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 
46,030 
47,383 
47,606 
49,366 
41,095 
42,222 
44,799 
51,859 
Land in farms 
acres 
8,302,444 
8,103,925 
8,624,829 
8,753,625 
8,228,226 
8,297,011 
8,676,336 
9,436,854 
Average size of farm 
acres 
180 
171 
181 
177 
200 
197 
194 
182 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
776,719 
720,538 
490,064 
356,425 
384,979 
320,488 
232,374 
205,034 
Average per acre 
dollars 
4,306 
4,213 
2,675 
1,975 
1,920 
1,636 
1,198 
1,125 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
3,339,696 
3,120,923 
2,005,079 
1,927,837 
1,718,392 
1,388,837 
1,350,875 
1,396,216 
Average per farm 
dollars 
72,561 
65,870 
43,303 
39,063 
41,835 
33,090 
30,249 
26,976 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
3,343 
3,530 
3,027 
3,860 
2,864 
3,357 
3,408 
4,158 
1 0 to 49 acres 
14,425 
15,177 
14,082 
13,908 
10,283 
10,361 
10,753 
12,762 
50 to 1 79 acres 
16,850 
17,589 
18,315 
19,138 
15,938 
16,293 
17,530 
20,489 
180 to 499 acres 
7,864 
7,777 
8,613 
8,730 
8,293 
8,422 
9,252 
10,393 
500 to 999 acres 
2,173 
1,985 
2,183 
2,465 
2,469 
2,517 
2,624 
2,837 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
1,009 
960 
1,023 
937 
923 
987 
968 
956 
2,000 acres or more 
366 
365 
363 
328 
325 
285 
264 
264 
Total cropland 
farms 
34,525 
35,954 
41,047 
43,124 
37,177 
38,779 
41,491 
48,550 
acres 
2,990,561 
3,274,137 
4,194,158 
4,525,365 
4,322,425 
4,311,840 
4,363,106 
4,559,543 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
31,041 
30,563 
33,791 
36,326 
32,124 
34,255 
37,332 
44,259 
acres 
2,618,291 
2,544,997 
2,623,776 
2,600,860 
2,520,961 
2,449,013 
2,406,976 
2,779,282 
Irrigated land 
farms 
2,456 
2,347 
3,331 
2,509 
2,337 
2,312 
3,054 
1,839 
acres 
68,651 
82,187 
98,913 
86,388 
84,926 
61,759 
78,681 
42,824 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
3,753,287 
2,906,188 
2,360,911 
2,394,779 
2,343,518 
2,055,958 
1,588,770 
1,606,915 
Average per farm 
dollars 
81,540 
61,334 
49,593 
48,511 
57,027 
48,694 
35,464 
30,986 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
1,360,146 
858,301 
718,219 
794,010 
780,099 
696,489 
465,379 
629,303 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
2,393,141 
2,047,887 
1,642,692 
1,600,769 
1,563,418 
1,359,469 
1,123,391 
977,612 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
17,103 
20,191 
18,424 
16,355 
10,999 
10,546 
13,622 
15,842 
$2,500 to $4,999 
5,063 
5,391 
6,669 
8,018 
6,754 
7,161 
7,995 
9,509 
$5,000 to $9,999 
6,436 
6,191 
6,946 
8,170 
7,203 
7,687 
7,580 
8,558 
$10,000 to $24,999 
6,940 
6,597 
6,737 
7,444 
7,011 
7,402 
6,895 
7,753 
$25,000 to $49,999 
3,837 
3,399 
3,060 
3,160 
3,042 
3,266 
3,028 
3,660 
$50,000 to $99,999 
2,220 
1,886 
1,849 
2,057 
1,965 
1,946 
2,102 
2,617 
$100,000 to $499,999 
2,665 
2,347 
2,845 
3,066 
3,035 
3,439 
3,110 
3,541 
$500,000 or more 
1,766 
1,381 
1,076 
1,096 
1,086 
775 
467 
349 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
40,156 
41,173 
42,851 
43,445 
35,824 
36,866 
39,344 
45,731 
Partnership 
2,874 
3,625 
2,757 
3,866 
3,425 
3,786 
4,004 
4,765 
Corporation 
2,550 
2,269 
1,723 
1,787 
1,620 
1,327 
1,173 
1,023 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
450 
316 
275 
268 
226 
243 
278 
340 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
17,648 
16,385 
21,530 
17,351 
15,297 
15,878 
16,275 
17,984 
Any 
28,382 
30,998 
26,076 
29,047 
23,215 
23,465 
25,826 
29,561 
200 days or more 
18,876 
19,236 
18,747 
20,961 
16,433 
16,795 
18,291 
20,648 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
20,740 
20,294 
25,500 
20,479 
18,410 
19,571 
20,617 
24,090 
Other 
25,290 
27,089 
22,106 
28,887 
22,685 
22,651 
24,182 
27,769 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
59.5 
58.2 
56.7 
55.8 
56.4 
55.6 
54.5 
53.3 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
3,494,672 
2,711,537 
2,045,598 
2,064,754 
1,924,690 
1,699,051 
1,334,393 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
424,722 
323,214 
277,272 
230,527 
208,871 
230,888 
169,333 
161,849 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
1,067,299 
727,195 
507,692 
690,144 
649,741 
461,703 
360,422 
295,721 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
235,173 
189,325 
114,943 
119,804 
113,688 
108,844 
92,982 
116,005 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
190,119 
156,818 
84,041 
85,685 
79,765 
79,225 
64,261 
98,762 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
354,999 
293,996 
242,131 
205,151 
192,798 
188,671 
145,364 
126,893 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
128,243 
123,286 
90,843 
93,671 
85,752 
85,120 
83,237 
105,832 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
116,536 
76,060 
67,506 
73,198 
69,655 
64,381 
51,382 
50,270 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
23,911 
25,957 
27,733 
31,862 
26,547 
27,638 
28,325 
33,114 
number 
1,631,882 
1,566,217 
1,622,767 
1,702,675 
1,639,058 
1,653,191 
1,510,920 
1,672,006 
Beef cows 
farms 
19,596 
21,907 
23,030 
25,273 
21,753 
22,519 
22,228 
25,556 
number 
657,320 
695,061 
680,610 
695,774 
688,541 
674,068 
581,298 
617,787 
Milk cows 
farms 
1,168 
1,154 
1,580 
1,887 
1,671 
2,369 
3,372 
5,577 
number 
94,105 
98,917 
114,724 
124,762 
121,823 
140,033 
157,128 
173,418 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
20,091 
21,884 
23,970 
30,761 
26,350 
26,917 
28,222 
31,287 
number 
845,381 
880,607 
931,879 
958,985 
906,897 
855,634 
859,708 
814,465 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
1,265 
1,240 
855 
1,533 
1,170 
2,085 
3,711 
7,239 
number 
239,899 
371,176 
409,284 
389,752 
385,755 
412,736 
345,058 
474,393 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
919 
964 
834 
1,007 
823 
1,596 
3,016 
5,282 
number 
559,658 
965,117 
847,002 
717,263 
710,320 
715,452 
642,863 
804,740 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Virginia 7 
