2012 Farm Census USDA Highlights
Maryland Farm by Forsaken Fotos/Flickr
The USDA released the preliminary results of the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Some interesting figures include a 1% decreased in total farm land while the value of crop production increased by 48% and the value of livestock production increased by 19%. It seems that farmers have learned to increase their production of the last five years but how?
| Farms: Numbers, Acreage, Size | 2007 | 2012 | % change 2007-12 |
| No. of Farms | 2,204,792 | 2,109,363 | -4.3* |
| Land in farms (acres) | 922,095,840 | 914,603,026 | -0.8 |
| Avg farm size (acres) | 418 | 434 | +3.8* |
| AG Products | 2007 | 2012 | % change 2007 – 12 |
| All Products ($ billions) | $297.2 | $394.6 | 32.8* |
| Crops ($ billions) | $143.6 | $212.4 | 47.9* |
| Livestock ($ billions) | $153.6 | $182.2 | 18.7* |
| Principal Operator | Sales < $50,000 | Sales ≥$50,000 |
| All Farms | 75% | 25% |
| Female | 91% | 9% |
| Hispanic | 85% | 15% |
| American Indian | 92% | 8% |
| Black | 94% | 6% |
| Asian | 65% | 35% |
Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture, Preliminary Report. See the full report at http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Preliminary_Report/Highlights.pdf
* = statistically significant change