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 
8,173 
8,136 
7,196 
7,404 
5,810 
5,776 
6,269 
7,003 
Land in farms 
acres 
1,454,104 
1,347,566 
1 ,369,768 
1,313,066 
1,211,648 
1,258,297 
1,342,588 
1 ,468,674 
Average size of farm 
acres 
178 
166 
190 
177 
209 
218 
214 
210 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings ^ 
Average per farm 
dollars 
410,633 
364,807 
322,690 
230,120 
251,074 
241,816 
210,777 
150,487 
Average per acre 
dollars 
2,308 
2,203 
1,637 
1,267 
1,190 
1,130 
962 
708 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment ' 
....$1,000 
570,168 
536,463 
380,209 
327,353 
282,151 
263,791 
240,068 
236,527 
Average per farm 
dollars 
69,780 
65,961 
54,316 
44,285 
48,697 
45,757 
38,325 
33,916 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
1,239 
1,046 
918 
773 
533 
465 
419 
379 
1 0 to 49 acres 
2,278 
2,383 
1,861 
1,747 
1,184 
1,024 
1,029 
1,139 
50 to 1 79 acres 
2,794 
3,019 
2,506 
2,802 
2,110 
2,174 
2,453 
2,824 
1 80 to 499 acres 
1,318 
1,178 
1,334 
1,545 
1,441 
1,513 
1,758 
2,018 
500 to 999 acres 
332 
330 
393 
393 
398 
448 
474 
505 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
157 
131 
135 
113 
113 
120 
106 
108 
2,000 acres or more 
55 
49 
49 
31 
31 
32 
30 
30 
Total cropland 
farms 
5,864 
6,557 
5,929 
6,714 
5,372 
5,495 
5,919 
6,591 
acres 
477,343 
529,253 
536,839 
580,260 
539,966 
559,424 
592,309 
610,691 
Flarvested cropland 
farms 
5,325 
5,189 
4,869 
5,966 
4,875 
5,141 
5,486 
6,138 
acres 
400,960 
393,738 
394,121 
426,711 
403,014 
399,755 
410,891 
457,076 
Irrigated land 
farms 
1,365 
901 
1,031 
805 
671 
523 
359 
200 
acres 
30,887 
20,994 
19,703 
22,229 
21,791 
10,241 
6,065 
5,831 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
763,062 
617,190 
463,603 
450,278 
438,673 
430,324 
405,484 
399,412 
Average per farm 
dollars 
93,364 
75,859 
64,425 
60,815 
75,503 
74,502 
64,681 
57,034 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
473,852 
326,573 
222,356 
219,600 
212,229 
215,995 
157,828 
142,834 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
289,210 
290,617 
241,247 
230,678 
226,444 
214,329 
247,656 
256,578 
Farms by value of sales 
Less than $2,500 
3,279 
3,924 
3,634 
2,978 
1,923 
1,690 
2,059 
2,549 
$2,500 to $4,999 
1,022 
838 
777 
978 
743 
775 
870 
914 
$5,000 to $9,999 
1,045 
846 
682 
864 
751 
786 
719 
664 
$10,000 to $24,999 
1,081 
949 
727 
914 
798 
732 
700 
644 
$25,000 to $49,999 
589 
479 
387 
485 
438 
441 
466 
571 
$50,000 to $99,999 
379 
328 
310 
400 
390 
449 
553 
745 
$100,000 to $499,999 
536 
574 
513 
642 
626 
794 
809 
829 
$500,000 or more 
242 
198 
166 
143 
141 
109 
93 
82 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
6,929 
6,956 
6,377 
6,557 
5,064 
5,063 
5,594 
6,317 
Partnership 
525 
544 
321 
347 
306 
325 
350 
384 
Corporation 
582 
552 
422 
456 
403 
352 
300 
272 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
137 
84 
76 
44 
37 
36 
25 
30 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 
None 
3,060 
2,525 
2,839 
2,624 
2,246 
2,331 
2,275 
2,609 
Any 
5,113 
5,611 
4,357 
4,404 
3,263 
3,144 
3,653 
3,932 
200 days or more 
3,068 
3,222 
2,948 
2,747 
1,958 
1,857 
2,253 
2,467 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
3,964 
3,540 
3,409 
3,324 
2,872 
2,981 
3,220 
3,644 
Other 
4,209 
4,596 
3,787 
4,080 
2,938 
2,795 
3,049 
3,359 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
57.0 
56.4 
53.7 
53.8 
54.4 
53.0 
51.7 
49.8 
Total farm production 
expenses ' 
....$1,000 
645,631 
493,693 
399,767 
373,488 
347,611 
351,076 
324,276 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
26,557 
13,601 
16,895 
13,435 
1 1 ,988 
18,658 
21,876 
20,717 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
104,563 
103,475 
73,459 
83,550 
79,605 
70,781 
94,386 
100,879 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased ® 
....$1,000 
41,431 
24,426 
18,170 
17,522 
16,537 
18,543 
16,437 
18,719 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
40,871 
35,779 
16,300 
16,200 
14,829 
15,276 
12,827 
18,739 
Flired farm labor 
....$1,000 
134,674 
90,323 
78,420 
68,056 
64,285 
61,086 
51,613 
44,906 
Interest expense ® 
....$1,000 
22,232 
18,277 
15,230 
17,561 
15,954 
14,775 
15,455 
18,511 
Chemicals purchased 
....$1,000 
26,950 
20,210 
1 7,397 
18,237 
1 7,435 
16,197 
1 1 ,996 
9,865 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
2,423 
2,112 
1,749 
2,484 
1,921 
2,110 
2,637 
3,652 
number 
86,256 
88,191 
89,831 
104,652 
101,695 
104,511 
119,475 
141,206 
Beef cows 
farms 
1,354 
1,326 
1,107 
1,375 
1,035 
1,098 
1,331 
1,811 
number 
10,505 
12,114 
12,242 
12,824 
1 1 ,782 
11,412 
1 1 ,782 
13,242 
Milk cows 
farms 
581 
479 
556 
776 
685 
836 
1,183 
1,784 
number 
32,117 
32,527 
35,633 
41,177 
40,749 
42,737 
49,815 
57,173 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
1 ,656 
1,447 
1,223 
1,901 
1,631 
1,831 
2,366 
3,030 
number 
35,311 
27,501 
32,147 
39,111 
37,889 
40,873 
50,357 
52,363 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
752 
437 
328 
486 
341 
377 
421 
804 
number 
8,923 
4,401 
4,637 
7,017 
5,977 
4,768 
8,999 
8,586 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
699 
460 
310 
343 
261 
258 
295 
450 
number 
12,090 
7,954 
9,033 
10,656 
9,226 
9,308 
13,905 
12,067 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data Maine 7 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
