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 
74,542 
80,992 
80,839 
78,755 
73,367 
75,079 
85,079 
94,382 
Land in farms 
acres 
26,035,838 
26,917,962 
27,512,270 
27,560,621 
25,994,621 
25,666,944 
26,573,819 
27,708,456 
Average size of farm 
acres 
349 
332 
340 
350 
354 
342 
312 
294 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
1,474,057 
853,968 
517,132 
398,576 
407,863 
310,612 
218,808 
342,593 
Average per acre 
dollars 
4,220 
2,569 
1,513 
1,148 
1,164 
910 
700 
1,165 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
14,737,084 
10,664,895 
6,665,874 
6,440,856 
6,208,376 
5,239,930 
4,736,828 
5,719,009 
Average per farm 
dollars 
197,715 
131,698 
86,369 
81,809 
84,613 
69,859 
55,741 
60,671 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
3,488 
3,687 
3,591 
3,722 
3,090 
3,517 
4,613 
4,547 
1 0 to 49 acres 
15,292 
16,927 
16,546 
12,005 
10,104 
8,927 
9,481 
10,461 
50 to 1 79 acres 
24,129 
25,679 
23,955 
23,374 
21,535 
20,967 
24,947 
29,258 
180 to 499 acres 
18,074 
20,188 
21,372 
23,747 
23,365 
26,395 
30,963 
35,897 
500 to 999 acres 
7,293 
8,323 
8,986 
9,831 
9,781 
10,497 
10,814 
10,602 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
4,081 
4,264 
4,554 
4,605 
4,251 
3,913 
3,619 
2,935 
2,000 acres or more 
2,185 
1,924 
1,835 
1,471 
1,241 
863 
642 
682 
Total cropland 
farms 
67,285 
71,970 
73,458 
71,153 
67,545 
69,866 
79,461 
88,399 
acres 
21,597,136 
21,948,603 
22,729,158 
22,583,431 
21,491,743 
21,387,063 
21,876,066 
22,189,292 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
53,891 
53,943 
57,323 
62,760 
60,726 
66,549 
76,537 
85,948 
acres 
19,807,839 
19,267,018 
19,398,309 
19,794,078 
18,968,607 
18,201,061 
16,635,264 
19,722,645 
Irrigated land 
farms 
2,853 
2,918 
2,433 
2,265 
2,193 
2,368 
2,425 
2,172 
acres 
524,016 
506,357 
454,850 
403,289 
380,394 
370,404 
353,504 
315,376 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
21,280,184 
13,180,466 
8,575,627 
8,404,722 
8,290,264 
6,477,004 
5,676,376 
5,939,629 
Average per farm 
dollars 
285,479 
162,738 
106,083 
106,720 
112,997 
86,269 
66,719 
62,932 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
13,879,211 
7,048,913 
4,562,882 
4,312,433 
4,200,970 
3,054,747 
2,500,827 
2,671,482 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
7,400,974 
6,131,554 
4,012,745 
4,092,288 
4,089,293 
3,422,257 
3,175,549 
3,268,146 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
21,188 
30,678 
29,024 
19,153 
14,647 
9,725 
11,915 
1 1 ,987 
$2,500 to $4,999 
4,047 
4,451 
4,417 
5,783 
5,260 
5,387 
6,509 
6,764 
$5,000 to $9,999 
4,552 
4,795 
5,491 
6,431 
6,179 
7,028 
8,293 
8,655 
$10,000 to $24,999 
6,022 
6,677 
8,099 
9,481 
9,207 
11,187 
13,588 
15,430 
$25,000 to $49,999 
5,630 
5,737 
7,242 
7,855 
8,033 
10,168 
12,983 
16,203 
$50,000 to $99,999 
8,112 
6,490 
8,024 
9,595 
9,402 
12,482 
15,385 
18,286 
$100,000 to $499,999 
14,632 
15,738 
14,917 
17,660 
17,885 
17,774 
15,546 
16,262 
$500,000 or more 
10,359 
6,426 
3,625 
2,797 
2,754 
1,328 
860 
785 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
65,530 
70,055 
73,018 
69,320 
64,428 
66,068 
75,105 
83,010 
Partnership 
4,668 
6,227 
5,056 
6,486 
6,174 
6,800 
7,952 
9,530 
Corporation 
3,215 
2,848 
2,342 
2,583 
2,442 
1,982 
1,755 
1,582 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
1,129 
1,862 
423 
366 
323 
229 
267 
260 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
30,907 
29,612 
35,659 
31,161 
30,237 
35,995 
40,625 
44,804 
Any 
43,635 
51,380 
45,180 
41,633 
37,550 
33,932 
39,567 
40,289 
200 days or more 
28,689 
31,525 
30,727 
26,369 
23,115 
19,826 
22,006 
21,334 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
39,423 
39,628 
50,808 
45,109 
44,047 
51,021 
58,519 
67,742 
Other 
35,119 
41,364 
30,031 
33,646 
29,320 
24,058 
26,560 
26,640 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
56.6 
55.3 
52.9 
51.0 
51.2 
49.6 
48.5 
47.2 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
15,520,275 
10,320,405 
7,288,947 
6,508,683 
6,362,110 
5,244,708 
4,427,445 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
1,301,768 
1,304,042 
836,490 
642,827 
639,336 
607,096 
541,852 
557,597 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
2,961,840 
1 ,944,488 
1,271,172 
1,311,135 
1,301,623 
919,271 
747,728 
711,701 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
1,967,178 
999,236 
493,994 
509,578 
491,584 
405,097 
328,661 
374,854 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
798,828 
618,971 
322,649 
314,563 
306,292 
298,913 
249,831 
424,167 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
692,816 
521,852 
459,332 
342,722 
334,790 
261,649 
244,055 
207,615 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
655,486 
584,665 
546,747 
515,473 
499,899 
449,417 
446,200 
712,786 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
783,570 
449,837 
350,354 
419,612 
406,227 
301,155 
218,630 
224,044 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
23,702 
24,685 
28,034 
32,148 
30,913 
34,501 
40,222 
51,589 
number 
2,412,684 
2,395,217 
2,265,997 
2,399,617 
2,395,456 
2,543,373 
2,700,095 
3,377,956 
Beef cows 
farms 
13,547 
14,410 
15,565 
16,208 
15,745 
15,101 
15,528 
20,435 
number 
357,826 
399,768 
403,594 
395,059 
409,184 
381,869 
360,153 
467,732 
Milk cows 
farms 
4,746 
5,148 
6,474 
9,910 
9,603 
13,380 
17,454 
24,178 
number 
463,312 
459,752 
478,248 
554,274 
541,650 
609,034 
709,832 
839,302 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
20,383 
22,122 
22,961 
31,162 
30,320 
33,852 
39,972 
50,186 
number 
1,537,782 
1,586,705 
1,356,142 
1,334,446 
1,339,902 
1,388,581 
1,474,577 
1,759,452 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
3,355 
4,382 
5,628 
7,765 
7,512 
13,125 
16,042 
20,813 
number 
7,606,785 
7,652,284 
6,440,067 
5,665,364 
5,722,460 
4,668,590 
4,236,500 
4,473,181 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
3,420 
4,748 
6,390 
7,892 
7,717 
13,749 
16,652 
21,802 
number 
22,154,443 
22,815,512 
18,618,300 
12,814,319 
12,943,053 
9,141,699 
8,073,029 
8,007,312 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Minnesota 7 
