Washington, DC
June 3, 2004
Half of America’s farms and ranches have Internet access and
nearly 39 percent report using a computer for their farm
business, according to new data released from the 2002 Census of
Agriculture.
“These data illustrate the importance of the eGovernment
initiatives being implemented by USDA,” said Agriculture
Secretary Ann M. Veneman. “We are making more information
available to farmers and ranchers through the Internet and
helping to provide broadband access to rural communities. To
date, this administration has provided over $253 million in
broadband loans for rural areas.”
Conducted every five years by the
U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS), the census of agriculture attempts to reach every
agricultural operator in America through a mail survey.
Follow-ups by telephone or personal interview are conducted for
those who do not respond by mail. Data represent all
agricultural operations, defined as any place which sold or
normally would have sold more than $1,000 worth of agricultural
products during the census year.
Highlights of the Census include:
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The top five states in value of
agricultural products sold are California ($25.7 billion),
Texas ($14.1 billion, Iowa ($12.3 billion), Nebraska ($9.7
billion) and Kansas ($8.7 billion).
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Ninety percent of farms are
operated by an individual or family. The number of corporate
farms declined by 18.4 percent from 1997 to 2002, which
reverses a trend that has continued without interruption since
1974.
-
Direct sales to consumers
increased 37 percent from 1997, totaling $812.2 million in
2002.
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The value of organically
produced commodities reached $392.8 million in 2002.
-
The estimated market value of
land and buildings on the Nation’s farms rose 24 percent from
1997 to 2002. The average value per farm increased by over
$100,000 during the five-year period, reaching an average of
$537,833 in 2002. The average value of land and buildings per
acre is up more than $200 during that same time period to
$1,213 per acre in 2002.
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The average age of principal
farm or ranch operators was 55.3-years-old compared to
54-years-old in 1997. But, for the first time, NASS collected
information about more than one operator on the same farm.
Results showed an average age of second operators at
49.4-years-old and third operators at 41.9-years-old.
The census of agriculture provides the only source of detailed,
comprehensive agricultural facts for every county in America and
gives facts on very specialized or small scale agriculture. For
example:
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Fresno County, Calif., held its
place as the top county in value of agricultural products
sold, reaching $2.8 billion dollars in 2002.
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Mills County, Texas, was the
number one county in inventory of meat and other goats with a
total of 43.4 thousand.
-
Washington County, Maine, was
number one in berry acres at 17.1 thousand acres.
There is a significant difference in the measurements from the
1997 Census of Agriculture to the 2002 Census of Agriculture.
For the first time, data for every county and state have been
statistically adjusted to account for farms missed or
misclassified in the census.
For more information go to
http://www.usda.gov/nass/events/news/methodology.htm.
“This new methodology helps us to better represent all
agricultural operations in our census results,” said NASS
Administrator Ron Bosecker.
Thousands of aggregated facts and figures can be accessed online
from the NASS website at
www.usda.gov/nass/
by clicking on “Census of Agriculture.” Census publications and
a CD-ROM for queries (scheduled for release later this month)
are also available for sale through the National Technical
Information Service at 1-800-999-6779.
NASS collects and provides a vast array of production, economic,
demographic and environmental facts about U. S. agriculture
through regularly scheduled weekly, monthly, quarterly and
annual reports. For more information about agriculture
statistics, visit NASS online at
www.usda.gov/nass/
or call 1-800-727-9540. |