Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations - 2012 Summary

United States
Department of
Agriculture
National
Agricultural
Statistics
Service

Farms, Land in Farms,
and Livestock Operations
2012 Summary
February 2013

ISSN: 1930-7128

This page intentionally left blank

Contents
2012 Number of Farms and Land in Farms Highlights .......................................................................................................... 4
2012 Livestock Operations Highlights ................................................................................................................................... 5
Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class – United States: 2011 and 2012 ........................................................................ 6
Average Farm Size by Economic Sales Class – United States: 2011 and 2012 ..................................................................... 6
Farms and Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class – United States: 2012 ........................................................................... 7
Number of Farms and Average Farm Size – United States: 1996-2012 ................................................................................. 7
Point Farms, Percent of Total – United States: 2003-2012 ..................................................................................................... 8
Number of Farms, Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size – United States: 2003-2012 ....................................................... 8
Percent of Farms and Land in Farms and the Average Farm Size by Economic Sales Class – United States:
2011 and 2012 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Number of Farms, Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size – States and United States: 2011 and 2012 ............................... 9
Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class – Region, States, and United States: 2011 and 2012 ...................................... 10
Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class – Region, States, and United States: 2011 and 2012 ........................................... 14
Number of Cattle and Calves Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group – United States:
2011 and 2012 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Number of Milk Cow Operations, Percent of Inventory, and Percent of Milk Production by Size Group –
United States: 2011 and 2012 ............................................................................................................................................... 18
Number of Hog and Pig Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group – United States: 2011 and 2012 .................. 19
Number of Hog and Pig Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group, Based on Ownership –
United States: 2011 and 2012 ............................................................................................................................................... 19
Number of Sheep and Goat Operations – United States: 2011 and 2012 ............................................................................. 19
Breeding Sheep, Survey Percent by Size Group – United States: 2011 and 2012 ................................................................ 19
Statistical Methodology ....................................................................................................................................................... 20
Terms and Definitions .......................................................................................................................................................... 21
Farm Definition History ........................................................................................................................................................ 22
Special Note Regarding 2007 Estimates ............................................................................................................................... 23
Information Contacts ............................................................................................................................................................ 25

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

3

2012 Number of Farms and Land in Farms Highlights
The number of farms in the United States in 2012 is estimated at 2.2 million, down 11,630 farms from 2011. Total land
in farms, at 914 million acres, decreased 3 million acres from 2011. The average farm size is 421 acres, up 1 acre from the
previous year.
Farm numbers and land in farms are differentiated by five economic sales classes. Farms and ranches are classified into
these “sales classes” by summing sales of agricultural products and government program payments. Sales class breaks
occur at $10,000, $100,000, $250,000, and $500,000.
Farm numbers in the $500,000 and over sales class increased by 8.6 percent, to 145,190 farms. Higher commodity prices
and larger value of sales contributed to changes in the number of farms within these sales classes. Meanwhile, the number
of farms in the $1,000 - $9,999 sales class decreased by 2.5 percent to 1,172,200. Farm numbers increased slightly in the
$10,000 - $99,999 sales class to slightly over 600,000 farms. The number of farms in the $100,000 - $249,999 and
$250,000 - $499,999 sales classes increased 1.9 and 1.1 percent, respectively.
Land in farms increased in the largest sales class while decreasing in all other sales classes. Land operated by farms in
the $500,000 & over sales class increased 3.7 percent, to 317.1 million acres. Land operated by farms in the $1,000$9,999 sales class decreased by 3.9 percent, to slightly less than 97 million acres. Land in farms in the $10,000 - $99,999,
$100,000 - $249,999 and $250,000 - $499,999 sales classes decreased by 1.4, 2.6 and 2.4 percent respectively.
The average farm size increased 1 acre in 2012 to 421 acres per farm. However, average farm sizes declined in all sales
classes partially due to smaller farms moving up to higher sales classes.

4

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

2012 Livestock Operations Highlights
The number of operations with cattle totaled 915,000 for 2012, down 1 percent from 2011. Beef cow operations in
2012, at 729,000, were also down 1 percent from last year. The number of milk cow operations for 2012 totaled 58,000,
down 3 percent from 2011.
The three operation classes: Cattle, beef cows, and milk cows, are classified into size groups independently. Therefore, it
is possible to have more beef cow operations in a particular size group than cattle operations. As an example, an operator
with 75 cattle and 40 beef cows would be classified in the 50-99 size group for cattle and 1-49 size group for beef cows.
The number of operations with hogs totaled 68,300 for 2012, down 1 percent from 2011. Places with 2,000 or more
head accounted for 87 percent of the inventory.
The number of operations with sheep totaled 79,500 for 2012, down 1 percent from 2011. Of all sheep operations that
include breeding sheep, 93.9 percent were comprised of 1-99 head, 5.0 percent had 100-499 head, and the remaining 1.1
percent were operations with 500 head or more. Operations with 1-99 head account for 35.5 percent of the inventory, 100499 head account for 21.1 percent of the inventory, and 500+ head account for 43.4 percent of the inventory.
The number of operations with goats totaled 149,000 for 2012, down 1 percent from a year earlier. Angora goat
operations totaled 5,300, down 4 percent from 2011. Milk goat operations totaled 30,500, down 2 percent from 2011.
Meat goat operations totaled 123,000, down 1 percent from a year earlier. Total goat operations will be equal to or less
than the sum of angora, milk and meat goat operations since places which own more than one goat type count as only one
operation.

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

5

Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class –
United States: 2011 and 2012
Thousands of farms
1,400
2011

1,200

2012

1,000
800
600
400
200
0
<$10,000

$10,000-$99,999

$100,000-$249,999
Economic Sales Class

$250,000-$499,999

$500,000+

Average Farm Size by Economic Sales Class –
United States: 2011 and 2012
Acres
2,500
2011

2012

2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
<$10,000

6

$10,000-$99,999

$100,000-$249,999
Economic Sales Class

$250,000-$499,999

$500,000+

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Farms and Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class –
United States: 2012
Percent of total

60
Number of farms

Land in farms

50
40
30
20
10
0
<$10,000

$10,000-$99,999

$100,000-$249,999
Economic Sales Class

$250,000-$499,999

$500,000+

Number of Farms and Average Farm Size –
United States: 1996-2012
Average farm size

Millions of farms
2.35

445

2.30

440
435

2.25

430
2.20
425
2.15

Number of farms

420

2.10

Average farm size

415

2.05
1996

410
1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

Year

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

7

Point Farms, Percent of Total – United States: 2003-2012
Year

Farms

Land

(percent)
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

(percent)

...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................

18.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
22.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
19.0
18.5

3.0
2.5
2.5
2.7
3.0
2.8
2.9
3.0
3.0
2.9

Number of Farms, Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size – United States: 2003-2012
Year

2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

Number
of farms

Land
in farms

Average
farm size

(number)

(1,000 acres)

(acres)

...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................

2,126,860
2,112,970
2,098,690
2,088,790
2,204,950
2,200,100
2,200,210
2,192,000
2,181,630
2,170,000

936,750
932,260
927,940
925,790
921,460
919,910
919,890
918,840
917,000
914,000

440
441
442
443
418
418
418
419
420
421

Percent of Farms and Land in Farms and the Average Farm Size by Economic Sales Class –
United States: 2011 and 2012
Percent of total
Economic sales class

Farms
2011

2012

(percent)

Average farm size

Land in farms
2011

(percent)

2012

(percent)

(percent)

2011

2012

(acres)

(acres)

$1,000 - $2,499 ...............................
$2,500 - $4,999 ...............................
$5,000 - $9,999 ...............................
$10,000 - $24,999 ...........................
$25,000 - $49,999 ...........................
$50,000 - $99,999 ...........................
$100,000 - $249,999 .......................
$250,000 - $499,999 .......................
$500,000 - $999,999 .......................
$1,000,000 + ...................................

27.0
14.5
13.5
12.0
8.3
7.2
6.7
4.6
3.7
2.5

25.5
14.8
13.7
13.2
7.5
7.1
7.2
4.8
3.2
3.0

3.5
3.5
4.0
6.8
7.3
10.4
15.1
16.0
16.4
17.0

3.4
3.4
4.0
6.8
7.1
10.1
15.2
16.0
16.3
17.7

54
101
124
238
370
608
951
1,468
1,871
2,870

55
95
121
220
404
607
888
1,401
2,142
2,481

Total ...............................................

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

420

421

8

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Number of Farms, Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size – States and United States: 2011 and 2012
State

Number of farms

Land in farms

Average farm size

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

(number)

(number)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(acres)

(acres)

Alabama ..........................
Alaska .............................
Arizona ............................
Arkansas .........................
California .........................
Colorado ..........................
Connecticut .....................
Delaware .........................
Florida .............................
Georgia ...........................

47,500
680
15,500
48,300
81,500
36,700
4,900
2,500
47,500
47,000

46,500
680
15,500
47,800
80,500
36,300
4,900
2,500
47,500
47,000

8,900
880
26,100
13,500
25,400
31,300
400
490
9,250
10,300

8,850
880
26,100
13,500
25,400
31,300
400
490
9,250
10,400

187
1,294
1,684
280
312
853
82
196
195
219

190
1,294
1,684
282
316
862
82
196
195
221

Hawaii .............................
Idaho ...............................
Illinois ..............................
Indiana ............................
Iowa .................................
Kansas ............................
Kentucky ..........................
Louisiana .........................
Maine ..............................
Maryland ..........................

7,500
24,700
74,600
62,000
92,300
65,500
85,500
29,000
8,100
12,800

7,500
24,500
74,300
60,000
92,200
65,500
85,500
29,000
8,100
12,800

1,110
11,400
26,600
14,700
30,700
46,000
14,000
7,950
1,350
2,050

1,110
11,400
26,600
14,700
30,700
46,000
14,000
7,950
1,350
2,050

148
462
357
237
333
702
164
274
167
160

148
465
358
245
333
702
164
274
167
160

Massachusetts .................
Michigan ..........................
Minnesota ........................
Mississippi .......................
Missouri ...........................
Montana ..........................
Nebraska .........................
Nevada ............................
New Hampshire ...............
New Jersey ......................

7,700
54,900
79,800
42,400
106,500
29,300
46,800
2,980
4,150
10,300

7,700
54,700
79,400
42,300
106,000
28,600
46,700
2,950
4,150
10,200

520
10,000
26,850
11,150
29,000
60,500
45,500
5,860
470
730

520
9,900
26,800
11,150
29,000
58,800
45,500
5,840
470
730

68
182
336
263
272
2,065
972
1,966
113
71

68
181
338
264
274
2,056
974
1,980
113
72

New Mexico .....................
New York .........................
North Carolina .................
North Dakota ...................
Ohio .................................
Oklahoma ........................
Oregon ............................
Pennsylvania ...................
Rhode Island ...................
South Carolina .................

23,000
36,000
50,400
31,800
73,700
85,500
38,300
62,200
1,220
27,000

23,800
36,000
50,000
31,600
73,400
85,500
38,100
62,100
1,220
26,700

43,400
7,000
8,500
39,600
13,600
34,700
16,300
7,600
70
4,900

43,900
7,000
8,500
39,600
13,550
34,800
16,500
7,700
70
4,800

1,887
194
169
1,245
185
406
426
122
57
181

1,845
194
170
1,253
185
407
433
124
57
180

South Dakota ...................
Tennessee .......................
Texas ..............................
Utah .................................
Vermont ...........................
Virginia ............................
Washington .....................
West Virginia ...................
Wisconsin ........................
Wyoming .........................

31,300
77,300
245,000
16,600
7,000
46,400
39,500
22,500
77,000
11,000

31,000
76,000
244,700
16,400
7,000
46,200
39,300
22,100
76,800
10,800

43,650
10,800
130,000
11,100
1,220
7,950
14,800
3,650
15,000
30,200

43,650
10,800
128,000
11,100
1,220
8,050
14,800
3,620
15,000
30,200

1,395
140
531
669
174
171
375
162
195
2,745

1,408
142
523
677
174
174
377
164
195
2,796

United States ...................

2,181,630

2,170,000

917,000

914,000

420

421

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

9

Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class – Region, States, and United States: 2011 and 2012
Economic sales class
Region and state

$1,000-$9,999

$10,000-$99,999

$100,000-$249,999

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

Northeast
Connecticut ...............................
Maine ........................................
Massachusetts ..........................
New Hampshire ........................
New Jersey ...............................
New York ..................................
Pennsylvania .............................
Rhode Island .............................
Vermont ....................................

3,050
5,300
4,800
2,900
6,700
18,900
35,800
750
4,000

3,050
5,300
4,800
2,900
6,600
18,000
35,000
750
4,000

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
10,800
15,700
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
11,300
16,400
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
3,200
5,200
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
3,500
5,300
(NA)
(NA)

Other States 1 ...........................

(X)

(X)

11,050

10,950

2,220

2,220

Total ..........................................

82,200

80,400

37,550

38,650

10,620

11,020

North Central
Illinois ........................................
Indiana ......................................
Iowa ..........................................
Kansas ......................................
Michigan ...................................
Minnesota .................................
Missouri ....................................
Nebraska ..................................
North Dakota .............................
Ohio ..........................................
South Dakota ............................
Wisconsin .................................

31,300
33,000
30,000
28,000
32,300
35,500
56,300
11,000
10,200
38,700
9,000
37,500

30,500
30,500
29,500
27,300
31,600
33,000
53,000
10,200
10,000
38,000
8,800
36,800

16,600
15,500
28,400
22,300
14,000
21,300
37,900
12,600
9,400
22,700
9,800
20,400

15,800
14,900
27,200
22,400
14,000
21,400
39,500
12,200
9,000
22,700
9,600
20,600

8,200
5,000
14,400
6,700
3,700
8,900
5,300
8,200
3,800
5,000
4,800
9,300

8,700
4,900
14,000
6,700
3,500
10,300
5,700
8,200
4,000
5,000
4,900
9,200

Total ..........................................

352,800

339,200

230,900

229,300

83,300

See footnote(s) at end of table.

10

85,100
--continued

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class – Region, States, and United States:
2011 and 2012 (continued)
Economic sales class
Region and state

$1,000-$9,999

$10,000-$99,999

$100,000-$249,999

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

South
Alabama ...................................
Arkansas ..................................
Delaware ..................................
Florida ......................................
Georgia .....................................
Kentucky ...................................
Louisiana ..................................
Maryland ...................................
Mississippi ................................

28,400
26,600
1,000
29,600
28,700
54,800
18,100
7,100
27,700

27,600
25,400
1,000
29,600
28,700
54,700
18,200
7,200
26,300

14,300
13,300
(NA)
12,400
10,300
24,400
7,600
(NA)
10,000

14,100
13,300
(NA)
12,400
10,100
24,400
7,100
(NA)
11,000

1,100
1,500
(NA)
2,300
2,400
2,900
1,000
(NA)
1,000

1,100
1,600
(NA)
2,400
2,300
2,900
1,100
(NA)
1,000

North Carolina ..........................
Oklahoma .................................
South Carolina ..........................
Tennessee ................................
Texas ........................................
Virginia .....................................
West Virginia ............................

30,800
50,000
18,600
54,600
165,200
29,500
17,700

29,200
50,000
18,100
52,400
164,800
29,000
17,200

11,600
28,400
6,200
18,200
62,000
12,800
(NA)

12,900
28,400
6,100
18,800
62,000
13,000
(NA)

1,800
3,300
700
1,800
6,800
1,400
(NA)

2,000
3,300
800
1,700
7,000
1,500
(NA)

Other States 2 ...........................

(X)

(X)

7,830

7,430

1,280

1,230

Total .........................................

588,400

579,400

239,330

241,030

29,280

29,930

West
Alaska .......................................
Arizona .....................................
California ..................................
Colorado ...................................
Hawaii .......................................
Idaho ........................................
Montana ...................................
Nevada .....................................
New Mexico ..............................

350
12,000
35,600
19,800
4,600
11,400
13,400
1,600
15,300

350
12,000
33,200
19,400
4,600
10,900
11,500
1,550
16,000

(NA)
(NA)
26,300
11,400
(NA)
8,200
9,000
(NA)
5,800

(NA)
(NA)
28,200
11,200
(NA)
7,800
9,700
(NA)
5,900

(NA)
(NA)
6,600
2,700
(NA)
2,000
3,200
(NA)
900

(NA)
(NA)
6,100
2,700
(NA)
2,300
3,100
(NA)
900

Oregon .....................................
Utah ..........................................
Washington ...............................
Wyoming ..................................

24,600
10,200
25,000
5,200

24,600
10,000
24,000
5,100

8,700
4,700
8,400
(NA)

8,400
4,700
8,800
(NA)

2,000
850
1,800
(NA)

2,100
900
1,900
(NA)

Other States 3 ...........................

(X)

(X)

9,080

8,900

2,100

2,100

Total .........................................

179,050

173,200

91,580

93,600

22,150

22,100

United States ................................

1,202,450

1,172,200

599,360

602,580

145,350

See footnote(s) at end of table.

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

148,150
--continued

11

Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class – Region, States, and United States: 2011 and 2012
(continued)
Economic sales class
Region and state

$250,000-$499,999

$500,000 and over

Total

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

Northeast
Connecticut ...............................
Maine ........................................
Massachusetts ..........................
New Hampshire ........................
New Jersey ...............................
New York ..................................
Pennsylvania .............................
Rhode Island .............................
Vermont ....................................

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
1,300
2,900
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
1,300
2,700
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
1,800
2,600
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
1,900
2,700
(NA)
(NA)

4,900
8,100
7,700
4,150
10,300
36,000
62,200
1,220
7,000

4,900
8,100
7,700
4,150
10,200
36,000
62,100
1,220
7,000

Other States 1 ...........................

1,220

1,320

1,380

1,380

(X)

(X)

Total ..........................................

5,420

5,320

5,780

5,980

141,570

141,370

North Central
Illinois ........................................
Indiana ......................................
Iowa ..........................................
Kansas ......................................
Michigan ...................................
Minnesota .................................
Missouri ....................................
Nebraska ..................................
North Dakota .............................
Ohio ..........................................
South Dakota ............................
Wisconsin .................................

8,300
3,600
9,500
3,900
2,200
7,000
2,900
6,000
3,800
3,900
4,100
5,500

8,100
3,500
10,000
3,700
2,500
6,700
2,900
6,300
3,400
3,900
4,100
5,900

10,200
4,900
10,000
4,600
2,700
7,100
4,100
9,000
4,600
3,400
3,600
4,300

11,200
6,200
11,500
5,400
3,100
8,000
4,900
9,800
5,200
3,800
3,600
4,300

74,600
62,000
92,300
65,500
54,900
79,800
106,500
46,800
31,800
73,700
31,300
77,000

74,300
60,000
92,200
65,500
54,700
79,400
106,000
46,700
31,600
73,400
31,000
76,800

Total ..........................................

60,700

61,000

68,500

77,000

796,200

See footnote(s) at end of table.

12

791,600
--continued

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class – Region, States, and United States: 2011 and 2012
(continued)
Economic sales class
Region and state

$250,000-$499,999

$500,000 and over

Total

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

(number)

South
Alabama ...................................
Arkansas ..................................
Delaware ..................................
Florida ......................................
Georgia .....................................
Kentucky ...................................
Louisiana ..................................
Maryland ...................................
Mississippi ................................

1,300
2,000
(NA)
1,100
1,500
1,500
900
(NA)
900

1,300
2,100
(NA)
1,000
1,700
1,500
1,200
(NA)
800

2,400
4,900
(NA)
2,100
4,100
1,900
1,400
(NA)
2,800

2,400
5,400
(NA)
2,100
4,200
2,000
1,400
(NA)
3,200

47,500
48,300
2,500
47,500
47,000
85,500
29,000
12,800
42,400

46,500
47,800
2,500
47,500
47,000
85,500
29,000
12,800
42,300

North Carolina ..........................
Oklahoma .................................
South Carolina ..........................
Tennessee ................................
Texas ........................................
Virginia .....................................
West Virginia ............................

2,300
1,800
400
1,200
4,200
1,200
(NA)

2,100
1,700
400
1,500
4,100
1,100
(NA)

3,900
2,000
1,100
1,500
6,800
1,500
(NA)

3,800
2,100
1,300
1,600
6,800
1,600
(NA)

50,400
85,500
27,000
77,300
245,000
46,400
22,500

50,000
85,500
26,700
76,000
244,700
46,200
22,100

Other States 2 ...........................

890

820

2,000

2,520

(X)

(X)

Total .........................................

21,190

21,320

38,400

40,420

916,600

912,100

West
Alaska .......................................
Arizona .....................................
California ..................................
Colorado ...................................
Hawaii .......................................
Idaho ........................................
Montana ...................................
Nevada .....................................
New Mexico ..............................

(NA)
(NA)
3,900
1,200
(NA)
1,200
2,400
(NA)
450

(NA)
(NA)
4,300
1,400
(NA)
1,400
2,500
(NA)
400

(NA)
(NA)
9,100
1,600
(NA)
1,900
1,300
(NA)
550

(NA)
(NA)
8,700
1,600
(NA)
2,100
1,800
(NA)
600

680
15,500
81,500
36,700
7,500
24,700
29,300
2,980
23,000

680
15,500
80,500
36,300
7,500
24,500
28,600
2,950
23,800

Oregon .....................................
Utah ..........................................
Washington ...............................
Wyoming ..................................

1,000
400
1,700
(NA)

1,000
400
1,600
(NA)

2,000
450
2,600
(NA)

2,000
400
3,000
(NA)

38,300
16,600
39,500
11,000

38,100
16,400
39,300
10,800

Other States 3 ...........................

1,240

1,240

1,490

1,590

(X)

(X)

Total .........................................

13,490

14,240

20,990

21,790

327,260

324,930

United States ................................

100,800

101,880

133,670

145,190

2,181,630

2,170,000

(NA) Not available.
(X) Not applicable.
1
Other States includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
2
Other States includes Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia.
3
Other States includes Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, and Wyoming.

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

13

Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class – Region, States, and United States: 2011 and 2012
Economic sales class
Region and state

$1,000-$9,999

$10,000-$99,999

$100,000-$249,999

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

Northeast ......................................
Connecticut ...............................
Maine ........................................
Massachusetts ..........................
New Hampshire ........................
New Jersey ...............................
New York ..................................
Pennsylvania .............................
Rhode Island .............................
Vermont ....................................

130
480
210
230
180
1,600
2,300
30
340

130
480
210
230
190
1,350
2,330
30
340

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
1,800
2,100
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
1,900
2,060
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
1,100
1,100
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
1,200
1,020
(NA)
(NA)

Other States 1 ...........................

(X)

(X)

1,250

1,240

500

500

Total ..........................................

5,500

5,290

5,150

5,200

2,700

2,720

North Central ................................
Illinois ........................................
Indiana ......................................
Iowa ..........................................
Kansas ......................................
Michigan ...................................
Minnesota .................................
Missouri ....................................
Nebraska ..................................
North Dakota .............................
Ohio ..........................................
South Dakota ............................
Wisconsin .................................

1,300
1,200
1,400
3,000
1,650
2,900
4,600
1,200
1,600
1,850
1,450
2,300

1,200
1,100
1,400
2,800
1,650
2,800
4,400
1,100
1,500
1,750
1,450
2,200

2,200
1,900
4,900
9,100
1,800
4,650
10,300
5,300
6,000
3,150
7,300
3,000

2,000
1,600
4,900
8,800
1,700
4,600
10,300
4,800
5,600
3,050
7,200
3,000

3,100
1,800
5,400
8,300
1,350
3,900
3,400
7,800
5,400
2,000
9,100
2,600

2,900
1,600
5,300
8,400
1,200
3,800
3,300
7,600
5,350
2,000
9,300
2,500

Total ..........................................

24,450

23,350

59,600

57,550

54,150

See footnote(s) at end of table.

14

53,250
--continued

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class – Region, States, and United States: 2011 and 2012
(continued)
Economic sales class
Region and state

$1,000-$9,999

$10,000-$99,999

$100,000-$249,999

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

South ............................................
Alabama ...................................
Arkansas ..................................
Delaware ..................................
Florida ......................................
Georgia .....................................
Kentucky ...................................
Louisiana ..................................
Maryland ...................................
Mississippi ................................

2,650
2,000
30
1,400
2,750
4,400
1,400
400
3,450

2,550
1,500
30
1,400
2,600
4,350
1,400
400
3,430

3,550
3,200
(NA)
1,800
2,550
4,800
1,900
(NA)
2,700

3,500
3,400
(NA)
1,800
2,700
4,800
1,900
(NA)
2,720

650
1,000
(NA)
850
950
1,350
850
(NA)
950

650
1,100
(NA)
850
900
1,350
800
(NA)
950

North Carolina ..........................
Oklahoma .................................
South Carolina ..........................
Tennessee ................................
Texas ........................................
Virginia .....................................
West Virginia ............................

1,900
6,000
1,550
3,700
18,200
2,100
1,800

1,700
6,000
1,500
3,500
18,000
2,050
1,700

1,700
12,800
1,450
3,450
44,500
2,750
(NA)

1,800
12,850
1,200
3,500
45,000
2,800
(NA)

750
5,350
400
900
15,500
850
(NA)

750
5,350
400
800
15,000
900
(NA)

Other States 2 ...........................

(X)

(X)

1,770

1,770

600

550

Total .........................................

53,730

52,110

88,920

89,740

30,950

30,350

West .............................................
Alaska .......................................
Arizona .....................................
California ..................................
Colorado ...................................
Hawaii .......................................
Idaho ........................................
Montana ...................................
Nevada .....................................
New Mexico ..............................

270
750
1,800
2,700
80
800
2,400
200
3,100

270
750
1,700
2,600
80
800
1,500
190
3,100

(NA)
(NA)
4,700
9,500
(NA)
2,500
11,500
(NA)
11,700

(NA)
(NA)
5,000
9,400
(NA)
2,300
10,500
(NA)
11,500

(NA)
(NA)
3,700
5,300
(NA)
1,900
14,300
(NA)
8,000

(NA)
(NA)
3,700
5,300
(NA)
2,000
12,000
(NA)
8,100

Oregon .....................................
Utah ..........................................
Washington ...............................
Wyoming ..................................

1,600
850
1,300
1,300

1,700
850
1,300
1,300

3,300
2,280
3,000
(NA)

3,100
2,280
3,000
(NA)

3,000
1,410
1,700
(NA)

3,000
1,410
1,700
(NA)

Other States 3 ...........................

(X)

(X)

22,760

22,250

11,770

11,770

Total .........................................

17,150

16,140

71,240

69,330

51,080

48,980

United States ................................

100,830

96,890

224,910

221,820

138,880

See footnote(s) at end of table.

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

135,300
--continued

15

Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class – Region, States, and United States: 2011 and 2012
(continued)
Economic sales class
Region and state

$250,000-$499,999

$500,000 and over

Total

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

Northeast
Connecticut ...............................
Maine ........................................
Massachusetts ..........................
New Hampshire ........................
New Jersey ...............................
New York ..................................
Pennsylvania .............................
Rhode Island .............................
Vermont ....................................

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
700
900
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
650
970
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
1,800
1,200
(NA)
(NA)

(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
(NA)
1,900
1,320
(NA)
(NA)

400
1,350
520
470
730
7,000
7,600
70
1,220

400
1,350
520
470
730
7,000
7,700
70
1,220

Other States 1 ...........................

445

455

965

955

(X)

(X)

Total ..........................................

2,045

2,075

3,965

4,175

19,360

19,460

North Central
Illinois ........................................
Indiana ......................................
Iowa ..........................................
Kansas ......................................
Michigan ...................................
Minnesota .................................
Missouri ....................................
Nebraska ..................................
North Dakota .............................
Ohio ..........................................
South Dakota ............................
Wisconsin .................................

4,900
2,500
6,700
8,000
1,500
4,900
3,200
9,300
8,600
2,450
9,800
2,600

4,600
2,600
6,700
8,000
1,550
4,500
2,800
8,900
8,050
2,450
9,800
2,700

15,100
7,300
12,300
17,600
3,700
10,500
7,500
21,900
18,000
4,150
16,000
4,500

15,900
7,800
12,400
18,000
3,800
11,100
8,200
23,100
19,100
4,300
15,900
4,600

26,600
14,700
30,700
46,000
10,000
26,850
29,000
45,500
39,600
13,600
43,650
15,000

26,600
14,700
30,700
46,000
9,900
26,800
29,000
45,500
39,600
13,550
43,650
15,000

Total ..........................................

64,450

62,650

138,550

144,200

341,200

See footnote(s) at end of table.

16

341,000
--continued

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class – Region, States, and United States: 2011 and 2012
(continued)
Economic sales class
Region and state

$250,000-$499,999

$500,000 and over

Total

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

(1,000 acres)

South
Alabama ...................................
Arkansas ..................................
Delaware ..................................
Florida ......................................
Georgia .....................................
Kentucky ...................................
Louisiana ..................................
Maryland ...................................
Mississippi ................................

650
1,400
(NA)
900
950
1,000
1,050
(NA)
950

650
1,200
(NA)
900
1,000
1,050
1,050
(NA)
800

1,400
5,900
(NA)
4,300
3,100
2,450
2,750
(NA)
3,100

1,500
6,300
(NA)
4,300
3,200
2,450
2,800
(NA)
3,250

8,900
13,500
490
9,250
10,300
14,000
7,950
2,050
11,150

8,850
13,500
490
9,250
10,400
14,000
7,950
2,050
11,150

North Carolina ..........................
Oklahoma .................................
South Carolina ..........................
Tennessee ................................
Texas ........................................
Virginia .....................................
West Virginia ............................

1,150
4,400
400
950
17,300
850
(NA)

950
4,150
400
1,100
16,500
800
(NA)

3,000
6,150
1,100
1,800
34,500
1,400
(NA)

3,300
6,450
1,300
1,900
33,500
1,500
(NA)

8,500
34,700
4,900
10,800
130,000
7,950
3,650

8,500
34,800
4,800
10,800
128,000
8,050
3,620

Other States 2 ...........................

410

410

1,180

1,300

(X)

(X)

Total .........................................

32,360

30,960

72,130

73,050

278,090

276,210

West
Alaska .......................................
Arizona .....................................
California ..................................
Colorado ...................................
Hawaii .......................................
Idaho ........................................
Montana ...................................
Nevada .....................................
New Mexico ..............................

(NA)
(NA)
2,800
5,800
(NA)
1,100
14,500
(NA)
8,500

(NA)
(NA)
3,000
6,100
(NA)
1,200
13,800
(NA)
8,400

(NA)
(NA)
12,400
8,000
(NA)
5,100
17,800
(NA)
12,100

(NA)
(NA)
12,000
7,900
(NA)
5,100
21,000
(NA)
12,800

880
26,100
25,400
31,300
1,110
11,400
60,500
5,860
43,400

880
26,100
25,400
31,300
1,110
11,400
58,800
5,840
43,900

Oregon .....................................
Utah ..........................................
Washington ...............................
Wyoming ..................................

2,400
1,100
2,900
(NA)

2,600
1,100
2,700
(NA)

6,000
5,460
5,900
(NA)

6,100
5,460
6,100
(NA)

16,300
11,100
14,800
30,200

16,500
11,100
14,800
30,200

Other States 3 ...........................

8,550

8,350

18,470

19,170

(X)

(X)

Total .........................................

47,650

47,250

91,230

95,630

278,350

277,330

United States ................................

146,505

142,935

305,875

317,055

917,000

914,000

(NA) Not available.
(X) Not applicable.
1
Other States includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
2
Other States includes Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia.
3
Other States includes Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, and Wyoming.

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

17

Number of Cattle and Calves Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group – United States:
2011 and 2012
Operations

Head

Percent of inventory

2011

2012

2011

2012

(number)

(number)

(percent)

(percent)

Cattle and calves .....................................
1-49 .......................................................
50-99 .....................................................
100-499 .................................................
500-999 .................................................
1,000-1,999 ............................................
2,000-4,999 ............................................
5,000-9,999 ............................................
10,000-19,999 ........................................
20,000+ ..................................................

627,000
127,000
138,700
18,600
6,500
3,020
710
270
200

624,000
125,000
137,000
18,400
6,440
3,000
700
260
200

11.6
9.5
30.4
13.5
9.0
8.9
5.0
3.8
8.3

11.5
9.5
30.2
13.6
9.0
9.0
5.0
3.7
8.5

Total .......................................................

922,000

915,000

100.0

100.0

Beef cows 1
1-49 .......................................................
50-99 .....................................................
100-499 .................................................
500-999 .................................................
1,000-1,999 ............................................
2,000-4,999 ............................................
5,000+ ....................................................

583,000
81,000
64,200
4,390
1,080
280
50

581,000
79,000
63,400
4,230
1,050
270
50

27.7
17.4
38.2
9.1
4.3
2.1
1.2

27.7
17.2
38.4
9.0
4.4
2.1
1.2

Total .......................................................

734,000

729,000

100.0

100.0

1

Included in operations with cattle.

Number of Milk Cow Operations, Percent of Inventory, and Percent of Milk Production by Size Group –
United States: 2011 and 2012
[Included in operations with cattle]
Percent of
inventory

Operations

Head
2011

2012

2011

(number)

(number)

(percent)

Percent of
production 1
2012

2011

(percent)

2012

(percent)

(percent)

1-29 ...............................
30-49 .............................
50-99 .............................
100-199 .........................
200-499 .........................
500-999 .........................
1,000-1,999 ....................
2,000+ ...........................

19,400
10,100
14,800
8,300
4,000
1,650
950
800

18,800
9,700
14,500
7,900
3,800
1,570
950
780

1.6
4.3
11.2
11.9
12.5
12.3
13.7
32.5

1.6
4.3
11.3
11.8
12.5
11.9
14.0
32.6

1.0
3.2
9.4
10.9
12.6
12.6
15.7
34.6

1.0
3.2
9.5
10.7
12.6
12.4
15.9
34.7

Total ..............................

60,000

58,000

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

1

Estimates reflect the average distributions of various probability surveys conducted during the year.

18

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Number of Hog and Pig Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group – United States:
2011 and 2012
Operations

Head

2011

Percent of inventory
2012

(number)

2011

(number)

2012

(percent)

(percent)

1-99 ...............................................
100-499 .........................................
500-999 .........................................
1,000-1,999 ...................................
2,000-4,999 ...................................
5,000+ ...........................................

49,400
5,100
2,400
3,400
5,500
3,300

48,700
5,000
2,300
3,300
5,700
3,300

0.8
2.0
2.7
7.5
24.9
62.1

0.8
1.9
2.6
7.3
25.5
61.9

Total ..............................................

69,100

68,300

100.0

100.0

Number of Hog and Pig Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group, Based on Ownership –
United States: 2011 and 2012
Operations

Head

Percent of inventory

2011

2012

2011

2012

(number)

(number)

(percent)

(percent)

1-99 ...............................................
100-499 .........................................
500-999 .........................................
1,000-1,999 ...................................
2,000-4,999 ...................................
5,000-9,999 ...................................
10,000-19,999 ...............................
20,000-49,999 ...............................
50,000+ .........................................

49,250
4,450
1,750
1,900
2,250
660
360
185
135

48,900
4,400
1,700
1,800
2,100
630
345
180
145

0.9
2.0
1.9
3.8
9.8
7.2
7.5
8.8
58.1

0.9
1.8
1.8
3.7
9.1
7.0
7.2
8.5
60.0

Total ..............................................

60,940

60,200

100.0

100.0

Number of Sheep and Goat Operations – United States: 2011 and 2012
Commodity

2011

2012

(number)

(number)

Sheep .........................................................................................................

80,000

79,500

Angora goats ..............................................................................................
Milk goats ...................................................................................................
Meat and other goats ..................................................................................
All goats ......................................................................................................

5,500
31,000
124,000
151,000

5,300
30,500
123,000
149,000

Breeding Sheep, Survey Percent by Size Group – United States: 2011 and 2012
[Percents reflect distributions from the January annual survey]
Item

1-99 head

100-499 head

2011

2012

2011

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

500-4,999 head

2012

2011

(percent)

5,000+ head

2012

(percent)

2011

(percent)

2012

(percent)

(percent)

Operations .....................

93.5

93.9

5.4

5.0

1.0

1.0

0.1

0.1

Inventory ........................

35.9

35.5

21.1

21.1

31.1

31.2

11.9

12.2

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

19

Statistical Methodology
Survey Procedures: Data are collected by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) during the June
Agricultural Survey using sampling procedures to ensure every farm and ranch has a chance of being selected. NASS uses
a multiple sampling frame approach to count farms and measure land in farms. An Area Sampling Frame that divides all
land into segments is built for every State. A sample of segments is selected in each State and enumerated in early June.
Highly trained interviewers locate each sampled segment and identify every farm and ranch operating land in the segment
and the number of acres in each operation.
These data are used to compute summary indications of farm numbers and acres of land in farms. Additionally, all farms
found in the segments are checked against a list of farms and ranches maintained by NASS to determine if the farm is on
the list. Operations found in the Area Frame sample that are not on the list provide a measure of incompleteness of the list.
The summarized totals for these non-overlap (or not-on-list) operations are combined with summarized totals collected
from a sample selected from the list to calculate additional indications of farms and land in farms.
Estimation Procedures: Data are checked for reasonableness and consistency and summarized for each state. State
estimates are aggregated to regional and national totals for Headquarters review. Field Offices perform a thorough review
of their survey results and historical data relationships and recommend official estimates. Headquarters establishes
regional and national estimates and ensures that state estimates are in balance with the Regional and National numbers.
Revision Policy: Estimates are subject to revision the following year and following review of the five-year Census of
Agriculture. The basis for revision must be supported by additional data which directly affects the level of the estimate.
Reliability: Two types of errors, sampling and non-sampling, are possible in an estimate based on a sample survey. Both
types can affect the quality of the estimates.
Sampling error occurs because a complete census is not taken. The sampling error measures the variation in estimates
from the average of all possible samples. An estimate of 100 with a sampling error of 1 would mean that chances are 19
out of 20 that the estimates from all possible samples averaged together would be between 98 and 102; which is the
survey estimate, plus or minus two times the sampling error. The sampling error expressed as a percent of the estimate is
called the relative sampling error. The relative sampling error for the United States number of farms and land in farms is
1.3 and 1.2 percent respectively. The sampling error for total number of farms and total land in farms is less than the
sampling error for each component of the total, such as number of farms by economic sales class. Relative sampling errors
by economic sales class generally ranged from 1.3 to 2.7 percent for number of farms and 1.2 to 4.1 percent for land in
farms at the United States level.
Non-sampling errors can occur in complete censuses as well as sample surveys. They are caused by the inability to obtain
correct information from each person surveyed, differences in interpreting questions or definitions, and mistakes in coding
or processing the data. Special efforts are taken at each step of the survey to minimize non-sampling errors.

20

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Terms and Definitions
A farm is “any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would
have been sold, during the year”. Government payments are included in sales. Ranches, institutional farms, experimental
and research farms, and Indian Reservations are included as farms. Places with the entire acreage enrolled in the
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), or other government programs are counted as
farms.
The definition of a farm was first established in 1850 and has changed nine times since. The current definition was first
used for the 1974 Census.
Land in farms consists of agricultural land used for crops, pasture, or grazing. Also included is woodland and wasteland
not actually under cultivation or used for pasture or grazing, provided it was part of the farm operator’s total operation.
Land in farms includes acres in the Conservation Reserve, Wetlands Reserve Programs, or other government programs.
Land in farms includes land owned and operated as well as land rented from others. Land used rent-free is included as
land rented from others. All grazing land, except land used under government permits on a per-head basis, is included as
land in farms provided it was part of a farm or ranch. Land under the exclusive use of a grazing association is reported by
the grazing association and included as land in farms. All land in American Indian reservations used for growing crops or
grazing livestock is included as land in farms. Land in reservations not reported by individual American Indians or nonNative Americans is reported in the name of the cooperative group that used the land. In many instances, the entire
American Indian reservation is reported as one farm.
Economic sales classes are based on the gross value of agricultural products sold. Government program payments are
also included.
Point Farms are places that did not have $1,000 of reported sales for the year, but had sufficient crops and livestock to
normally have sales of $1,000 or more.
A cattle operation is any place having one or more head of cattle on hand on December 31.
A beef cow operation is any place having one or more head of beef cows on hand on December 31.
A milk cow operation is any place having one or more head of milk cows on hand on December 31.
A hog and pig operation is any place having one or more hog or pig on hand on December 31.
A sheep and lamb operation is any place having one or more head of sheep or lambs on hand on December 31.
A goat and kid operation is any place having one or more head of goats or kids on hand on December 31.

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

21

Farm Definition History
The definition of a farm has remained the same since 1974. Activities included as agriculture, however, have undergone
modification in recent years. Beginning in 1995, operations having 5 or more horses or ponies and no other agricultural
sales were counted as horse farms. An operation with 1 or more horses with agricultural sales of at least $1,000, qualified
as a farm. Two industries, maple syrup and short rotation woody crop farms, were added beginning in 1997 as a result of
the new North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). These changes were made to achieve comparability
with the Census of Agriculture farm definition. All the changes in the farm definition beginning in 1995 were carried back
to 1993 and included in the 1993-1998 estimates. These changes bring comparability between the Census of Agriculture
data and the annually published NASS estimates. Because of these changes in the farm definition, the official estimates
show a level difference in the number of farms between 1992 and 1993 in some states. To further align the counting of
farms with the Census of Agriculture, places with 100 acres or more of pasture only in 2002 were included in farm and
land in farm numbers. The handling of Indian reservation land was changed in 2002 to provide some accounting for
individual farms.
Minimum Criteria for “FARM” Definition, 1840 – Present and Enumeration of Apiaries and Fur Farms
Year

Acres in
Place

Value of Sales of
Agricultural
Products

-Less than 10
10 or more

Value of
Agricultural
Products
(Produced)
----

Apiaries and
Fur Farms
Enumerated

$1,000 or more
$250 or more
$50 or more

Required
some
Agricultural
Operations
----

1974 - Present
1959
1954

Less than 3
3 or more

-$150 or more

$150 or more
--

---

---

1950

Less than 3
3 or more

-$150 or more

$150 or more
--

---

Apiaries
Fur Farms

1935 - 1945

Less than 3
3 or more

$250 or more
--

---

-X

Apiaries
Fur Farms

1930

Less than 3
3 or more

$250 or more
--

---

-X

Apiaries
--

1925

Less than 3
3 or more

$250 or more
--

---

-X

---

1910 - 1925

Less than 3
3 or more

$250 or more
--

---

-X

Apiaries
--

1900

Less than 3
3 or more

---

---

-X

Apiaries
--

1870 - 1890

Less than 3
3 or more

---

$500 or more
--

-X

Apiaries
--

1860
1850

---

-$100 or more

---

---

-Apiaries

1840

--

--

--

--

--

----

Historic Estimates: Final estimates of Farms and Land in Farms in earlier years are available in Statistical Bulletins, No.
1018 for 2003-2007, No. 991 for 1998-2002, No. 955 for 1993-97, No. 895 for 1988-92, No. 792 for 1979-87, SpSy3 for
1975-80, No. 594 for 1969-75, No. 507 for 1959-70, No. 316 for number of farm estimates for 1910-59 and land in farms
estimates for 1950-59.

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Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Special Note Regarding the 2007 Estimates
Census: The Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations publication is produced annually. The purpose of this
publication is to provide annual estimates of Farms, Land in Farms, and Operations with Livestock. It also provides
revisions, as necessary, to previous year estimates. The Census of Agriculture, conducted every five years provides a base
from which the annual surveys measure the change from that base. At the end of the next five year cycle, the annual
estimates are revised based on inter-census trends.
The 2007 Census of Agriculture showed a significant increase in the number of farms, and reversed the downward trend
that was shown in the annual estimates of Farm Numbers since the 2002 Census of Agriculture. NASS believes that some
of the increase is due to methodological changes that allowed NASS to more accurately count small farms in the 2007
Census. This is discussed in more detail below.
Methodological Discussion: Each year NASS conducts the June Area Frame Survey (AFS) to provide an estimate of the
number of farms and the land in farms. The exception is Alaska, which does not have an area frame and uses a list survey
instead. The area frame is stratified by land use. A sample of approximately 11,000 segments of land (each approximately
one square mile in size) is selected, and field enumerators visit each sampled segment to identify agricultural activity
within the segment. The AFS is assumed to provide complete coverage of the universe of farm and ranch operations
because the area-based frame covers all land in the U.S.
In preparation for the census of agriculture, NASS builds the Census Mail List (CML) consisting of all known farms and
potential farms. In addition, NASS uses the area frame sample to measure and account for the incompleteness of the CML
in a dual-frame estimation procedure. This dual-frame estimation procedure assumes complete coverage of the universe of
farm and ranch operations because the undercoverage of the CML is accounted for through the area frame sample.
Results from the 2002 Census of Agriculture indicated undercoverage of farms in the lowest value of sales categories.
This category includes a high concentration of disadvantaged and minority farm operators. In preparation for the 2007
Census, NASS exerted more extensive efforts than in previous censuses to build a comprehensive list. Additionally,
NASS worked with several community based organizations and producer groups to enhance awareness, to increase
response, and to improve coverage of these types of farms. This resulted in a 2007 CML with 3,194,373 records as
compared with 2,841,788 in 2002. Additionally, NASS augmented the area frame sample with segments that were located
in areas where small and minority operated farms were likely to be located.
The 2007 Census of Agriculture produced a greater number of farms in the lowest value of sales categories. The extensive
list building efforts and the augmentation of the area frame sample allowed NASS to capture more of the small farms with
less than $10,000 in value of agricultural sales. Additionally, 2007 was a year of relatively high commodity prices. As the
value of farm commodities increased, more very small operations are able to meet the $1,000 value of sales threshold to
qualify as a farm in the census.
After the 2007 Census of Agriculture NASS conducted a classification error research study for the census in five states.
The study used data from the 2007 AFS and the 2007 census to examine whether there were farms incorrectly classified
as nonfarms, and whether there were any nonfarms incorrectly classified as farms. Records in the 2007 AFS were
matched to the 2007 census using probabilistic record linkage. Records whose farm status differed in the two data
collections were interviewed to determine which data source was correct.
Results of the study showed that where there were discrepancies in farm status between the two reports, the census data
was more often correct than the AFS data. Some AFS farms had not been correctly classified by the enumeration and
processing procedures. These results challenged the NASS assumption made for its annual estimates that all farms are
captured using the AFS estimation procedures. This assumption had been made on the basis of the completeness of the
frame, the high quality of the personal enumeration mode utilized for the data collection, and the extensive training of
field enumerators collecting the data. However, the more extensive census procedures using dual-frame estimation
produced a larger farm count than the AFS estimation. This result and the results of the research study provided evidence
that the AFS procedure is underestimating the number of farms. Because the AFS estimate is the major indicator for
producing annual farm number estimates, it is likely these farms were also underestimated in the non census years.
Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

23

Since 2007, farm number estimates reflect adjustments in the number of farms based on estimates produced by the 2007
Census of Agriculture. NASS has launched a research initiative to address the methodological issues discussed above.

24

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Information Contacts
Listed below are the commodity statisticians in the Economics Section of the Environmental, Economics, and
Demographics Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail
inquiries may be sent to [email protected].
Tony Dorn, Head, Economics Section ............................................................................................................. (202) 690-3223
Daryl Brinkman – Prices Received, Prices Received Indexes .................................................................. (202) 720-8844
Kuan Chen – Prices, Prices Research ........................................................................................................ (202) 720-5446
Bryan Combs – ARMS .............................................................................................................................. (202) 720-9168
Chris Dickerson – Prices ........................................................................................................................... (202) 690-1348
Mark Gorsak – Prices, Prices Research .................................................................................................... (202) 720-3225
Vincent Davis – Prices Paid, Prices Paid Indexes ..................................................................................... (202) 690-3229
Michael Mathison – ARMS....................................................................................................................... (202) 690-3243
Nick Pallotta -- Land Values, Grazing Fees, Cash Receipts ..................................................................... (202) 720-2250
Scott Shimmin – Cash Rents, Farm Numbers, Land in Farms .................................................................. (202) 690-3231
Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch .......................................................................................................... (202) 720-3570
Scott Hollis, Head, Livestock Section ............................................................................................................ (202) 690-2424
Travis Averill – Cattle, Cattle on Feed ..................................................................................................... (202) 720-3040
Sherry Bertramsen – Livestock Slaughter ................................................................................................ (515) 284-4340
Doug Bounds – Hogs and Pigs ................................................................................................................. (202) 720-3106
Donnie Fike – Manufactured Dairy Products .......................................................................................... (202) 690-3236
Mike Miller – Milk Production and Milk Cows ...................................................................................... (202) 720-3278
Alissa Mytar-Cowell – Sheep and Goats................................................................................................... (202) 720-4751

Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2012 Summary (February 2013)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

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Access to NASS Reports
For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways:
 All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: http://www.nass.usda.gov
 Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e-mail subscription. To set-up this free
subscription, visit http://www.nass.usda.gov and in the “Follow NASS” box under “Receive reports by Email,”
click on “National” or “State” to select the reports you would like to receive.
For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540,
7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: [email protected].
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the
basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental
status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's
income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with
disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.)
should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at
(866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136
(Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.