Sp Sy 4 (10) a United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2009 Summary February 2010 Contents Page National Summaries Number of Farms and Land in Farms 2 Livestock Operations 3 Number of Farms, Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size 4 Livestock Operations by Species, U.S. Cattle and Calves 14 Beef Cows 14 Milk Cows 15 Milk Production 15 Hogs and Pigs 16 Sheep and Goats 17 Reliability Statement 18 Terms and Definitions 19 Farm Definition History 20 Special Note Regarding the 2007 Estimates 21 Contacts 22 ********************************************************************************** Update Alert On page 13, the 2008 estimate for Northeast region's other states total for the land in farms in the "$500,000 & over" sales class has been corrected to be 965,000 acres. The 2008 estimate for Northeast region total for the land in farms in the "$500,000 & over" sales class has been corrected to 4,355,000 acres. The 2008 estimate for the U.S. total for the land in farms in the "$500,000 & over" sales class has been corrected to 293,055,000 acres. The total land in farms for the Northeast region and the U.S. was published correctly. ********************************************************************************** Special Note NASS is in the process of modifying report layouts in order to improve readability. This report issue is published using both layouts but all future issues will only be produced with the new layout, which is available on the NASS website: www.nass.usda.gov. This is the last issue using this layout. 2009 Number of Farms and Land in Farms Highlights The number of farms in the United States in 2009 is estimated at 2.2 million, virtually unchanged from 2008. Total land in farms, at 919.8 million acres, decreased 110 thousand acres from 2008. The average farm size is 418 acres, unchanged 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 declined slightly in the $10,000-$99,999 and $500,000 and over sales classes. Lower commodity prices and smaller value of sales contributed to changes in the number of farms within these sales classes. Farm numbers increased 0.5 percent, to 1.23 million farms, in the $1,000 - $9,999 sales class. Meanwhile, the number of farms in the $500,000 and over sales class decreased by 1.0 percent to 124,720 farms. Land in farms decreased in the smallest and largest sales classes. In the $1,000-$9,999 sales class, land in farms dropped 1.1 percent, to 105.5 million acres. Land operated by farms in the $500,000 & over in sales class decreased 1.0 percent, to 290.0 million acres. Land operated by farms with $250,000-$499,999 in sales increased by 4.1 percent. The average farm size was unchanged in 2009. However, average farm sizes declined in some of the sales classes partially due to smaller farms moving up to higher sales classes. This report also contains estimates of farm numbers and land in farms for Puerto Rico. The number of farms with sales of $1,000 or more in Puerto Rico was 10,400 in 2009, down 800 farms from 2008. Land in farms, at 450,000 acres, is down 20,000 acres from the previous year. The average farm size in Puerto Rico in 2009 was estimated at 43 acres. Livestock Operations 2009 Summary The number of operations with cattle totaled 950,000 for 2009, down 1 percent from 2008. Beef cow operations in 2009, at 753,000, were also down 1 percent from last year. The number of milk cow operations for 2009 totaled 65,000, down 3 percent from 2008. 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 71,450 for 2009, down 2 percent from 2008. Places with 2,000 or more head accounted for 86 percent of the inventory. The number of operations with sheep totaled 82,000 for 2009, down 1 percent from 2008. Of all sheep operations that include breeding sheep, 93.7 percent were comprised of 1-99 head, 5.2 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 36.2 percent of the inventory, 100-499 head account for 20.8 percent of the inventory, and 500+ head account for 43.0 percent of the inventory. The number of operations with goats totaled 152,000 for 2009, up 1 percent from a year earlier. Angora goat operations totaled 5,400, down 17 percent from 2008. Milk goat operations totaled 30,000, up 3 percent from 2008. Meat goat operations totaled 130,000, up 1 percent from a year earlier. Total goat operations will be equal to or less than the sum of angora, milk and meat because places which own more than one goat type count as only one operation. Special Note State level numbers are published in conjunction with the Census of Agriculture every five years. The number of operations at the U.S. level are published on an annual basis. The reference date for operation estimates is December 31 beginning with the 2007 estimates. This change from the previous definition of an operation as any place having one or more head of a specie on hand at any time during the year results in a break in the data series. Point Farms: United States, 2003 - 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Total 1/ Year :----------------------------------------------------------- : Farms : Land -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 2/ : 17.0 2.8 2009 : 18.0 2.9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Percent of farms and land in farms for places having less than $1,000 of reported sales, but with sufficient crops and/or livestock to normally have sales of at least $1,000. 2/ Revised. Number of Farms, Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size: United States, 1999-2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Land : Average Year : of Farms : in Farms : Farm Size -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number 1,000 Acres Acres : 1999 : 2,187,280 948,460 434 2000 : 2,166,780 945,080 436 2001 : 2,148,630 942,070 438 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 1/ : 2,200,100 919,910 418 2009 : 2,200,010 919,800 418 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. Percent of Farms and Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size: By Economic Sales Class, United States, 2008-2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Total : Economic :---------------------------------------: Average Farm Size Sales : Farms : Land in Farms : (Acres) Class :----------------------------------------------------------- : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $1,000 - $2,499 : 27.8 28.0 4.0 3.7 60 55 $2,500 - $4,999 : 14.4 14.4 3.3 3.2 96 93 $5,000 - $9,999 : 13.3 13.4 4.3 4.6 135 143 $10,000 - $24,999 : 12.1 11.8 6.8 6.5 235 230 $25,000 - $49,999 : 8.0 8.0 7.4 7.8 387 408 $50,000 - $99,999 : 7.4 7.4 10.3 10.4 582 588 $100,000 - $249,999 : 6.8 6.8 16.4 16.1 1,010 991 $250,000 - $499,999 : 4.5 4.5 15.6 16.2 1,452 1,506 $500,000 - $999,999 : 3.4 3.4 15.4 15.4 1,897 1,895 $1,000,000 + : 2.3 2.3 16.5 16.1 3,004 2,936 : Total : 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 418 418 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. Number of Farms, Land in Farms, and Average Farm Size By State, United States, and Puerto Rico 2008-2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Farms : Land in Farms : Average Farm Size State :----------------------------------------------------------------- : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :------ Number ------ --- 1,000 Acres -- ----- Acres ---- : AL : 48,500 48,500 8,950 9,000 185 186 AK : 680 680 890 880 1,309 1,294 AZ : 15,600 15,500 26,100 26,100 1,673 1,684 AR : 49,300 49,100 13,700 13,600 278 277 CA : 81,500 81,500 25,400 25,400 312 312 CO : 36,500 36,200 31,300 31,300 858 865 CT : 4,900 4,900 400 400 82 82 DE : 2,500 2,480 500 490 200 198 FL : 47,500 47,500 9,250 9,250 195 195 GA : 47,800 47,600 10,400 10,300 218 216 HI : 7,500 7,500 1,110 1,120 148 149 ID : 25,200 25,500 11,400 11,400 452 447 IL : 75,900 75,800 26,700 26,700 352 352 IN : 61,000 61,500 14,800 14,800 243 241 IA : 92,600 92,600 30,800 30,800 333 333 KS : 65,500 65,500 46,200 46,200 705 705 KY : 85,300 85,500 14,000 14,000 164 164 LA : 30,000 30,000 8,050 8,050 268 268 ME : 8,100 8,100 1,350 1,350 167 167 MD : 12,850 12,800 2,050 2,050 160 160 MA : 7,700 7,700 520 520 68 68 MI : 55,000 54,800 10,000 10,000 182 182 MN : 81,000 81,000 26,900 26,900 332 332 MS : 42,000 42,300 11,000 11,050 262 261 MO : 108,000 108,000 29,100 29,100 269 269 MT : 29,500 29,800 60,800 60,800 2,061 2,040 NE : 47,400 47,200 45,600 45,600 962 966 NV : 3,100 3,080 5,900 5,900 1,903 1,916 NH : 4,150 4,150 470 470 113 113 NJ : 10,300 10,300 730 730 71 71 NM : 20,600 20,500 43,000 43,000 2,087 2,098 NY : 36,600 36,600 7,100 7,100 194 194 NC : 52,500 52,400 8,600 8,600 164 164 ND : 32,000 32,000 39,600 39,600 1,238 1,238 OH : 75,000 74,900 13,900 13,800 185 184 OK : 86,600 86,500 35,100 35,100 405 406 OR : 38,600 38,600 16,400 16,400 425 425 PA : 63,200 63,200 7,750 7,750 123 123 RI : 1,220 1,220 70 70 57 57 SC : 26,900 27,000 4,900 4,900 182 181 SD : 31,300 31,500 43,700 43,700 1,396 1,387 TN : 79,000 78,700 10,900 10,900 138 139 TX : 247,500 247,500 130,400 130,400 527 527 UT : 16,500 16,600 11,100 11,100 673 669 VT : 7,000 7,000 1,220 1,220 174 174 VA : 47,000 47,000 8,000 8,000 170 170 WA : 39,500 39,500 14,800 14,800 375 375 WV : 23,200 23,200 3,700 3,700 159 159 WI : 78,000 78,000 15,200 15,200 195 195 WY : 11,000 11,000 30,100 30,200 2,736 2,745 : US :2,200,100 2,200,010 919,910 919,800 418 418 : PR : 11,200 10,400 470 450 42 43 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/Revised. Number of Farms: Economic Sales Class by State, Region, United States, and Puerto Rico 2008-2009 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Economic Sales Class State :----------------------------------------------------------- and : $1,000-$9,999 : $10,000-$99,999 : $100,000-$249,999 Region :----------------------------------------------------------- : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Northeast : CT 2/ : 3,050 3,050 ME 2/ : 5,300 5,300 MA 2/ : 4,800 4,800 NH 2/ : 2,900 2,900 NJ 2/ : 6,700 6,700 NY : 18,700 18,900 10,800 10,900 3,100 3,200 PA : 37,000 37,000 15,500 15,500 5,600 5,600 RI 2/ : 740 750 VT 2/ : 4,000 4,000 : Oth Sts 3/ : 11,060 10,950 2,220 2,270 : Total : 83,190 83,400 37,360 37,350 10,920 11,070 : North Central : IL : 33,500 32,400 17,400 17,600 8,100 8,500 IN : 31,700 32,800 16,000 15,800 5,150 5,200 IA : 30,200 30,300 28,500 28,400 14,100 14,200 KS : 28,300 28,500 22,500 22,200 6,600 6,700 MI : 32,300 32,100 14,500 14,400 3,600 3,500 MN : 36,500 36,400 21,900 21,900 9,400 9,400 MO : 57,700 58,100 38,000 37,800 5,700 5,200 NE : 12,300 11,700 14,200 13,400 7,600 8,600 ND : 10,600 10,700 9,400 9,300 4,300 4,400 OH : 40,300 40,200 22,700 22,700 5,500 5,300 SD : 9,400 9,200 9,600 9,800 5,200 5,000 WI : 39,000 38,800 20,500 20,500 9,300 9,400 : Total : 361,800 361,200 235,200 233,800 84,550 85,400 : South : AL : 31,000 31,200 12,500 12,400 1,300 1,300 AR : 27,900 27,600 13,200 13,000 1,600 1,700 DE 2/ : 1,000 1,000 FL : 29,500 29,500 12,700 12,700 2,100 2,100 GA : 30,200 30,100 10,000 10,000 2,500 2,500 KY : 54,000 54,000 25,200 25,400 2,900 3,000 LA : 18,700 18,700 7,900 7,900 1,100 1,100 MD 2/ : 7,100 7,100 MS : 27,400 27,500 9,900 10,100 1,050 950 NC : 32,700 32,600 11,300 11,300 2,000 2,050 OK : 51,000 51,000 28,000 28,000 3,800 3,700 SC : 19,500 19,600 5,400 5,400 600 600 TN : 55,900 56,100 19,100 18,400 1,650 1,600 TX : 163,800 171,000 65,100 59,000 7,500 7,700 VA : 30,000 29,800 13,300 13,600 1,450 1,300 WV 2/ : 18,400 18,400 : Oth Sts 4/ : 8,030 7,930 1,210 1,220 : Total : 598,100 605,200 241,630 235,130 30,760 30,820 : West : AK 2/ : 360 350 AZ 2/ : 12,000 12,000 CA : 35,500 35,600 26,600 26,800 6,500 6,400 CO : 20,600 19,500 10,400 11,300 2,600 2,700 HI 2/ : 4,600 4,600 ID : 13,300 13,400 7,000 7,200 1,900 1,700 MT : 13,100 13,500 9,400 9,300 3,700 3,500 NV 2/ : 1,650 1,650 NM : 13,800 13,700 5,000 5,000 800 840 OR : 24,400 24,400 8,900 9,300 2,300 2,100 UT : 10,100 10,200 4,700 4,700 840 840 WA : 24,400 24,300 8,900 9,000 2,000 2,000 WY 2/ : 5,200 5,200 : Oth Sts 5/ : 9,410 9,100 2,130 2,120 : Total : 179,010 178,400 90,310 91,700 22,770 22,200 : US :1,222,100 1,228,200 604,500 597,980 149,000 149,490 : PR : 7,200 6,800 3,000 2,800 500 400 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnote(s) at end of table. --continued Number of Farms: Economic Sales Class by State, Region, United States, and Puerto Rico 2008-2009 (continued) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Economic Sales Class State :----------------------------------------------------------- and : $250,000-$499,999 : $500,000 & Over : Total Region :----------------------------------------------------------- : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Northeast : CT 2/ : 4,900 4,900 ME 2/ : 8,100 8,100 MA 2/ : 7,700 7,700 NH 2/ : 4,150 4,150 NJ 2/ : 10,300 10,300 NY : 1,700 1,600 2,300 2,000 36,600 36,600 PA : 2,800 2,800 2,300 2,300 63,200 63,200 RI 2/ : 1,220 1,220 VT 2/ : 7,000 7,000 : Oth Sts 3/ : 1,220 1,320 1,380 1,330 : Total : 5,720 5,720 5,980 5,630 143,170 143,170 : North Central : IL : 7,900 8,100 9,000 9,200 75,900 75,800 IN : 3,600 3,200 4,550 4,500 61,000 61,500 IA : 9,800 9,800 10,000 9,900 92,600 92,600 KS : 3,900 3,900 4,200 4,200 65,500 65,500 MI : 2,100 2,200 2,500 2,600 55,000 54,800 MN : 6,400 6,500 6,800 6,800 81,000 81,000 MO : 2,900 3,100 3,700 3,800 108,000 108,000 NE : 6,000 6,000 7,300 7,500 47,400 47,200 ND : 3,700 3,700 4,000 3,900 32,000 32,000 OH : 3,300 3,400 3,200 3,300 75,000 74,900 SD : 3,900 4,200 3,200 3,300 31,300 31,500 WI : 5,200 5,500 4,000 3,800 78,000 78,000 : Total : 58,700 59,600 62,450 62,800 802,700 802,800 : South : AL : 1,400 1,400 2,300 2,200 48,500 48,500 AR : 1,700 1,900 4,900 4,900 49,300 49,100 DE 2/ : 2,500 2,480 FL : 1,100 1,100 2,100 2,100 47,500 47,500 GA : 1,600 1,400 3,500 3,600 47,800 47,600 KY : 1,400 1,450 1,800 1,650 85,300 85,500 LA : 800 800 1,500 1,500 30,000 30,000 MD 2/ : 12,850 12,800 MS : 900 1,000 2,750 2,750 42,000 42,300 NC : 2,500 2,450 4,000 4,000 52,500 52,400 OK : 1,800 1,800 2,000 2,000 86,600 86,500 SC : 300 300 1,100 1,100 26,900 27,000 TN : 950 1,100 1,400 1,500 79,000 78,700 TX : 4,500 4,500 6,600 5,300 247,500 247,500 VA : 950 900 1,300 1,400 47,000 47,000 WV 2/ : 23,200 23,200 : Oth Sts 4/ : 850 860 1,960 1,970 : Total : 20,750 20,960 37,210 35,970 928,450 928,080 : West : AK 2/ : 680 680 AZ 2/ : 15,600 15,500 CA : 4,000 4,000 8,900 8,700 81,500 81,500 CO : 1,200 1,100 1,700 1,600 36,500 36,200 HI 2/ : 7,500 7,500 ID : 1,200 1,200 1,800 2,000 25,200 25,500 MT : 2,100 2,300 1,200 1,200 29,500 29,800 NV 2/ : 3,100 3,080 NM : 400 400 600 560 20,600 20,500 OR : 1,200 1,000 1,800 1,800 38,600 38,600 UT : 410 400 450 460 16,500 16,600 WA : 1,700 1,700 2,500 2,500 39,500 39,500 WY 2/ : 11,000 11,000 : Oth Sts 5/ : 1,120 1,240 1,410 1,500 : Total : 13,330 13,340 20,360 20,320 325,780 325,960 : US : 98,500 99,620 126,000 124,720 2,200,100 2,200,010 : PR : 250 200 250 200 11,200 10,400 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. 2/ Estimates not available for all sales classes. 3/ CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, RI, and VT. 4/ DE, MD, and WV. 5/ AK, AZ, HI, NV, and WY. Land in Farms: Economic Sales Class by State, Region, United States, and Puerto Rico 2008-2009 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Economic Sales Class State :----------------------------------------------------------- and : $1,000-$9,999 : $10,000-$99,999 : $100,000-$249,999 Region :----------------------------------------------------------- : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Acres : Northeast : CT 2/ : 130 130 ME 2/ : 480 480 MA 2/ : 210 210 NH 2/ : 230 230 NJ 2/ : 180 180 NY : 1,400 1,500 1,700 1,800 960 960 PA : 2,400 2,400 2,050 2,050 1,150 1,150 RI 2/ : 30 30 VT 2/ : 340 340 : Oth Sts 3/ : 1,260 1,250 490 500 : Total : 5,400 5,500 5,010 5,100 2,600 2,610 : North Central : IL : 1,500 1,300 2,300 2,200 3,300 3,400 IN : 1,300 1,300 2,100 2,200 1,900 1,900 IA : 1,700 1,600 4,700 4,800 5,400 5,400 KS : 3,200 3,300 9,900 9,600 8,300 8,300 MI : 1,800 1,700 2,000 1,900 1,400 1,300 MN : 3,200 3,100 4,800 4,800 4,200 4,200 MO : 5,000 4,900 10,400 10,400 3,900 3,400 NE : 1,400 1,300 6,200 6,200 8,300 8,200 ND : 2,000 1,800 6,200 6,200 6,900 6,900 OH : 2,000 1,950 3,200 3,200 2,200 2,200 SD : 1,600 1,500 7,300 7,400 9,400 9,300 WI : 2,700 2,400 3,300 3,200 2,700 2,700 : Total : 27,400 26,150 62,400 62,100 57,900 57,200 : South : AL : 3,000 3,100 3,100 3,100 800 800 AR : 2,300 2,100 3,150 3,200 950 1,100 DE 2/ : 30 30 FL : 1,400 1,400 1,950 1,950 900 900 GA : 3,200 3,100 2,350 2,500 1,000 1,000 KY : 4,400 4,400 5,010 4,900 1,320 1,400 LA : 1,400 1,400 1,950 1,950 900 900 MD 2/ : 400 400 MS : 3,500 3,400 2,600 2,650 1,000 900 NC : 2,000 2,000 1,650 1,600 800 800 OK : 6,000 6,000 12,600 12,600 6,100 6,000 SC : 1,900 1,800 1,200 1,300 400 400 TN : 3,750 3,800 3,700 3,600 900 800 TX : 18,800 19,500 43,500 44,000 20,800 18,400 VA : 2,300 2,200 2,900 3,000 900 800 WV 2/ : 1,920 1,900 : Oth Sts 4/ : 1,840 1,800 530 540 : Total : 56,300 56,530 87,500 88,150 37,300 34,740 : West : AK 2/ : 270 270 AZ 2/ : 750 750 CA : 1,800 1,800 5,000 4,900 3,600 3,700 CO : 2,700 2,600 8,400 9,400 5,900 5,800 HI 2/ : 80 80 ID : 950 1,000 2,400 2,200 1,950 1,900 MT : 2,500 2,500 12,000 12,000 15,400 15,400 NV 2/ : 200 200 NM : 3,000 3,000 11,300 11,300 8,400 8,500 OR : 1,700 1,600 3,400 3,600 3,100 3,200 UT : 850 900 2,250 2,300 1,500 1,400 WA : 1,300 1,300 3,100 3,100 1,800 1,800 WY 2/ : 1,500 1,300 : Oth Sts 5/ : 22,550 22,750 11,850 11,750 : Total : 17,600 17,300 70,400 71,550 53,500 53,450 : US : 106,700 105,480 225,310 226,900 151,300 148,000 : PR : 120 120 160 155 70 65 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnote(s) at end of table. --continued Land in Farms: Economic Sales Class by State, Region, United States, and Puerto Rico 2008-2009 (continued) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Economic Sales Class State :----------------------------------------------------------- and : $250,000-$499,999 : $500,000 & Over : Total Region :----------------------------------------------------------- : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Acres : Northeast : CT 2/ : 400 400 ME 2/ : 1,350 1,350 MA 2/ : 520 520 NH 2/ : 470 470 NJ 2/ : 730 730 NY : 850 810 2,190 2,030 7,100 7,100 PA : 950 950 1,200 1,200 7,750 7,750 RI 2/ : 70 70 VT 2/ : 1,220 1,220 : Oth Sts 3/ : 445 455 965 955 : Total : 2,245 2,215 4,355 4,185 19,610 19,610 : North Central : IL : 4,800 4,800 14,800 15,000 26,700 26,700 IN : 2,500 2,500 7,000 6,900 14,800 14,800 IA : 6,900 6,900 12,100 12,100 30,800 30,800 KS : 8,400 8,200 16,400 16,800 46,200 46,200 MI : 1,400 1,500 3,400 3,600 10,000 10,000 MN : 4,800 4,800 9,900 10,000 26,900 26,900 MO : 3,200 3,400 6,600 7,000 29,100 29,100 NE : 9,100 9,700 20,600 20,200 45,600 45,600 ND : 8,200 8,400 16,300 16,300 39,600 39,600 OH : 2,400 2,350 4,100 4,100 13,900 13,800 SD : 10,400 10,300 15,000 15,200 43,700 43,700 WI : 2,600 2,800 3,900 4,100 15,200 15,200 : Total : 64,700 65,650 130,100 131,300 342,500 342,400 : South : AL : 700 700 1,350 1,300 8,950 9,000 AR : 1,400 1,300 5,900 5,900 13,700 13,600 DE 2/ : 500 490 FL : 900 900 4,100 4,100 9,250 9,250 GA : 950 900 2,900 2,800 10,400 10,300 KY : 1,020 1,100 2,250 2,200 14,000 14,000 LA : 900 900 2,900 2,900 8,050 8,050 MD 2/ : 2,050 2,050 MS : 900 1,000 3,000 3,100 11,000 11,050 NC : 1,150 1,200 3,000 3,000 8,600 8,600 OK : 4,300 4,400 6,100 6,100 35,100 35,100 SC : 300 300 1,100 1,100 4,900 4,900 TN : 800 900 1,750 1,800 10,900 10,900 TX : 15,300 20,500 32,000 28,000 130,400 130,400 VA : 650 650 1,250 1,350 8,000 8,000 WV 2/ : 3,700 3,700 : Oth Sts 4/ : 430 420 1,100 1,150 : Total : 29,700 35,170 68,700 64,800 279,500 279,390 : West : AK 2/ : 890 880 AZ 2/ : 26,100 26,100 CA : 2,900 2,900 12,100 12,100 25,400 25,400 CO : 5,600 5,400 8,700 8,100 31,300 31,300 HI 2/ : 1,110 1,120 ID : 1,300 1,200 4,800 5,100 11,400 11,400 MT : 14,400 14,400 16,500 16,500 60,800 60,800 NV 2/ : 5,900 5,900 NM : 7,700 7,700 12,600 12,500 43,000 43,000 OR : 2,600 2,400 5,600 5,600 16,400 16,400 UT : 1,200 1,100 5,300 5,400 11,100 11,100 WA : 2,800 2,800 5,800 5,800 14,800 14,800 WY 2/ : 30,100 30,200 : Oth Sts 5/ : 8,400 8,500 18,500 18,600 : Total : 46,900 46,400 89,900 89,700 278,300 278,400 : US : 143,545 149,435 293,055 289,985 919,910 919,800 : PR : 40 40 80 70 470 450 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. 2/ Estimates not available for all sales classes. 3/ CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, RI, and VT. 4/ DE, MD, and WV. 5/ AK, AZ, HI, NV, and WY. Cattle and Calves: Number of Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group, United States, 2008-2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Operations : Percent of Inventory :-------------------------------------------------------- Head : : : : : 2008 1/ : 2009 : 2008 1/ : 2009 : : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- Number ------ ----- Percent ----- : Cattle and Calves : 1-49 : 645,000 642,000 11.4 11.4 50-99 : 133,000 132,000 9.7 9.7 100-499 : 147,600 146,300 31.2 31.2 500-999 : 19,100 19,000 13.4 13.5 1,000-1,999 : 6,600 6,500 9.1 9.0 2,000-4,999 : 3,030 3,010 8.8 8.8 5,000-9,999 : 700 720 4.7 4.8 10,000-19,999 : 260 270 3.5 3.7 20,000+ : 210 200 8.2 7.9 : Total : 955,500 950,000 100.0 100.0 : Beef Cows2/ : 1-49 : 601,000 598,000 28.5 28.3 50-99 : 83,000 82,000 17.1 17.1 100-499 : 67,200 67,200 38.0 38.0 500-999 : 4,340 4,350 8.7 8.8 1,000-1,999 : 1,125 1,110 4.5 4.5 2,000-4,999 : 280 280 2.1 2.1 5,000+ : 55 60 1.1 1.2 : Total : 757,000 753,000 100.0 100.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. 2/ Included in operations with cattle. Milk Cows: Number of Operations, Percent of Inventory and Percent of Milk Production by Size Group, United States, 2008-2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Percent of : Percent of : Operations 1/ : Inventory : Production 2/ Head :----------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : : : : 2008 : 2009 : 2008 : 2009 : 2008 : 2009 : : : : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----- Number ---- --------------- Percent -------------- : 1-29 : 21,300 20,400 1.8 1.8 1.2 1.2 30-49 : 11,900 11,500 5.1 4.9 3.9 3.8 50-99 : 17,800 17,300 13.1 13.0 11.5 11.4 100-199 : 8,700 8,600 12.5 12.4 11.8 11.6 200-499 : 3,950 3,850 12.6 12.3 13.1 12.5 500-999 : 1,720 1,700 12.5 12.5 12.5 12.6 1,000-1,999 : 900 910 13.1 13.3 15.5 15.7 2,000+ : 730 740 29.3 29.8 30.5 31.2 : Total : 67,000 65,000 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Included in operations with cattle. 2/ Estimates reflect the average distributions of various probability surveys conducted during the year. Hogs and Pigs: Number of Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group, United States, 2008-2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Operations : Percent of Inventory :----------------------------------------------------------- Head : : : : : 2008 : 2009 : 2008 : 2009 : : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- Number ------ ------ Percent ----- : 1-99 : 50,680 50,400 0.9 0.9 100-499 : 6,740 6,100 2.5 2.3 500-999 : 3,490 3,200 3.5 3.3 1,000-1,999 : 3,950 3,550 8.0 7.5 2,000-4,999 : 5,370 5,250 24.0 24.0 5,000+ : 2,920 2,950 61.1 62.0 : Total : 73,150 71,450 100.0 100.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hogs and Pigs: Number of Operations and Percent of Inventory by Size Group, Based on Ownership, United States, 2008-2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Operations : Percent of Inventory :----------------------------------------------------------- Head : : : : : 2008 : 2009 : 2008 : 2009 : : : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- Number ------ ------ Percent ----- : 1-99 : 50,610 50,370 1.0 0.9 100-499 : 5,870 5,370 2.4 2.2 500-999 : 2,380 2,050 2.4 2.2 1,000-1,999 : 2,160 1,900 4.5 4.0 2,000-4,999 : 2,350 2,200 10.7 9.7 5,000-9,999 : 705 745 7.4 8.0 10,000-19,999 : 365 350 7.4 7.3 20,000-49,999 : 185 185 8.5 9.0 50,000+ : 135 130 55.7 56.7 : Total : 64,760 63,300 100.0 100.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sheep and Goat Operations: Number of Operations with Sheep or Goats, United States, 2008-2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : 2008 1/ : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number Number : Sheep : 82,500 82,000 : Angora Goats : 6,500 5,400 Milk Goats : 29,000 30,000 Meat and Other Goats : 129,000 130,000 All Goats : 150,000 152,000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Revised. Breeding Sheep: Survey Percent by Size Group, United States, 2008-2009 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1-99 Head : 100-499 Head :500-4,999 Head : 5,000+ Head Item :----------------------------------------------------------------- : 2008 : 2009 : 2008 : 2009 : 2008 : 2009 : 2008 : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operations : 92.5 93.7 6.2 5.2 1.2 1.0 0.1 0.1 : Inventory : 32.6 36.2 22.7 20.8 30.2 31.3 14.5 11.7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Percents reflect distributions from annual survey. Reliability of Farm Numbers and Land in Farms Data in this Report 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 U.S. number of farms and land in farms is 1.3 and 1.4 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 1.8 to 3.4 percent for number of farms and 2.1 to 6.8 percent for land in farms at the U.S. 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 hogs and pigs 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. 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 Value of Value of Sales of Required some Apiaries and Fur Place Agricultural Agricultural Products Agricultural Farms Products Operations Enumerated (Produced) 1974 - Present - - - - $1,000 or more - - - - 1959 Less than 10 - - $250 or more - - - - 10 or more - - $50 or more - - - - 1954 Less than 3 - - $150 or more - - - - 3 or more $150 or more - - - - - - 1950 Less than 3 - - $150 or more - - Apiaries 3 or more $150 or more - - - - Fur Farms 1935 - 1945 Less than 3 $250 or more - - - - Apiaries 3 or more - - - - X Fur Farms 1930 Less than 3 $250 or more - - - - Apiaries 3 or more - - - - X - - 1925 Less than 3 $250 or more - - - - - - 3 or more - - - - X - - 1910 - 1925 Less than 3 $250 or more - - - - Apiaries 3 or more - - - - X - - 1900 Less than 3 - - - - - - Apiaries 3 or more - - - - X - - 1870 - 1890 Less than 3 - - $500 or more - - Apiaries 3 or more - - - - X - - 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. 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. Historic Estimates: Final estimates of Farms and Land in Farms in earlier years are available in Statistical Bulletins, 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 Questions about the data in this report should be directed to the commodity specialists listed below. Farm Numbers and Land in Farms Kevin Barnes, Chief, Environmental, Economics, and Demographics Branch (202) 720-6146 Kevin Hintzman, Head, Economics Section (202) 720-6146 Scott Shimmin- Farm Numbers and Land in Farms (202) 690-3231 Livestock Operations Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch (202) 720-3570 Scott Hollis, Head, Livestock Section (202) 720-3570 Nick Streff - Hogs and Pigs (202) 720-3106 Jim Collom - Dairy Products (202) 690-3236 Joe Gaynor - Dairy Products Prices (202) 690-2168 Mike Miller - Milk Production and Milk Cows (202) 720-3278 Sherry Bertramsen - Livestock Slaughter (515) 284-4340 Everett Olbert - Sheep & Lambs, Goats & Kids (202) 720-4751 Jason Hardegree - Cattle, Cattle on Feed (202) 720-3040 ACCESS TO REPORTS!! 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