Farms, Land in Farms,
and Livestock Operations
2011 Summary

February 2012

ISSN: 1930-7128

United States Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service

Contents

2011 Number of Farms and Land in Farms Highlights........................................................  4

2011 Livestock Operations Highlights.....................................................................  5

Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class - United States: 2010 and 2011...................................  6

Average Farm Size by Economic Sales Class - United States: 2010 and 2011.................................  6

Farms and Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class - United States: 2011.................................... 7 

Number of Farms and Average Farm Size - United States: 1995-2011.........................................  7

Point Farms, Percent of Total - United States: 2002-2011.................................................  8

Number of Farms, Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size - United States: 2002-2011.........................  8

Percent of Farms and Land in Farms and the Average Farm Size by Economic Sales Class - United States: 
2010 and 2011............................................................................................  8

Number of Farms, Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size - States and United States: 2010 and 2011..........  9

Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class - Region, States, and United States: 2010 and 2011............... 10

Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class - Region, States, and United States: 2010 and 2011................. 14

Number of Cattle and Calves, Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group - United States: 
2010 and 2011............................................................................................ 18

Number of Milk Cow Operations, Percent of Inventory, and Percent of Milk Production by Size Group - 
United States: 2010 and 2011............................................................................. 18

Number of Hog and Pig Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group - United States: 2010 and 2011... 19

Number of Hog and Pig Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group, Based on Ownership - 
United States: 2010 and 2011............................................................................. 19

Number of Sheep and Goat Operations - United States: 2010 and 2011....................................... 19

Breeding Sheep, Survey Percent by Size Group - United States: 2010 and 2011.............................. 19

Statistical Methodology ................................................................................. 20

Terms and Definitions ................................................................................... 21

Farm Definition History.................................................................................. 22

Special Note Regarding 2007 Estimates.................................................................... 23

Information Contacts..................................................................................... 25
 
2011 Number of Farms and Land in Farms Highlights

The number of farms in the United States in 2011 is estimated at 2.2 million, 
down slightly from 2010. Total land in farms, at 917 million acres, decreased 
1.85 million acres from 2010. The average farm size is 420 acres, up 1 acre 
from the previous year.  

Farm numbers and land in farms are broken down into five economic sales 
classes. Farms and ranches are classified into these "sales classes" by 
summing their sales of agricultural products and government program payments. 
Sales class breaks occur at $10,000, $100,000, $250,000, and $500,000.

Farm numbers increased slightly in the $10,000-$99,999, $250,000-$499,999,  
and $500,000 and over sales classes. Higher commodity prices and larger value 
of sales contributed to changes in the number of farms within these sales 
classes. Farm numbers increased 1.3 percent, to slightly over 600,000 farms 
in the $10,000 - $99,999 sales class and 1.9 percent in the $250,000 - 
$499,999 sales class to over 100,000 farms. Meanwhile, the number of farms in 
the $500,000 and over sales class increased by 5.9 percent, to 133,570 farms. 

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 in sales 
class increased 2.5 percent, to 305.7 million acres. Land operated by farms 
in both $1,000-$9,999 and $100,000-$249,999 sales classes decreased by 3.5 
percent, to 100.7 million acres and 138.7 million acres respectively. 

The average farm size increased 1 acre in 2011 to 420 acres per farm. 
However, average farm sizes declined in some of the sales classes partially 
due to smaller farms moving up to higher sales classes.

2011 Livestock Operations Highlights

The number of operations with cattle totaled 922,000 for 2011, down 1 percent 
from 2010.  Beef cow operations in 2011, at 734,000, were also down 1 percent 
from last year. The number of milk cow operations for 2011 totaled 60,000, 
down 4 percent from 2010.

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 69,100 for 2011, unchanged from 
2010. Places with 2,000 or more head accounted for 87 percent of the 
inventory.	

The number of operations with sheep totaled 80,000 for 2011, down 1 percent 
from 2010. Of all sheep operations that include breeding sheep, 93.5 percent 
were comprised of 1-99 head, 5.4 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 35.9 percent of the inventory, 100-499 head account for 21.1 
percent of the inventory, and 500+ head account for 43.0 percent of the 
inventory.

The number of operations with goats totaled 151,000 for 2011, down 1 percent 
from a year earlier. Angora goat operations totaled 5,500, down 8 percent 
from 2010. Milk goat operations totaled 31,000, unchanged from 2010. Meat 
goat operations totaled 124,000, down 3 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.

Point Farms, Percent of Total - United States: 2002-2011
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Year                  :       Farms       :       Land        
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        :      percent             percent      
                                        :                                       
2002 ...................................:       19.0                 3.0        
2003 ...................................:       18.0                 3.0        
2004 ...................................:       17.0                 2.5        
2005 ...................................:       18.0                 2.5        
2006 ...................................:       19.0                 2.7        
2007 ...................................:       22.0                 3.0        
2008 ...................................:       17.0                 2.8        
2009 ...................................:       18.0                 2.9        
2010 ...................................:       19.0                 3.0        
2011 ...................................:       19.0                 3.0        
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of Farms, Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size - United States: 2002-2011
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    :      Number       :       Land        :      Average      
        Year        :     of farms      :     in farms      :     farm size     
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    :      number            1,000 acres            acres       
                    :                                                           
2002 ...............:     2,135,360            940,300               440        
2003 ...............:     2,126,860            936,750               440        
2004 ...............:     2,112,970            932,260               441        
2005 ...............:     2,098,690            927,940               442        
2006 ...............:     2,088,790            925,790               443        
2007 ...............:     2,204,950            921,460               418        
2008 ...............:     2,200,100            919,910               418        
2009 ...............:     2,200,210            919,890               418        
2010 ...............:     2,192,000            918,840               419        
2011 ...............:     2,181,000            916,990               420        
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Percent of Farms and Land in Farms and the Average Farm Size by Economic Sales
Class - United States: 2010 and 2011
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    :           Percent of total            :                   
                    :---------------------------------------:                   
Economic sales class:       Farms       :   Land in farms   : Average farm size 
                    :-----------------------------------------------------------
                    :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    : percent   percent   percent   percent    acres     acres  
                    :                                                           
$1,000 - $2,499 ....:   27.3      27.0       3.6       3.5        55        54  
$2,500 - $4,999 ....:   14.9      14.5       3.6       3.5       101       101  
$5,000 - $9,999 ....:   13.7      13.5       4.2       4.0       128       124  
$10,000 - $24,999 ..:   12.2      12.0       6.9       6.8       236       238  
$25,000 - $49,999 ..:    8.0       8.3       7.3       7.3       381       370  
$50,000 - $99,999 ..:    6.8       7.2      10.1      10.4       620       608  
$100,000 - $249,999 :    6.8       6.7      15.9      15.1       980       951  
$250,000 - $499,999 :    4.5       4.6      15.9      16.0     1,481     1,468  
$500,000 - $999,999 :    3.5       3.7      16.0      16.4     1,916     1,871  
$1,000,000 + .......:    2.3       2.5      16.5      17.0     3,007     2,870  
                    :                                                           
Total ..............:  100.0     100.0     100.0     100.0       419       420  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of Farms, Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size - States and
United States: 2010 and 2011
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               :   Number of farms   :    Land in farms    :  Average farm size  
     State     :-----------------------------------------------------------------
               :   2010   :   2011   :   2010   :   2011   :   2010   :   2011   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               :------ number ------   --- 1,000 acres --     ----- acres ----   
               :                                                                 
Alabama .......:   48,200     47,500     9,000      8,950       187        188   
Alaska ........:      680        680       880        880     1,294      1,294   
Arizona .......:   15,500     15,500    26,100     26,100     1,684      1,684   
Arkansas ......:   48,700     48,300    13,600     13,500       279        280   
California ....:   81,500     81,500    25,400     25,400       312        312   
Colorado ......:   36,400     36,700    31,300     31,300       860        853   
Connecticut ...:    4,900      4,900       400        400        82         82   
Delaware ......:    2,500      2,500       490        490       196        196   
Florida .......:   47,500     47,500     9,250      9,250       195        195   
Georgia .......:   47,400     47,000    10,300     10,300       217        219   
               :                                                                 
Hawaii ........:    7,500      7,500     1,110      1,110       148        148   
Idaho .........:   25,200     24,700    11,400     11,400       452        462   
Illinois ......:   75,400     74,600    26,700     26,600       354        357   
Indiana .......:   62,000     62,000    14,800     14,700       239        237   
Iowa ..........:   92,400     92,300    30,800     30,700       333        333   
Kansas ........:   65,500     65,500    46,100     46,000       704        702   
Kentucky ......:   85,500     85,300    14,000     14,000       164        164   
Louisiana .....:   29,500     29,000     8,000      7,950       271        274   
Maine .........:    8,100      8,100     1,350      1,350       167        167   
Maryland ......:   12,800     12,800     2,050      2,050       160        160   
               :                                                                 
Massachusetts .:    7,700      7,700       520        520        68         68   
Michigan ......:   54,900     54,900    10,000     10,000       182        182   
Minnesota .....:   80,500     79,800    26,900     26,850       334        336   
Mississippi ...:   42,400     42,400    11,150     11,150       263        263   
Missouri ......:  107,300    106,500    29,000     28,900       270        271   
Montana .......:   29,400     29,300    60,600     60,500     2,061      2,065   
Nebraska ......:   47,200     46,800    45,600     45,500       966        972   
Nevada ........:    3,050      2,950     5,900      5,850     1,934      1,983   
New Hampshire .:    4,150      4,150       470        470       113        113   
New Jersey ....:   10,300     10,300       730        730        71         71   
               :                                                                 
New Mexico ....:   21,700     23,000    43,300     43,400     1,995      1,887   
New York ......:   36,300     36,000     7,000      7,000       193        194   
North Carolina :   51,400     50,400     8,600      8,500       167        169   
North Dakota ..:   31,900     31,900    39,600     39,600     1,241      1,241   
Ohio ..........:   74,300     73,700    13,700     13,600       184        185   
Oklahoma ......:   86,000     85,500    34,900     34,700       406        406   
Oregon ........:   38,500     38,300    16,350     16,300       425        426   
Pennsylvania ..:   62,700     62,200     7,700      7,650       123        123   
Rhode Island ..:    1,220      1,220        70         70        57         57   
South Carolina :   26,800     26,500     4,900      4,900       183        185   
               :                                                                 
South Dakota ..:   31,500     31,300    43,700     43,650     1,387      1,395   
Tennessee .....:   78,000     77,300    10,850     10,800       139        140   
Texas .........:  246,300    245,000   130,200    130,000       529        531   
Utah ..........:   16,600     16,600    11,100     11,100       669        669   
Vermont .......:    7,000      7,000     1,220      1,220       174        174   
Virginia ......:   46,700     46,400     8,000      7,950       171        171   
Washington ....:   39,500     39,500    14,800     14,800       375        375   
West Virginia .:   23,000     22,500     3,650      3,650       159        162   
Wisconsin .....:   77,500     77,000    15,100     15,000       195        195   
Wyoming .......:   11,000     11,000    30,200     30,200     2,745      2,745   
               :                                                                 
United States .:2,192,000  2,181,000   918,840    916,990       419        420   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class - Region, States, and United States:
2010 and 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                   Economic sales class                    
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
  Region and state :   $1,000-$9,999   :  $10,000-$99,999  : $100,000-$249,999 
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
                   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                          number                           
                   :                                                           
Northeast          :                                                           
  Connecticut .....:   3,050     3,050      (NA)      (NA)     (NA)      (NA)  
  Maine ...........:   5,300     5,300      (NA)      (NA)     (NA)      (NA)  
  Massachusetts ...:   4,800     4,800      (NA)      (NA)     (NA)      (NA)  
  New Hampshire ...:   2,900     2,900      (NA)      (NA)     (NA)      (NA)  
  New Jersey ......:   6,700     6,700      (NA)      (NA)     (NA)      (NA)  
  New York ........:  19,000    18,900    10,700    10,800    3,400     3,200  
  Pennsylvania ....:  37,000    35,800    15,500    15,700    5,300     5,200  
  Rhode Island ....:     750       750      (NA)      (NA)     (NA)      (NA)  
  Vermont .........:   4,000     4,000      (NA)      (NA)     (NA)      (NA)  
                   :                                                           
  Other States 1/ .:     (X)       (X)    10,950    11,050    2,270     2,220  
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........:  83,500    82,200    37,150    37,550   10,970    10,620  
                   :                                                           
North Central      :                                                           
  Illinois ........:  33,000    31,300    17,100    16,600    8,300     8,200  
  Indiana .........:  33,700    33,000    15,200    15,500    5,300     5,000  
  Iowa ............:  30,200    30,000    28,500    28,400   14,300    14,400  
  Kansas ..........:  28,000    28,000    22,500    22,300    6,700     6,700  
  Michigan ........:  32,200    32,300    14,400    14,000    3,500     3,700  
  Minnesota .......:  36,500    35,500    21,500    21,300    9,200     8,900  
  Missouri ........:  58,300    56,300    36,800    37,900    5,500     5,300  
  Nebraska ........:  11,500    10,000    12,900    13,600    9,000     8,200  
  North Dakota ....:  10,500    10,200     9,200     9,400    4,600     3,800  
  Ohio ............:  40,200    38,700    22,300    22,700    5,300     5,000  
  South Dakota ....:   9,200     9,000     9,900     9,800    4,800     4,800  
  Wisconsin .......:  38,800    37,500    20,500    20,400    8,800     9,300  
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........: 362,100   351,800   230,800   231,900   85,300    83,300  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnote(s) at end of table.                                    --continued

Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class - Region, States, and United States:
2010 and 2011 (continued)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                   Economic sales class                    
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
  Region and state :   $1,000-$9,999   :  $10,000-$99,999  : $100,000-$249,999 
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
                   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                          number                           
                   :                                                           
South              :                                                           
  Alabama .........:   31,200    28,400   12,000    14,300     1,300     1,100 
  Arkansas ........:   26,900    26,600   13,400    13,300     1,500     1,500 
  Delaware ........:    1,000     1,000     (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  Florida .........:   29,500    29,600   12,600    12,400     2,200     2,300 
  Georgia .........:   29,700    28,700   10,000    10,300     2,300     2,400 
  Kentucky ........:   55,300    54,400   24,000    24,400     2,800     3,100 
  Louisiana .......:   18,400    18,100    7,700     7,600     1,100     1,000 
  Maryland ........:    7,100     7,100     (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  Mississippi .....:   27,700    27,700   10,000    10,000     1,000     1,000 
  North Carolina ..:   31,900    30,800   11,300    11,600     1,900     1,800 
  Oklahoma ........:   51,000    50,000   27,700    28,400     3,400     3,300 
  South Carolina ..:   19,200    18,100    5,500     6,200       500       700 
  Tennessee .......:   55,400    54,600   18,500    18,200     1,600     1,800 
  Texas ...........:  169,900   165,200   59,000    62,000     6,900     6,800 
  Virginia ........:   30,000    29,500   13,200    12,800     1,300     1,400 
  West Virginia ...:   18,400    17,700     (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
                   :                                                           
  Other States 2/ .:      (X)       (X)    7,730     7,830     1,230     1,280 
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........:  602,600   587,500  232,630   239,330    29,030    29,480 
                   :                                                           
West               :                                                           
  Alaska ..........:      350       350     (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  Arizona .........:   12,000    12,000     (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  California ......:   35,500    35,600   26,700    26,300     6,500     6,600 
  Colorado ........:   19,600    19,800   11,400    11,400     2,600     2,700 
  Hawaii ..........:    4,600     4,600     (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  Idaho ...........:   13,400    11,400    7,200     8,200     1,700     2,000 
  Montana .........:   13,100    13,400    9,300     9,000     3,400     3,200 
  Nevada ..........:    1,650     1,600     (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  New Mexico ......:   14,500    15,300    5,400     5,800       840       900 
  Oregon ..........:   24,400    24,600    9,200     8,700     2,100     2,000 
  Utah ............:   10,200    10,200    4,750     4,700       840       850 
  Washington ......:   24,500    25,000    8,800     8,400     1,900     1,900 
  Wyoming .........:    5,200     5,200     (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
                   :                                                           
  Other States 3/ .:      (X)       (X)    9,090     9,070     2,110     2,090 
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........:  179,000   179,050   91,840    91,570    21,990    22,240 
                   :                                                           
United States .....:1,227,200 1,200,550  592,420   600,350   147,290   145,640 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnote(s) at end of table.                                    --continued

Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class - Region, States, and United States:
2010 and 2011  (continued)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                   Economic sales class                    
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
  Region and state : $250,000-$499,999 : $500,000 and over :       Total       
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
                   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                          number                           
                   :                                                           
Northeast          :                                                           
  Connecticut .....:   (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      4,900     4,900 
  Maine ...........:   (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      8,100     8,100 
  Massachusetts ...:   (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      7,700     7,700 
  New Hampshire ...:   (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      4,150     4,150 
  New Jersey ......:   (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)     10,300    10,300 
  New York ........:  1,450     1,300     1,750     1,800     36,300    36,000 
  Pennsylvania ....:  2,600     2,900     2,300     2,600     62,700    62,200 
  Rhode Island ....:   (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      1,220     1,220 
  Vermont .........:   (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      7,000     7,000 
                   :                                                           
  Other States 1/ .:  1,270     1,220     1,380     1,380        (X)       (X) 
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........:  5,320     5,420     5,430     5,780    142,370   141,570 
                   :                                                           
North Central      :                                                           
  Illinois ........:  8,000     8,300     9,000    10,200     75,400    74,600 
  Indiana .........:  3,300     3,600     4,500     4,900     62,000    62,000 
  Iowa ............:  9,600     9,500     9,800    10,000     92,400    92,300 
  Kansas ..........:  3,900     3,900     4,400     4,600     65,500    65,500 
  Michigan ........:  2,200     2,200     2,600     2,700     54,900    54,900 
  Minnesota .......:  6,600     7,000     6,700     7,100     80,500    79,800 
  Missouri ........:  2,900     2,900     3,800     4,100    107,300   106,500 
  Nebraska ........:  6,300     6,000     7,500     9,000     47,200    46,800 
  North Dakota ....:  3,700     3,900     3,900     4,600     31,900    31,900 
  Ohio ............:  3,400     3,900     3,100     3,400     74,300    73,700 
  South Dakota ....:  4,200     4,100     3,400     3,600     31,500    31,300 
  Wisconsin .......:  5,500     5,500     3,900     4,300     77,500    77,000 
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........: 59,600    60,800    62,600    68,500    800,400   796,300 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnote(s) at end of table.                                    --continued

Number of Farms by Economic Sales Class - Region, States, and United States:
2010 and 2011  (continued)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                   Economic sales class                    
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
  Region and state : $250,000-$499,999 : $500,000 and over :       Total       
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
                   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                          number                           
                   :                                                           
South              :                                                           
  Alabama .........:  1,400      1,300     2,300     2,400     48,200    47,500
  Arkansas ........:  2,000      2,000     4,900     4,900     48,700    48,300
  Delaware ........:   (NA)       (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      2,500     2,500
  Florida .........:  1,100      1,100     2,100     2,100     47,500    47,500
  Georgia .........:  1,600      1,500     3,800     4,100     47,400    47,000
  Kentucky ........:  1,500      1,500     1,900     1,900     85,500    85,300
  Louisiana .......:    800        900     1,500     1,400     29,500    29,000
  Maryland ........:   (NA)       (NA)      (NA)      (NA)     12,800    12,800
  Mississippi .....:    900        900     2,800     2,800     42,400    42,400
  North Carolina ..:  2,400      2,300     3,900     3,900     51,400    50,400
  Oklahoma ........:  1,850      1,800     2,050     2,000     86,000    85,500
  South Carolina ..:    400        400     1,200     1,100     26,800    26,500
  Tennessee .......:  1,050      1,200     1,450     1,500     78,000    77,300
  Texas ...........:  4,200      4,200     6,300     6,800    246,300   245,000
  Virginia ........:    900      1,200     1,300     1,500     46,700    46,400
  West Virginia ...:   (NA)       (NA)      (NA)      (NA)     23,000    22,500
                   :                                                           
  Other States 2/ .:    870        890     1,970     2,000        (X)       (X)
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........: 20,970     21,190    37,470    38,400    922,700   915,900
                   :                                                           
West               :                                                           
  Alaska ..........:   (NA)       (NA)      (NA)      (NA)        680       680
  Arizona .........:   (NA)       (NA)      (NA)      (NA)     15,500    15,500
  California ......:  3,900      3,900     8,900     9,100     81,500    81,500
  Colorado ........:  1,200      1,200     1,600     1,600     36,400    36,700
  Hawaii ..........:   (NA)       (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      7,500     7,500
  Idaho ...........:  1,100      1,200     1,800     1,900     25,200    24,700
  Montana .........:  2,200      2,400     1,400     1,300     29,400    29,300
  Nevada ..........:   (NA)       (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      3,050     2,950
  New Mexico ......:    400        450       560       550     21,700    23,000
  Oregon ..........:  1,000      1,000     1,800     2,000     38,500    38,300
  Utah ............:    350        400       460       450     16,600    16,600
  Washington ......:  1,700      1,700     2,600     2,500     39,500    39,500
  Wyoming .........:   (NA)       (NA)      (NA)      (NA)     11,000    11,000
                   :                                                           
  Other States 3/ .:  1,240      1,230     1,490     1,490        (X)       (X)
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........: 13,090     13,480    20,610    20,890    326,530   327,230
                   :                                                           
United States .....: 98,980    100,890   126,110   133,570  2,192,000 2,181,000
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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.      

Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class - Region, States, and United States:
2010 and 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                   Economic sales class                    
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
  Region and state :   $1,000-$9,999   :  $10,000-$99,999  : $100,000-$249,999 
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
                   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                        1,000 acres                        
                   :                                                           
Northeast .........:                                                           
  Connecticut .....:    130       130      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)  
  Maine ...........:    480       480      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)  
  Massachusetts ...:    210       210      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)  
  New Hampshire ...:    230       230      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)  
  New Jersey ......:    180       180      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)  
  New York ........:  1,600     1,600     1,700     1,800     1,200     1,100  
  Pennsylvania ....:  2,400     2,300     2,100     2,050     1,100     1,000  
  Rhode Island ....:     30        30      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)  
  Vermont .........:    340       340      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)  
                   :                                                           
  Other States 1/ .:    (X)       (X)     1,250     1,250       500       500  
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........:  5,600     5,500     5,050     5,100     2,800     2,600  
                   :                                                           
North Central .....:                                                           
  Illinois ........:  1,400     1,300     2,300     2,200     3,400     3,100  
  Indiana .........:  1,300     1,200     2,200     1,900     2,000     1,800  
  Iowa ............:  1,500     1,400     4,900     4,900     5,500     5,400  
  Kansas ..........:  3,000     3,000     9,300     9,100     8,300     8,300  
  Michigan ........:  1,700     1,650     1,900     1,800     1,300     1,350  
  Minnesota .......:  3,100     2,900     4,800     4,650     4,100     3,900  
  Missouri ........:  4,900     4,600    10,200    10,300     3,600     3,300  
  Nebraska ........:  1,300     1,100     5,500     5,500     8,600     7,800  
  North Dakota ....:  1,800     1,600     6,000     6,000     6,900     5,400  
  Ohio ............:  1,950     1,850     3,150     3,150     2,150     2,000  
  South Dakota ....:  1,500     1,450     7,400     7,300     9,100     9,100  
  Wisconsin .......:  2,400     2,300     3,200     3,000     2,500     2,600  
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........: 25,850    24,350    60,850    59,800    57,450    54,050  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnote(s) at end of table.                                    --continued

Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class - Region, States, and United States:
2010 and 2011  (continued)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                   Economic sales class                    
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
  Region and state :   $1,000-$9,999   :  $10,000-$99,999  : $100,000-$249,999 
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
                   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                        1,000 acres                        
                   :                                                           
South .............:                                                           
  Alabama .........:   3,000     2,650     3,100     3,550       800       650 
  Arkansas ........:   2,050     2,000     3,250     3,200     1,000     1,000 
  Delaware ........:      30        30      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  Florida .........:   1,400     1,400     1,900     1,800       850       850 
  Georgia .........:   2,900     2,750     2,500     2,550       950       950 
  Kentucky ........:   4,400     4,350     4,800     4,800     1,300     1,400 
  Louisiana .......:   1,400     1,400     1,900     1,900       900       850 
  Maryland ........:     400       400      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  Mississippi .....:   3,450     3,450     2,700     2,700       950       950 
  North Carolina ..:   2,000     1,900     1,600     1,700       800       750 
  Oklahoma ........:   6,100     6,000    12,500    12,800     5,500     5,350 
  South Carolina ..:   1,700     1,550     1,300     1,450       300       400 
  Tennessee .......:   3,800     3,700     3,600     3,450       800       900 
  Texas ...........:  19,100    18,200    43,500    44,500    16,000    15,500 
  Virginia ........:   2,250     2,100     3,000     2,750       800       850 
  West Virginia ...:   1,900     1,800      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
                   :                                                           
  Other States 2/ .:     (X)       (X)     1,770     1,770       550       600 
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........:  55,880    53,680    87,420    88,920    31,500    31,000 
                   :                                                           
West ..............:                                                           
  Alaska ..........:     270       270      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  Arizona .........:     750       750      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  California ......:   1,800     1,800     4,900     4,700     3,700     3,700 
  Colorado ........:   2,600     2,700     9,400     9,500     5,100     5,300 
  Hawaii ..........:      80        80      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  Idaho ...........:   1,000       800     2,500     2,500     1,900     1,900 
  Montana .........:   2,300     2,400    11,800    11,500    14,700    14,300 
  Nevada ..........:     200       200      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
  New Mexico ......:   3,100     3,100    11,500    11,700     8,400     8,000 
  Oregon ..........:   1,600     1,600     3,550     3,300     3,200     3,000 
  Utah ............:     850       850     2,310     2,280     1,410     1,410 
  Washington ......:   1,200     1,300     3,100     3,000     1,800     1,700 
  Wyoming .........:   1,300     1,300      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA) 
                   :                                                           
  Other States 3/ .:     (X)       (X)    22,750    22,750    11,750    11,770 
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........:  17,050    17,150    71,810    71,230    51,960    51,080 
                   :                                                           
United States .....: 104,380   100,680   225,130   225,050   143,710   138,730 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnote(s) at end of table.                                    --continued

Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class - Region, States, and United States:
2010 and 2011  (continued)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                   Economic sales class                    
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
  Region and state : $250,000-$499,999 : $500,000 and over :       Total       
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
                   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                        1,000 acres                        
                   :                                                           
Northeast          :                                                           
  Connecticut .....:   (NA)      (NA)       (NA)      (NA)       400       400 
  Maine ...........:   (NA)      (NA)       (NA)      (NA)     1,350     1,350 
  Massachusetts ...:   (NA)      (NA)       (NA)      (NA)       520       520 
  New Hampshire ...:   (NA)      (NA)       (NA)      (NA)       470       470 
  New Jersey ......:   (NA)      (NA)       (NA)      (NA)       730       730 
  New York ........:    700       700      1,800     1,800     7,000     7,000 
  Pennsylvania ....:    900     1,000      1,200     1,300     7,700     7,650 
  Rhode Island ....:   (NA)      (NA)       (NA)      (NA)        70        70 
  Vermont .........:   (NA)      (NA)       (NA)      (NA)     1,220     1,220 
                   :                                                           
  Other States 1/ .:    455       445        955       965       (X)       (X) 
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........:  2,055     2,145      3,955     4,065    19,460    19,410 
                   :                                                           
North Central      :                                                           
  Illinois ........:  4,900     4,900     14,700    15,100    26,700    26,600 
  Indiana .........:  2,500     2,500      6,800     7,300    14,800    14,700 
  Iowa ............:  6,800     6,700     12,100    12,300    30,800    30,700 
  Kansas ..........:  8,500     8,000     17,000    17,600    46,100    46,000 
  Michigan ........:  1,500     1,500      3,600     3,700    10,000    10,000 
  Minnesota .......:  4,900     4,900     10,000    10,500    26,900    26,850 
  Missouri ........:  3,300     3,200      7,000     7,500    29,000    28,900 
  Nebraska ........:  9,800     9,300     20,400    21,800    45,600    45,500 
  North Dakota ....:  8,400     8,800     16,500    17,800    39,600    39,600 
  Ohio ............:  2,350     2,450      4,100     4,150    13,700    13,600 
  South Dakota ....: 10,300     9,800     15,400    16,000    43,700    43,650 
  Wisconsin .......:  2,800     2,600      4,200     4,500    15,100    15,000 
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........: 66,050    64,650    131,800   138,250   342,000   341,100 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnote(s) at end of table.                                    --continued

Land in Farms by Economic Sales Class - Region, States, and United States:
2010 and 2011  (continued)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                   Economic sales class                    
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
  Region and state : $250,000-$499,999 : $500,000 and over :       Total       
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
                   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   :  2010   :  2011   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :                        1,000 acres                        
                   :                                                           
South              :                                                           
  Alabama .........:     700       650     1,400     1,450     9,000     8,950 
  Arkansas ........:   1,400     1,400     5,900     5,900    13,600    13,500 
  Delaware ........:    (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)       490       490 
  Florida .........:     900       900     4,200     4,300     9,250     9,250 
  Georgia .........:   1,050       950     2,900     3,100    10,300    10,300 
  Kentucky ........:   1,050     1,000     2,450     2,450    14,000    14,000 
  Louisiana .......:     900     1,050     2,900     2,750     8,000     7,950 
  Maryland ........:    (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)     2,050     2,050 
  Mississippi .....:     950       950     3,100     3,100    11,150    11,150 
  North Carolina ..:   1,200     1,150     3,000     3,000     8,600     8,500 
  Oklahoma ........:   4,500     4,400     6,300     6,150    34,900    34,700 
  South Carolina ..:     400       400     1,200     1,100     4,900     4,900 
  Tennessee .......:     900       950     1,750     1,800    10,850    10,800 
  Texas ...........:  18,600    17,300    33,000    34,500   130,200   130,000 
  Virginia ........:     650       850     1,300     1,400     8,000     7,950 
  West Virginia ...:    (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)     3,650     3,650 
                   :                                                           
  Other States 2/ .:     410       410     1,130     1,180       (X)       (X) 
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........:  33,610    32,360    70,530    72,180   278,940   278,140 
                   :                                                           
West               :                                                           
  Alaska ..........:    (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)       880       880 
  Arizona .........:    (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)    26,100    26,100 
  California ......:   2,800     2,800    12,200    12,400    25,400    25,400 
  Colorado ........:   5,700     5,800     8,500     8,000    31,300    31,300 
  Hawaii ..........:    (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)     1,110     1,110 
  Idaho ...........:   1,100     1,100     4,900     5,100    11,400    11,400 
  Montana .........:  13,500    14,500    18,300    17,800    60,600    60,500 
  Nevada ..........:    (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)     5,900     5,850 
  New Mexico ......:   7,700     8,500    12,600    12,100    43,300    43,400 
  Oregon ..........:   2,400     2,400     5,600     6,000    16,350    16,300 
  Utah ............:   1,080     1,100     5,450     5,460    11,100    11,100 
  Washington ......:   2,800     2,900     5,900     5,900    14,800    14,800 
  Wyoming .........:    (NA)      (NA)      (NA)      (NA)    30,200    30,200 
                   :                                                           
  Other States 3/ .:   8,500     8,550    18,590    18,470       (X)       (X) 
                   :                                                           
  Total ...........:  45,580    47,650    92,040    91,230   278,440   278,340 
                   :                                                           
United States .....: 147,295   146,805   298,325   305,725   918,840   916,990 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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.      

Number of Cattle and Calves, Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group
- United States: 2010 and 2011
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       :        Operations         :    Percent of inventory    
                       :--------------------------------------------------------
          Head         :             :             :             :              
                       :    2010     :    2011     :    2010     :     2011     
                       :             :             :             :              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       :   ------- number ------        ----- percent -----     
                       :                                                        
Cattle and calves .....:                                                        
 1-49 .................:   635,000       627,000         11.4          11.6     
 50-99 ................:   129,000       127,000          9.6           9.5     
 100-499 ..............:   141,600       138,700         31.0          30.4     
 500-999 ..............:    18,700        18,600         13.5          13.5     
 1,000-1,999 ..........:     6,500         6,500          9.0           9.0     
 2,000-4,999 ..........:     3,010         3,020          8.9           8.9     
 5,000-9,999 ..........:       720           710          4.9           5.0     
 10,000-19,999 ........:       270           270          3.7           3.8     
 20,000+ ..............:       200           200          8.0           8.3     
                       :                                                        
 Total ................:   935,000       922,000        100.0         100.0     
                       :                                                        
Beef cows 1/           :                                                        
 1-49 .................:   588,000       583,000         28.0          27.7     
 50-99 ................:    82,000        81,000         17.4          17.4     
 100-499 ..............:    66,300        64,200         38.0          38.2     
 500-999 ..............:     4,280         4,390          8.8           9.1     
 1,000-1,999 ..........:     1,090         1,080          4.5           4.3     
 2,000-4,999 ..........:       280           280          2.1           2.1     
 5,000+ ...............:        50            50          1.2           1.2     
                       :                                                        
 Total ................:   742,000       734,000        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: 2010 and 2011
[Included in operations with cattle]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              :                     :     Percent of      :     Percent of      
              :     Operations      :      inventory      :    production 1/    
     Head     :-----------------------------------------------------------------
              :          :          :          :          :          :          
              :   2010   :   2011   :   2010   :   2011   :   2010   :   2011   
              :          :          :          :          :          :          
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              :  ----- number ----     --------------- percent --------------   
              :                                                                 
1-29 .........:  20,000     19,400       1.7        1.6        1.1        1.0   
30-49 ........:  10,800     10,100       4.7        4.3        3.5        3.2   
50-99 ........:  15,800     14,800      12.2       11.2       10.6        9.4   
100-199 ......:   8,600      8,300      12.3       11.9       11.3       10.9   
200-499 ......:   3,950      4,000      12.5       12.5       12.6       12.6   
500-999 ......:   1,670      1,650      12.4       12.3       12.7       12.6   
1,000-1,999 ..:     920        950      13.3       13.7       15.5       15.7   
2,000+ .......:     760        800      30.9       32.5       32.7       34.6   
              :                                                                 
Total ........:  62,500     60,000     100.0      100.0      100.0      100.0   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/  Estimates reflect the average distributions of various probability surveys  
    conducted during the year.                                                  

Number of Hog and Pig Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group -
United States: 2010 and 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :         Operations          :    Percent of inventory     
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
        Head       :              :              :              :              
                   :     2010     :     2011     :     2010     :     2011     
                   :              :              :              :              
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :    ------- number ------         ------ percent -----     
                   :                                                           
1-99 ..............:    49,000         49,400           0.8            0.8     
100-499 ...........:     5,200          5,100           2.1            2.0     
500-999 ...........:     2,800          2,400           3.1            2.7     
1,000-1,999 .......:     3,650          3,400           8.0            7.5     
2,000-4,999 .......:     5,350          5,500          25.0           24.9     
5,000+ ............:     3,100          3,300          61.0           62.1     
                   :                                                           
Total .............:    69,100         69,100         100.0          100.0     
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of Hog and Pig Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group, Based
on Ownership - United States: 2010 and 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :         Operations          :    Percent of inventory     
                   :-----------------------------------------------------------
        Head       :              :              :              :              
                   :     2010     :     2011     :     2010     :     2011     
                   :              :              :              :              
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   :    ------- number ------         ------ percent -----     
                   :                                                           
1-99 ..............:    48,400         49,250           0.8            0.9     
100-499 ...........:     4,450          4,450           2.0            2.0     
500-999 ...........:     1,920          1,750           2.1            1.9     
1,000-1,999 .......:     2,050          1,900           4.2            3.8     
2,000-4,999 .......:     2,300          2,250          10.1            9.8     
5,000-9,999 .......:       675            660           7.5            7.2     
10,000-19,999 .....:       360            360           7.7            7.5     
20,000-49,999 .....:       175            185           8.6            8.8     
50,000+ ...........:       130            135          57.0           58.1     
                   :                                                           
Total .............:    60,460         60,940         100.0          100.0     
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of Sheep and Goat Operations - United States: 2010 and 2011
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Commodity               :       2010        :       2011        
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        :      number              number       
                                        :                                       
Sheep ..................................:       81,000              80,000      
                                        :                                       
Angora goats ...........................:        6,000               5,500      
Milk goats .............................:       31,000              31,000      
Meat and other goats ...................:      128,000             124,000      
All goats ..............................:      152,000             151,000      
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Breeding Sheep, Survey Percent by Size Group - United States: 2010 and 2011
[Percents reflect distributions from the January annual survey]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              :   1-99 head   : 100-499 head  :500-4,999 head :   5,000+ head   
     Item     :-----------------------------------------------------------------
              : 2010  : 2011  : 2010  : 2011  : 2010  : 2011  :  2010  :  2011  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              :percent percent percent percent percent percent percent  percent 
              :                                                                 
Operations ...: 93.8    93.5     5.1     5.4     1.0     1.0      0.1      0.1  
              :                                                                 
Inventory ....: 35.8    35.9    20.1    21.1    30.6    31.1     13.5     11.9  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

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 
non-Native 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.

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.

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.

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.

The 2007- 2009 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. 

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 nass@nass.usda.gov.

Kevin Hintzman, 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
   Mark Gorsak - Prices, Prices Research .............................................. (202) 720-3225
   Vincent Davis - Prices Paid, Prices Paid Indexes.................................... (202) 690-3229
   Michael Mathison - ARMS............................................................. (202) 720-3243
   Scott Shimmin - Cash Rents, Farm Numbers, Land in Farms, Land Values, Grazing Fees.. (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, Goats ................................................. (202) 720-3106
   Mike Miller - Milk Production and Milk Cows ........................................ (202) 720-3278
   Everett Olbert - Dairy Products Prices ............................................. (202) 720-4751
   Lorie Warren - Dairy Products, Sheep ............................................... (202) 690-3236
   
Access to NASS Reports

For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following 
ways:

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site: http://www.nass.usda.gov

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reports by Email," click on "National" or "State" to select the reports 
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 	Printed reports may be purchased from the National Technical 
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Accepted methods of payment are Visa, MasterCard, check, or money 
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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: 
nass@nass.usda.gov. 
                                                                                
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