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 
21,489 
23,618 
20,812 
21,531 
17,772 
17,020 
17,237 
18,742 
Land in farms 
acres 
3,606,674 
3,697,606 
3,584,668 
3,698,204 
3,455,532 
3,267,188 
3,372,955 
3,559,051 
Average size of farm 
acres 
168 
157 
172 
172 
194 
192 
196 
190 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
413,407 
373,435 
231,999 
195,213 
212,832 
165,088 
130,802 
129,390 
Average per acre 
dollars 
2,463 
2,385 
1,315 
1,123 
1,090 
849 
682 
688 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
1,074,873 
917,826 
496,427 
494,113 
432,904 
326,514 
299,941 
301,305 
Average per farm 
dollars 
50,027 
38,871 
26,188 
22,962 
24,315 
19,257 
17,482 
16,100 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
956 
1,207 
996 
1,038 
727 
737 
643 
580 
1 0 to 49 acres 
5,128 
5,749 
4,676 
4,296 
3,026 
2,893 
2,689 
3,073 
50 to 1 79 acres 
9,692 
10,739 
9,337 
10,172 
8,164 
7,787 
8,081 
8,984 
180 to 499 acres 
4,457 
4,681 
4,492 
4,734 
4,522 
4,350 
4,518 
4,819 
500 to 999 acres 
894 
908 
956 
970 
1,012 
948 
1,004 
977 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
279 
265 
280 
248 
248 
242 
247 
247 
2,000 acres or more 
83 
69 
75 
73 
73 
63 
55 
62 
Total cropland 
farms 
17,569 
19,446 
17,821 
19,479 
16,509 
15,891 
16,246 
17,763 
acres 
804,006 
942,132 
1,173,032 
1,420,517 
1,336,723 
1,294,134 
1,285,786 
1,319,437 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
16,690 
17,494 
15,827 
17,658 
15,086 
14,531 
15,056 
16,446 
acres 
699,793 
692,003 
648,635 
661,882 
621,632 
555,818 
553,517 
576,889 
Irrigated land 
farms 
466 
457 
408 
319 
268 
312 
255 
135 
acres 
2,064 
2,189 
1,981 
3,543 
3,285 
2,769 
3,132 
945 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
806,775 
591,665 
482,814 
459,387 
447,428 
364,203 
270,639 
242,127 
Average per farm 
dollars 
37,544 
25,051 
23,199 
21,336 
25,176 
21,399 
15,701 
12,919 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
139,092 
78,308 
69,693 
68,964 
64,907 
63,081 
49,249 
57,203 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
667,683 
513,357 
413,121 
390,423 
382,521 
301,122 
221,390 
184,923 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
8,861 
12,433 
12,054 
10,439 
7,819 
6,927 
7,977 
9,677 
$2,500 to $4,999 
3,615 
3,531 
2,712 
4,174 
3,415 
3,499 
3,463 
3,728 
$5,000 to $9,999 
3,582 
2,913 
2,398 
3,148 
2,863 
2,848 
2,547 
2,533 
$10,000 to $24,999 
2,956 
2,538 
1,875 
1,995 
1,936 
2,006 
1,781 
1,437 
$25,000 to $49,999 
1,108 
1,033 
695 
699 
675 
688 
583 
539 
$50,000 to $99,999 
505 
421 
383 
431 
431 
433 
400 
354 
$100,000 to $499,999 
510 
490 
469 
450 
439 
509 
414 
397 
$500,000 or more 
352 
259 
226 
195 
194 
110 
72 
57 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
20,009 
22,488 
19,862 
20,068 
16,475 
15,737 
15,988 
17,336 
Partnership 
893 
856 
639 
1,037 
918 
977 
971 
1,134 
Corporation 
429 
209 
220 
317 
285 
226 
197 
180 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
158 
65 
91 
109 
94 
80 
81 
92 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
8,092 
8,074 
8,910 
7,491 
6,390 
6,269 
6,018 
5,802 
Any 
13,397 
15,544 
11,902 
12,966 
10,489 
9,594 
10,083 
1 1 ,743 
200 days or more 
8,750 
9,948 
9,107 
9,482 
7,554 
6,985 
7,278 
8,347 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
9,164 
9,799 
10,507 
8,123 
7,145 
7,169 
7,201 
7,117 
Other 
12,325 
13,819 
10,305 
13,408 
10,627 
9,851 
10,036 
1 1 ,625 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
59.7 
58.1 
56.3 
56.2 
56.7 
56.4 
55.6 
53.8 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
762,655 
545,855 
408,650 
404,647 
380,631 
308,703 
231,077 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
128,271 
96,910 
63,817 
66,403 
63,068 
54,571 
37,921 
30,135 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
327,286 
177,847 
130,696 
162,078 
154,556 
101,386 
64,781 
51,915 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
22,469 
19,364 
12,976 
12,283 
11,710 
11,670 
10,779 
10,226 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
41,919 
37,698 
20,134 
17,806 
16,457 
15,877 
12,787 
15,800 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
43,344 
32,794 
31,843 
25,683 
24,160 
26,956 
23,244 
20,340 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
27,775 
28,549 
20,711 
23,319 
21,169 
17,179 
16,409 
16,738 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
8,136 
6,054 
5,591 
5,239 
4,950 
6,428 
5,346 
5,024 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
12,067 
12,792 
12,831 
14,082 
12,284 
12,431 
12,897 
15,123 
number 
414,908 
411,028 
404,163 
440,891 
439,462 
430,708 
408,129 
455,173 
Beef cows 
farms 
10,156 
10,653 
10,824 
11,674 
10,367 
10,570 
10,588 
12,632 
number 
191,398 
203,711 
200,401 
204,341 
202,844 
197,886 
182,071 
198,322 
Milk cows 
farms 
438 
370 
525 
773 
676 
972 
1,575 
2,901 
number 
10,095 
1 1 ,744 
14,972 
18,527 
18,497 
23,366 
27,019 
34,776 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
10,032 
10,474 
9,513 
12,943 
11,576 
11,583 
12,061 
13,525 
number 
250,073 
249,845 
239,760 
277,319 
270,361 
254,233 
249,163 
237,911 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
725 
955 
808 
827 
645 
841 
1,226 
1,981 
number 
5,873 
8,948 
12,773 
17,970 
15,708 
26,760 
30,759 
33,881 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
624 
1,042 
717 
489 
402 
587 
868 
1,151 
number 
8,712 
19,588 
26,173 
28,620 
24,884 
50,642 
59,181 
57,979 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
West Virginia 7 
