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 
7,338 
6,984 
6,571 
7,063 
5,828 
5,436 
5,877 
6,315 
Land in farms 
acres 
1,251,713 
1,233,313 
1,244,909 
1,315,315 
1,262,155 
1,278,525 
1,407,868 
1,574,441 
Average size of farm 
acres 
171 
177 
189 
186 
217 
235 
240 
249 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
546,627 
512,684 
386,695 
303,211 
323,107 
318,131 
258,713 
206,616 
Average per acre 
dollars 
3,205 
2,903 
2,051 
1,618 
1,520 
1,342 
1,124 
842 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
637,927 
520,310 
419,630 
312,585 
284,761 
276,042 
270,641 
274,844 
Average per farm 
dollars 
86,947 
74,500 
66,094 
44,275 
49,046 
50,911 
46,090 
43,571 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
616 
635 
477 
520 
354 
292 
281 
272 
1 0 to 49 acres 
2,258 
1,862 
1,738 
1,658 
1,103 
807 
834 
754 
50 to 1 79 acres 
2,414 
2,396 
2,216 
2,433 
1,925 
1,692 
1,800 
1,926 
180 to 499 acres 
1,513 
1,557 
1,586 
1,888 
1,862 
2,039 
2,320 
2,635 
500 to 999 acres 
383 
390 
406 
449 
469 
520 
559 
634 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
115 
114 
123 
100 
100 
73 
71 
85 
2,000 acres or more 
39 
30 
25 
15 
15 
13 
12 
9 
Total cropland 
farms 
4,974 
5,439 
5,103 
5,934 
5,065 
5,081 
5,506 
5,977 
acres 
488,327 
516,924 
567,509 
632,339 
617,263 
658,765 
707,970 
772,055 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
4,619 
4,707 
4,373 
5,273 
4,609 
4,741 
5,069 
5,583 
acres 
446,020 
433,074 
454,699 
473,026 
465,489 
477,020 
488,253 
547,848 
Irrigated land 
farms 
766 
523 
508 
409 
333 
255 
178 
120 
acres 
3,565 
2,295 
2,335 
2,845 
2,570 
2,123 
1,823 
1,254 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
776,105 
673,713 
473,065 
478,781 
476,343 
415,253 
375,537 
369,402 
Average per farm 
dollars 
105,765 
96,465 
71,993 
67,787 
81,734 
76,389 
63,899 
58,496 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
177,726 
99,262 
71,583 
63,775 
59,592 
35,483 
25,186 
20,054 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
598,379 
574,451 
401,482 
415,007 
416,752 
379,770 
350,351 
349,348 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
2,597 
2,581 
2,673 
2,326 
1,504 
1,326 
1,523 
1,661 
$2,500 to $4,999 
792 
695 
699 
878 
655 
551 
589 
593 
$5,000 to $9,999 
969 
841 
610 
807 
704 
567 
480 
444 
$10,000 to $24,999 
904 
902 
633 
798 
719 
467 
453 
469 
$25,000 to $49,999 
554 
497 
396 
381 
344 
350 
446 
615 
$50,000 to $99,999 
413 
390 
393 
564 
569 
710 
992 
1,192 
$100,000 to $499,999 
789 
787 
985 
1,166 
1,190 
1,378 
1,352 
1,307 
$500,000 or more 
320 
291 
182 
143 
143 
87 
42 
26 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
6,043 
5,848 
5,716 
6,061 
4,915 
4,665 
5,096 
5,589 
Partnership 
695 
608 
483 
575 
538 
485 
510 
505 
Corporation 
486 
400 
281 
359 
318 
246 
232 
176 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
114 
128 
91 
68 
57 
40 
39 
45 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
2,845 
2,323 
3,029 
2,937 
2,661 
2,740 
2,854 
3,023 
Any 
4,493 
4,661 
3,542 
3,754 
2,835 
2,402 
2,695 
2,863 
200 days or more 
2,686 
2,587 
2,374 
2,334 
1,685 
1,344 
1,598 
1,710 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
3,779 
3,461 
3,486 
3,615 
3,300 
3,502 
3,762 
4,093 
Other 
3,559 
3,523 
3,085 
3,448 
2,528 
1,934 
2,115 
2,222 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
57.3 
56.5 
53.9 
52.7 
53.1 
51.4 
50.4 
49.1 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
679,732 
549,904 
427,717 
390,196 
371,207 
340,482 
289,945 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
21,865 
25,230 
23,993 
25,068 
24,005 
21,278 
19,702 
16,157 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
210,804 
144,129 
108,693 
122,944 
119,251 
108,490 
89,318 
103,934 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
24,141 
19,789 
10,879 
10,197 
9,800 
10,887 
9,015 
8,919 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
43,540 
32,656 
14,895 
13,803 
13,005 
12,369 
10,935 
16,168 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
95,703 
72,316 
62,720 
45,593 
43,304 
38,323 
31,704 
28,865 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
29,387 
26,913 
18,881 
25,199 
23,753 
23,441 
22,539 
25,245 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
6,940 
5,637 
4,944 
4,426 
4,131 
3,402 
2,816 
2,018 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
2,784 
2,459 
2,680 
3,651 
3,203 
3,558 
4,128 
4,965 
number 
274,251 
264,823 
283,619 
304,639 
308,267 
310,518 
320,189 
355,104 
Beef cows 
farms 
1,295 
1,048 
1,101 
1,325 
1,057 
1,048 
1,180 
1,360 
number 
11,487 
10,002 
1 1 ,276 
12,871 
12,340 
11,812 
9,805 
9,473 
Milk cows 
farms 
1,075 
1,219 
1,508 
1,995 
1,940 
2,373 
2,846 
3,585 
number 
134,142 
139,719 
150,626 
160,282 
162,868 
168,473 
178,967 
191,089 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
2,061 
1,937 
2,104 
3,181 
2,958 
3,378 
3,919 
4,620 
number 
101,431 
107,049 
136,244 
142,916 
142,041 
145,715 
170,741 
157,002 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
450 
249 
206 
320 
238 
347 
370 
732 
number 
3,874 
2,701 
2,019 
3,477 
2,900 
3,738 
5,133 
4,233 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
525 
239 
206 
192 
140 
228 
239 
385 
number 
6,638 
4,968 
4,933 
6,553 
4,992 
7,427 
7,595 
7,012 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Vermont 7 
