,354 
18,078 
21,479 
$25,000 to $49,999 
6,458 
6,296 
6,525 
8,993 
8,339 
9,623 
7,880 
10,421 
$50,000 to $99,999 
3,882 
3,663 
3,486 
4,788 
4,843 
5,519 
4,527 
6,028 
$100,000 to $499,999 
4,363 
4,309 
4,165 
4,894 
4,773 
4,568 
3,298 
3,904 
$500,000 or more 
1,977 
1,613 
954 
837 
828 
462 
249 
236 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
70,093 
76,140 
79,297 
79,441 
71,307 
76,712 
78,463 
85,808 
Partnership 
4,666 
7,334 
5,764 
10,004 
9,353 
12,135 
12,717 
14,660 
Corporation 
1,853 
1,429 
1,119 
1,367 
1,266 
1,064 
817 
761 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
452 
357 
361 
386 
347 
370 
456 
413 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
27,516 
29,156 
37,365 
31,250 
28,911 
32,526 
32,743 
33,928 
Any 
49,548 
56,104 
49,176 
54,653 
48,491 
51,075 
54,464 
58,214 
200 days or more 
33,295 
35,148 
36,532 
39,937 
35,100 
36,497 
37,893 
38,660 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
32,137 
33,935 
46,939 
36,050 
33,841 
40,175 
41,451 
49,062 
Other 
44,927 
51,325 
39,602 
55,148 
48,432 
50,106 
51,002 
52,580 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
57.6 
56.5 
55.2 
53.7 
54.0 
53.2 
52.2 
50.5 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
4,778,105 
3,930,240 
2,604,069 
2,169,378 
2,033,070 
1,828,743 
1,485,994 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
598,201 
523,127 
298,839 
252,155 
236,935 
240,512 
209,357 
210,696 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
1,176,273 
793,669 
443,883 
380,109 
341,123 
246,108 
179,713 
183,477 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
472,174 
308,598 
180,986 
194,933 
183,802 
176,898 
129,356 
135,693 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
268,528 
203,942 
1 1 1 ,695 
112,035 
105,514 
105,188 
86,777 
134,504 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
377,169 
322,169 
291,881 
217,594 
209,578 
202,545 
158,130 
166,518 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
248,538 
240,331 
212,332 
191,439 
179,810 
173,887 
179,409 
228,462 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
178,990 
100,920 
77,715 
89,880 
84,326 
70,835 
53,459 
57,066 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
40,141 
43,681 
47,447 
53,500 
48,898 
52,572 
53,626 
60,183 
number 
2,270,871 
2,395,455 
2,395,476 
2,476,949 
2,428,891 
2,503,680 
2,343,541 
2,524,964 
Beef cows 
farms 
33,823 
38,298 
40,234 
44,819 
41,171 
42,898 
41,396 
44,844 
number 
985,075 
1,166,385 
1,125,183 
1,153,323 
1,126,748 
1,088,532 
967,856 
982,794 
Milk cows 
farms 
1,564 
2,277 
2,939 
3,571 
3,393 
4,984 
7,002 
10,817 
number 
71,783 
90,462 
120,748 
145,051 
145,557 
186,089 
224,267 
253,852 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
33,284 
38,212 
40,429 
51,217 
47,355 
50,174 
52,210 
55,973 
number 
1,293,302 
1,503,458 
1,291,026 
1,430,976 
1,388,647 
1,277,661 
1,305,423 
1,221,268 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
1,284 
1,498 
1,254 
2,129 
1,881 
4,879 
8,242 
1 1 ,436 
number 
313,360 
348,023 
385,811 
584,632 
563,797 
782,408 
838,452 
869,727 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
866 
1,210 
1,220 
1,694 
1,523 
4,345 
7,602 
9,869 
number 
933,620 
802,782 
986,704 
1,149,579 
1,100,523 
1,464,686 
1,497,306 
1,390,528 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Kentucky 7 
