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 
99,171 
107,825 
106,797 
110,986 
98,860 
98,082 
106,105 
112,447 
Land in farms 
acres 
28,266,137 
29,026,573 
29,946,035 
30,202,772 
28,826,188 
28,546,875 
29,209,187 
29,266,609 
Average size of farm 
acres 
285 
269 
280 
272 
292 
291 
275 
260 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
795,444 
586,478 
424,347 
294,636 
309,430 
225,015 
175,612 
223,247 
Average per acre 
dollars 
2,791 
2,179 
1,508 
1,084 
1,069 
774 
640 
856 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
8,822,239 
7,350,255 
5,162,542 
4,336,960 
4,058,126 
3,537,197 
3,007,852 
3,418,269 
Average per farm 
dollars 
88,960 
68,171 
49,940 
39,084 
41,051 
36,155 
28,432 
30,450 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
3,544 
3,868 
3,057 
3,956 
3,148 
3,926 
4,960 
4,713 
1 0 to 49 acres 
21,706 
25,186 
21,639 
20,686 
16,714 
16,211 
17,028 
19,050 
50 to 1 79 acres 
37,013 
40,246 
39,678 
41,552 
36,346 
34,654 
37,413 
40,513 
180 to 499 acres 
23,301 
24,537 
27,496 
29,163 
27,298 
27,573 
30,423 
32,292 
500 to 999 acres 
7,819 
8,180 
9,163 
10,063 
9,854 
10,292 
11,413 
11,561 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
3,757 
3,887 
4,079 
4,235 
4,183 
4,289 
3,990 
3,566 
2,000 acres or more 
2,031 
1,921 
1,685 
1,331 
1,317 
1,137 
878 
752 
Total cropland 
farms 
76,746 
86,299 
89,662 
95,406 
87,092 
86,617 
93,434 
100,593 
acres 
15,259,319 
16,405,595 
18,884,920 
19,926,421 
19,229,468 
19,228,832 
19,378,031 
19,376,192 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
64,722 
69,585 
71,698 
77,808 
72,316 
74,240 
80,396 
86,837 
acres 
12,917,688 
12,980,113 
13,137,184 
12,850,509 
12,449,272 
12,158,832 
11,655,304 
12,725,378 
Irrigated land 
farms 
3,727 
3,613 
3,304 
3,108 
2,891 
2,914 
2,823 
2,037 
acres 
1,180,886 
1,199,981 
1,032,973 
921,113 
881,924 
708,864 
534,795 
402,914 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
9,164,886 
7,512,926 
4,983,255 
5,466,009 
5,367,813 
4,303,148 
3,644,988 
3,606,856 
Average per farm 
dollars 
92,415 
69,677 
46,661 
49,250 
54,297 
43,873 
34,353 
32,076 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
4,566,953 
3,494,938 
1,992,446 
2,389,939 
2,307,009 
1,861,613 
1,460,850 
1,546,664 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
4,597,933 
4,017,988 
2,990,809 
3,076,070 
3,060,803 
2,441,535 
2,184,138 
2,060,191 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
33,002 
39,479 
36,109 
32,948 
25,039 
20,638 
23,075 
26,779 
$2,500 to $4,999 
8,520 
10,172 
11,663 
15,480 
13,981 
13,881 
15,353 
16,764 
$5,000 to $9,999 
11,206 
12,872 
15,249 
17,107 
15,962 
16,350 
17,881 
17,693 
$10,000 to $24,999 
15,841 
16,261 
18,087 
18,748 
17,863 
18,998 
20,749 
20,144 
$25,000 to $49,999 
10,822 
10,563 
9,342 
9,159 
8,801 
10,090 
11,212 
11,909 
$50,000 to $99,999 
7,365 
6,634 
6,931 
6,738 
6,529 
7,525 
8,943 
10,004 
$100,000 to $499,999 
8,629 
8,647 
7,784 
9,115 
8,994 
9,573 
8,399 
8,713 
$500,000 or more 
3,786 
3,197 
1,632 
1,691 
1,691 
1,027 
493 
413 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
88,713 
94,818 
98,435 
99,050 
87,919 
86,776 
94,574 
99,370 
Partnership 
5,421 
8,202 
5,563 
8,402 
7,708 
8,537 
9,050 
10,733 
Corporation 
3,099 
3,063 
2,174 
2,748 
2,543 
2,283 
2,096 
2,020 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
1,938 
1,742 
625 
786 
690 
486 
385 
324 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
37,495 
37,445 
46,248 
38,856 
36,025 
38,371 
40,016 
41,586 
Any 
61,676 
70,380 
60,549 
65,903 
57,118 
53,243 
58,409 
61,466 
200 days or more 
42,462 
45,621 
45,295 
48,391 
41,378 
37,799 
40,925 
41,189 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
43,788 
45,031 
61,035 
47,507 
44,751 
49,248 
53,694 
58,511 
Other 
55,383 
62,794 
45,762 
63,479 
54,109 
48,834 
52,411 
53,936 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
58.3 
57.1 
56.0 
54.4 
54.7 
53.8 
52.9 
51.0 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
8,290,499 
6,135,205 
4,578,834 
4,354,355 
4,214,996 
3,395,093 
2,804,630 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
906,474 
761,333 
546,196 
588,488 
574,610 
469,893 
397,299 
383,293 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
1,989,225 
1,383,506 
1,136,939 
1,077,369 
1,056,896 
751,669 
552,814 
593,598 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
953,730 
671,131 
355,973 
357,629 
345,941 
301 ,298 
239,254 
255,645 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
507,282 
412,227 
205,423 
216,771 
208,015 
193,235 
176,852 
258,582 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
405,792 
325,526 
287,744 
261,304 
253,888 
190,051 
163,868 
141,232 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
423,275 
388,746 
362,803 
330,315 
312,483 
288,478 
277,614 
393,388 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
486,213 
250,883 
190,396 
237,981 
230,054 
170,477 
135,348 
130,122 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
53,401 
58,645 
64,862 
72,236 
67,198 
68,413 
73,738 
81,927 
number 
3,703,120 
4,292,702 
4,460,495 
4,353,214 
4,312,716 
4,165,357 
4,158,226 
4,664,498 
Beef cows 
farms 
46,161 
51,289 
56,057 
62,009 
57,935 
58,024 
61,049 
67,102 
number 
1,683,731 
2,089,181 
2,108,452 
2,048,277 
2,023,187 
1,876,845 
1,818,969 
1,933,477 
Milk cows 
farms 
2,451 
2,621 
3,975 
4,351 
4,175 
5,626 
7,712 
1 1 ,320 
number 
92,952 
110,358 
162,469 
173,340 
174,669 
215,920 
242,039 
267,753 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
46,909 
52,060 
57,957 
70,736 
66,350 
67,044 
73,947 
79,806 
number 
2,297,985 
2,462,198 
2,491,094 
2,528,572 
2,494,869 
2,349,975 
2,514,867 
2,496,490 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
2,128 
2,999 
3,449 
5,593 
5,419 
1 1 ,894 
14,985 
22,589 
number 
2,774,597 
3,101,469 
2,909,609 
3,529,932 
3,546,972 
2,908,509 
2,581,954 
3,186,443 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
1,852 
2,971 
3,752 
5,299 
5,183 
12,133 
15,306 
23,444 
number 
9,727,491 
9,073,468 
9,288,986 
8,524,793 
8,540,647 
5,547,530 
4,804,123 
5,894,874 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Missouri 7 
