Fig. 3 
Principal Operators by Age Group, 2007 and 2012 
Increased Diversity 
All categories of minority-operated farms increased 
between 2007 and 2012 (Fig. 4). Hispanic-operated farms 
were up 21 percent. Although more than half of all farms 
had sales of less than $10,000, minority-operated farms 
(except for Asian operated-farms) fell disproportionately 
into this group. In 2012, more than a third of Asian principal 
farmers operated farms with sales of $50,000 or more. 
(Table 6) 
In 2012, 70 percent of farms had Internet access, up from 
the last agriculture census. For all groups of minority farm- 
ers, access was higher in 2012 than 2007, with Black- and 
Asian-operated farms each having about a twenty percent- 
age point increase. (Fig. 5) 
Table 6 
Share of Farms by Sales Class for Minority Operators, 2012 
(percent of group) 
Annual 
Sales 
All 
Farms 
Hispanic 
American 
Indian 
Black 
Asian 
Less than $10,000 
56.6 
68.4 
78.1 
78.9 
43.4 
$10,000 to $49,999 
18.9 
17.1 
14.3 
15.6 
22.3 
$50,000 to $99,999 
6.1 
4.5 
2.9 
2.4 
7.5 
$100,000 or more 
18.4 
10.0 
4.7 
3.1 
26.8 
Total 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture. 
Fig. 4 
Minority Principal Operators, 2007 and 2012 
Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture. 
Fig. 5 
Internet Access, by Principal Operator, 2007 and 2012 
Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture. 
The Average Farm 
Those who consider farming to be their primary 
occupation (48 percent) differ in a number of ways from 
the other half of farm operators for whom farming is a 
secondary activity. Although “average” describes no one 
exactly, it is a useful way to look at some similarities and 
differences. 
Farming Primary Other Primary 
Activity Activity 
Acres farmed 
674 
214 
Agriculture sales 
$340,421 
$46,789 
Government payments 
$13,546 
$5,213 
Age 
60 
57 
Years on operation 
26 
20 
Years farming 
29 
22 
Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture. 
2012 Census of Agriculture 
3 
