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 
49,969 
47,712 
49,355 
54,539 
51,454 
52,923 
60,502 
60,243 
Land in farms 
acres 
45,331,783 
45,480,358 
45,903,116 
45,853,656 
45,525,414 
44,393,129 
45,305,441 
44,961,371 
Average size of farm 
acres 
907 
953 
930 
841 
885 
839 
749 
746 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
2,159,268 
1,104,392 
723,863 
550,705 
567,468 
429,188 
344,253 
532,741 
Average per acre 
dollars 
2,380 
1,159 
776 
658 
645 
514 
457 
701 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
11,503,486 
7,510,697 
5,370,381 
4,529,411 
4,348,888 
3,651,286 
3,549,159 
4,088,785 
Average per farm 
dollars 
230,222 
157,427 
1 1 1 ,776 
83,079 
84,535 
69,120 
58,799 
68,007 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
3,520 
2,270 
1,656 
2,943 
2,591 
3,698 
5,090 
4,162 
1 0 to 49 acres 
8,125 
6,581 
5,664 
5,522 
4,733 
4,302 
4,296 
4,062 
50 to 1 79 acres 
9,742 
10,104 
10,180 
10,767 
9,764 
9,408 
11,166 
11,100 
180 to 499 acres 
9,735 
9,838 
11,310 
13,319 
12,648 
14,003 
17,320 
19,128 
500 to 999 acres 
7,717 
7,717 
9,049 
10,631 
10,338 
10,966 
12,153 
11,847 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
5,844 
5,965 
6,632 
6,777 
6,717 
6,283 
6,494 
6,036 
2,000 acres or more 
5,286 
5,237 
4,864 
4,580 
4,663 
4,263 
3,983 
3,908 
Total cropland 
farms 
40,472 
40,798 
43,722 
47,452 
45,191 
46,348 
53,500 
54,475 
acres 
21,597,393 
21,486,025 
22,520,874 
22,633,381 
22,092,954 
22,402,132 
23,320,162 
22,434,059 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
35,747 
34,715 
37,143 
43,198 
41,652 
43,879 
51,175 
52,497 
acres 
18,812,755 
18,169,876 
17,336,624 
17,897,591 
17,551,212 
16,146,818 
15,276,151 
17,075,625 
Irrigated land 
farms 
17,136 
17,128 
17,970 
19,297 
18,804 
19,328 
22,596 
22,190 
acres 
8,296,573 
8,558,559 
7,625,170 
7,065,556 
6,939,036 
6,311,633 
5,681,835 
6,039,292 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
23,068,756 
15,506,035 
9,703,657 
9,937,248 
9,831,519 
8,209,691 
6,667,132 
6,625,742 
Average per farm 
dollars 
461,661 
324,992 
196,609 
182,204 
191,074 
155,125 
110,197 
109,984 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
11,377,933 
6,843,325 
3,388,265 
3,881,119 
3,798,462 
2,651,484 
2,139,116 
2,379,811 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
11,690,823 
8,662,710 
6,315,392 
6,056,130 
6,033,057 
5,558,208 
4,528,016 
4,245,931 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
10,648 
1 1 ,042 
9,820 
6,937 
5,658 
3,966 
4,694 
3,839 
$2,500 to $4,999 
2,224 
1,792 
2,172 
3,023 
2,394 
2,664 
3,405 
2,963 
$5,000 to $9,999 
2,850 
2,186 
3,077 
3,716 
3,497 
4,021 
5,515 
4,615 
$10,000 to $24,999 
3,998 
3,878 
5,853 
7,064 
6,733 
8,445 
10,923 
10,096 
$25,000 to $49,999 
3,711 
3,977 
6,030 
7,140 
6,962 
8,362 
10,681 
11,517 
$50,000 to $99,999 
5,071 
5,261 
6,619 
8,117 
8,005 
9,274 
11,305 
12,508 
$100,000 to $499,999 
12,750 
13,655 
12,960 
16,006 
15,703 
14,423 
12,700 
13,370 
$500,000 or more 
8,717 
5,921 
2,824 
2,536 
2,502 
1,768 
1,279 
1,301 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
42,543 
39,848 
42,835 
44,985 
42,313 
44,577 
51,749 
51,323 
Partnership 
2,974 
3,616 
3,080 
4,736 
4,505 
4,604 
5,212 
5,608 
Corporation 
3,784 
3,571 
3,065 
4,396 
4,249 
3,430 
3,209 
3,013 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
668 
677 
375 
422 
387 
312 
332 
299 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
21,662 
19,947 
25,133 
25,917 
25,017 
27,573 
31,491 
30,786 
Any 
28,307 
27,765 
24,222 
24,049 
22,073 
20,920 
24,403 
21,933 
200 days or more 
18,928 
17,159 
15,804 
14,606 
13,129 
11,927 
13,099 
10,764 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
29,819 
28,854 
36,031 
36,951 
35,742 
39,123 
45,387 
47,549 
Other 
20,150 
18,858 
13,324 
17,588 
15,712 
13,800 
15,115 
12,694 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
55.7 
55.9 
53.9 
52.5 
52.5 
50.7 
49.4 
48.5 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
19,175,997 
12,325,329 
9,050,038 
7,719,265 
7,596,196 
6,711,544 
5,409,171 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
5,117,496 
4,066,702 
3,211,783 
2,418,527 
2,405,077 
2,502,060 
1,904,830 
1,760,168 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
3,981,917 
2,045,635 
1,490,523 
1,422,635 
1,408,802 
1,086,234 
801,077 
843,922 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
1,609,182 
914,427 
465,636 
447,687 
435,501 
344,363 
269,359 
325,124 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
906,596 
608,153 
331,458 
328,657 
320,080 
288,400 
267,854 
386,465 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
565,334 
417,067 
371,650 
306,254 
300,578 
254,132 
261,094 
167,515 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
587,466 
480,896 
468,738 
422,329 
413,076 
380,597 
368,642 
613,708 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
757,437 
404,471 
281,683 
283,244 
274,565 
202,392 
154,483 
141,128 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
23,280 
21,424 
25,083 
30,214 
29,298 
30,421 
34,701 
39,555 
number 
6,385,675 
6,576,950 
6,202,947 
6,730,153 
6,732,637 
5,952,880 
5,838,806 
6,530,561 
Beef cows 
farms 
19,313 
18,233 
20,991 
24,513 
23,881 
24,270 
26,452 
30,068 
number 
1,730,112 
1,889,842 
1,915,107 
1,957,734 
1,966,105 
1,857,347 
1,823,591 
2,023,618 
Milk cows 
farms 
559 
493 
866 
1,385 
1,352 
2,122 
3,339 
4,686 
number 
54,628 
54,410 
66,926 
68,872 
68,216 
83,295 
105,168 
117,536 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
20,967 
20,218 
23,416 
30,380 
29,505 
30,696 
35,491 
39,796 
number 
7,567,890 
7,620,019 
7,351,398 
7,160,738 
7,143,061 
6,238,779 
5,888,192 
6,010,865 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
1,476 
2,213 
3,075 
6,312 
6,017 
10,826 
13,363 
15,998 
number 
2,992,576 
3,268,544 
2,933,620 
3,474,386 
3,452,386 
4,187,389 
3,944,227 
3,963,364 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
1,552 
2,482 
3,594 
6,587 
6,296 
11,559 
14,162 
17,132 
number 
10,620,451 
10,880,337 
8,993,521 
7,671,698 
7,602,587 
8,405,466 
7,442,810 
7,064,612 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Nebraska 7 
