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 
68,050 
79,280 
87,595 
91,536 
76,818 
75,076 
79,711 
90,565 
Land in farms 
acres 
10,867,812 
10,969,798 
11,681,533 
11,986,258 
11,122,363 
11,169,086 
11,731,386 
12,474,931 
Average size of farm 
acres 
160 
138 
133 
131 
145 
149 
147 
138 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
569,416 
467,420 
325,783 
245,186 
261,209 
186,171 
146,126 
139,141 
Average per acre 
dollars 
3,565 
3,378 
2,405 
1,859 
1,808 
1,245 
1,001 
1,014 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
4,712,059 
4,668,199 
3,844,998 
2,875,913 
2,547,208 
1,906,868 
1,803,541 
1,870,910 
Average per farm 
dollars 
69,248 
58,882 
45,263 
31,425 
33,158 
25,520 
22,700 
20,713 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
3,230 
5,814 
6,066 
7,923 
5,919 
7,336 
7,306 
9,481 
1 0 to 49 acres 
23,563 
29,396 
32,116 
31,254 
24,401 
22,173 
23,209 
26,965 
50 to 1 79 acres 
27,037 
29,588 
34,272 
35,829 
30,719 
29,572 
32,266 
35,998 
180 to 499 acres 
10,464 
10,847 
11,357 
12,644 
1 1 ,924 
1 1 ,873 
12,697 
13,757 
500 to 999 acres 
2,268 
2,287 
2,446 
2,550 
2,544 
2,707 
2,906 
3,065 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
956 
892 
896 
969 
945 
1,062 
984 
995 
2,000 acres or more 
532 
456 
442 
367 
366 
353 
343 
304 
Total cropland 
farms 
51,019 
61,274 
74,086 
79,858 
69,393 
69,297 
73,703 
84,774 
acres 
5,329,692 
6,047,348 
6,992,992 
7,451,482 
7,069,470 
7,086,879 
7,185,903 
7,602,106 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
44,908 
48,292 
56,316 
62,999 
56,016 
58,527 
63,754 
74,518 
acres 
4,546,788 
4,226,440 
4,365,360 
4,233,018 
4,064,058 
3,817,720 
3,854,302 
4,548,895 
Irrigated land 
farms 
2,146 
2,453 
2,592 
1,985 
1,768 
1,544 
1,899 
1,141 
acres 
146,442 
81,405 
61,217 
47,010 
45,581 
36,974 
37,776 
17,745 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
3,611,037 
2,617,394 
2,199,814 
2,263,035 
2,178,389 
1,933,506 
1,617,636 
1,683,852 
Average per farm 
dollars 
53,064 
33,015 
25,113 
24,723 
28,358 
25,754 
20,294 
18,593 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
2,086,472 
1,147,786 
1,072,548 
1,173,774 
1,143,674 
969,439 
701,828 
848,819 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
1,524,565 
1,469,608 
1,127,266 
1,089,261 
1,034,714 
964,067 
915,807 
835,033 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
30,632 
38,522 
42,741 
36,808 
27,201 
21,446 
27,451 
29,211 
$2,500 to $4,999 
8,016 
9,539 
12,859 
16,847 
14,578 
14,365 
16,106 
19,026 
$5,000 to $9,999 
8,852 
11,217 
12,311 
15,548 
13,751 
14,918 
14,398 
16,859 
$10,000 to $24,999 
9,699 
9,488 
10,012 
11,975 
11,217 
13,088 
1 1 ,446 
13,458 
$25,000 to $49,999 
4,624 
4,712 
3,691 
4,096 
3,987 
4,641 
4,127 
5,129 
$50,000 to $99,999 
2,067 
2,001 
2,133 
2,277 
2,176 
2,681 
2,719 
3,358 
$100,000 to $499,999 
2,551 
2,586 
3,046 
3,209 
3,138 
3,448 
3,168 
3,261 
$500,000 or more 
1,609 
1,215 
802 
776 
770 
489 
296 
238 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
63,175 
72,675 
82,866 
83,403 
69,585 
66,992 
71,976 
80,881 
Partnership 
3,419 
5,568 
3,996 
7,031 
6,275 
7,234 
6,947 
8,910 
Corporation 
963 
865 
452 
769 
681 
556 
496 
511 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
493 
172 
281 
333 
277 
294 
292 
263 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
25,071 
26,299 
36,807 
28,565 
25,230 
25,395 
26,744 
27,751 
Any 
42,979 
52,981 
50,788 
58,314 
47,484 
44,536 
48,882 
54,964 
200 days or more 
29,017 
32,834 
38,771 
44,358 
35,678 
33,366 
36,187 
39,278 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
28,454 
30,849 
44,100 
30,635 
27,680 
29,878 
30,745 
36,802 
Other 
39,596 
48,431 
43,495 
60,901 
49,138 
45,198 
48,966 
53,763 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
59.2 
57.8 
56.0 
54.8 
55.4 
54.6 
53.8 
52.3 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
3,174,788 
2,620,841 
1,996,798 
1,785,713 
1,641,727 
1,492,457 
1,282,885 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
283,304 
213,700 
175,145 
165,461 
148,848 
153,877 
142,988 
127,847 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
679,459 
547,993 
386,790 
353,956 
312,849 
266,443 
237,592 
228,199 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
411,915 
301,586 
171,689 
168,679 
160,025 
148,377 
119,418 
124,921 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
197,953 
160,637 
93,416 
92,683 
85,428 
83,727 
72,838 
107,387 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
252,642 
214,487 
173,255 
166,163 
159,187 
138,434 
117,140 
109,251 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
160,109 
158,689 
147,275 
126,260 
113,698 
110,900 
115,019 
161,398 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
196,390 
126,529 
101,619 
99,379 
94,026 
79,851 
57,923 
57,848 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
38,826 
46,719 
50,471 
58,623 
51,089 
50,592 
52,965 
60,924 
number 
1,856,316 
2,122,018 
2,233,988 
2,213,719 
2,145,405 
2,162,660 
2,008,570 
2,242,905 
Beef cows 
farms 
33,556 
42,344 
44,249 
49,979 
44,235 
43,333 
43,616 
48,768 
number 
874,630 
1,179,102 
1,093,059 
1,058,870 
1,039,583 
988,550 
894,348 
914,784 
Milk cows 
farms 
979 
1,230 
1,427 
2,215 
2,096 
3,295 
4,781 
8,098 
number 
47,978 
61,131 
84,017 
110,022 
111,985 
152,067 
180,390 
217,234 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
32,852 
38,961 
42,017 
55,611 
49,234 
47,955 
51,558 
56,117 
number 
960,682 
1,095,372 
1,126,131 
1,178,979 
1,126,232 
1,043,627 
1,077,665 
1,043,430 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
1,297 
1,566 
1,491 
2,532 
2,043 
4,912 
8,465 
12,963 
number 
147,795 
138,207 
230,532 
342,805 
321,806 
604,613 
774,530 
866,226 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
812 
1,160 
1,130 
1,909 
1,579 
4,522 
7,874 
11,268 
number 
344,574 
470,213 
635,014 
756,354 
714,999 
1,293,654 
1,484,049 
1,512,090 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Tennessee 7 
