Census of Agriculture

What's New In U.S. Agriculture--Tales from the 2022 Census of Agriculture

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 20:58:35 GMT

On February 13, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the national, state, and county level results from the 2022 Census of Agriculture for the 50 states, a snapshot of the U.S. agricultural economy that has been conducted every five years since 1954. Prior to that year, it had been conducted every ten years as part of the required decennial census. In 1997, budgetary responsibility for this function was shifted from the Bureau of the Census (in the Commerce Department) to USDA, although Bureau of Census employees are still heavily involved in survey design and initial data processing. Data for agriculture in U.S. possessions and territories, such as Puerto Rico and American Samoa, will be released later.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke at the press conference when Volume 1 of the Census was released, along with Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Chavonda Jacobs-Young and the Administrator for the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Hubert Hamer. NASS is the agency which houses Census data on its website. The Secretary’s comments focused on the noticeable decline in the number of U.S. farms and the number of farmland acres between the last Census in 2017 and this current one, reducing the number of farms by nearly 7 percent below 2 million for the first time in U.S. history, even with the rather loose definition of a farm under Census rules (farm had to produce and sell at least $1,000 in farm products in the census year). The number of farmland acres also fell by 20 million (2 percent) from 900 million to 880 million. The number of farms declined in every farm size category, though the smallest decline–only 2.1 percent–was in the largest category of 2,000 acres or more.

There is a somewhat better story to tell about the numbers that reflect the age composition of U.S. farmers. Among all farmers reported in the Census (not just principal operators), the average age continued to increase, from 57.5 years to 58.1 years. However, this increase of one percent represents the small incremental increase since 2007, when the Census began to track all operators, not just principal operators. In addition, the number of farmers in the two youngest reported age categories, between 25 and 34 years, and between 35 and 44 years, both increased, by 2.1 percent and 9.3 percent respectively.

The Census clearly indicates that there is much more work to be done to encourage U.S. farmers and ranchers to adopt key conserving agricultural practices and renewable energy installations. Although it does not collect data on every possible practice, the published Census data does include information on adoption rates (and acreage levels where applicable) for cover cropping, no-till and reduced till cultivation, rotational grazing, and several types of farm-located renewable energy facilities. Among the practices mentioned above, the greatest degree of change recorded between 2017 and 2022 was the use of cover cropping, which was implemented on nearly 17 percent more acres in 2022 than in 2017. However, nearly all that increase occurred with farmers who were already using this practice–the number of farms using this practice actually fell negligibly, by less than 0.01 percent. The number of acres that farmers no-tilled increased slightly, by 0.7 percent, while the area in which reduced till cultivation was used actually fell by 0.7 percent.

On the livestock side, the number of operations reporting use of rotational grazing practices fell by about 10 percent, while the number reporting use of on-farm methane digesters fell negligibly, by less than 0.01 percent.

Other on-farm renewable energy installations had mixed results. The number of farms with solar panels increased by nearly 30 percent between 2017 and 2022, while the number of wind turbines owned by farmers rose more modestly, by 2.6 percent, while wind turbines placed on leased land by outside firms rose by 2 percent. Due to improved solar technology over the last few decades, energy generated with solar panels is deemed to be the cheapest source of energy of any kind (renewable or fossil-based) at $0.06 to $0.08 per kilowatt-hour, even when taking into account its intermittent availability, by the International Energy Agency. This improvement likely explains much of the fairly impressive gains for solar installations on farms over the last five years.

The robust gains for cover cropping likely reflect the availability of a cover crop-specific incentive in 2021 and 2022, namely a program that provided a modest ($5 per acre) crop insurance premium discount to farmers using this practice. The more broad-based sets of resources that were authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 totaling nearly $20 billion for adoption of ‘climate-smart agricultural practices’’ and technical assistance as well as $820 million to encourage farm use of renewable energy from the same legislation through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) was not passed until August 2022, long after cultivation practices for that crop year were already in place. The first tranche of funding from this legislation of $3 billion was made available to farmers beginning in September 2023, and the rest is scheduled to be distributed over the next several years. Thus, these incentives will be reflected in the next (2027) Census of Agriculture, as will results of the 141 climate-smart projects funded under the Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities which are beginning to enroll producers this year.

Top 5 Takeaways From the Latest Census of Agriculture

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 14:49:17 GMT

USDA NASS has released its report from the 2022 Census of Agriculture . When compared to the last census in 2017, the new data provided insights to the direction of the agriculture industry.

Here are the five biggest takeaways:

1. Decline in the total number of farms, acreage and operators

The total number of farms and ranches currently sits at 1.9 million, which is a decrease of 7% from 2017. Those farms are operating a total of 880 million acres - down 2%. The overall number of operators declined by just under 26,000.

2. Increased product value generates overall higher farm income, despite higher farm expenses

It’s no secret things are more expensive than they were in 2017. USDA’s data showed the total farm production expenses for the average farm was $223,175 in 2022, compared to $159,821 in 2017. However, the census also showed the increased value of products led to overall higher farm income despite those expenses.

The average net farm income per operation was nearly $80,000 in 2022 - almost double 2017’s $43,053.

3. More off-farm decision makers

While the majority of farms are still family owned, the number of farms in an LLC increased by just over 50,000, while those that have corporations involved in day-to-day decisions increased by a little under 10,000.

The number of farms listing three or more producers as decision makers increased as those naming between one to two producers as decision makers declined.

Not only was there an increase in the number of decision makers, but also the number of off-farm operators: 996,739 from 869,392 in 2017.

4. Newer and younger farm operators

Despite a slight increase in the average age of the U.S. farmer from 57.5 to 58.1 years old, the new census data showed more new and young operators on the farm. Just over 1 million of the total 3.4 million operators have been in the business for 10 years or less.

There was also an increase in the number of operators aged 44 and younger who are involved in day-to-day decision making.

5. Uptick in conservation efforts on the farm

The data shows producers have spent the past five years ramping up their conservation practices.

Over 10,000 more farms are using conservation or reduced tillage in their fields. And while slightly fewer operations are using cover crops, the total number of acres they are planted on has increased.

A total of 153,101 farms and ranches also used renewable energy producing systems, compared to 133,176 farms in 2017 - a 15% increase. Of those operations, 76% reported using solar panels.

2017 Ag Census: Total Number Of U.S. Farms Declines 3%

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:23:53 GMT

The total number of farms in the United States declined 3% from 2012 to 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2017 Census of Agriculture released Thursday, April 11. Since the 1997 Census of Agriculture, the number of farms in the U.S. has declined 7.8%.

The total number of farms on Dec. 31, 2017, was calculated at 2,042,220, which was 67,110 fewer than reported in the 2012 Census of Agriculture.

The Census of Agriculture is conducted every five years by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) with information directly from farmers and ranchers. Overall, USDA said there continue to be more of the largest and smallest operations and fewer middle-sized farms. The average age of all farmers and ranchers continues to rise.

NASS found the average size of farms in 2017 was 441 acres, up slightly from 434 acres in 2012. However, the total number of land in farms in 2017 was down 1.5%, totaling slightly more than 900 million acres.

The number of farms with cropland declined 5% from 2012 to 2017, yet the number of acres farmed in crops increased 1.7% to 396.4 million acres.

While NASS found the overall number of farmers declined, the declines occurred among mid-sized farms. Both the smallest sized farms (less than 9 acres) and the largest farms (2,000 acres of more), showed increases. Farms with fewer than 9 acres (273,325 farms) increased by 18% since the 2012 census, and farms with more than 2,000 acres (85,127) increased 3.5%.

For specific crops, NASS reported a decline of nearly 13% in the number of farms growing corn, an 11% decline in the number of cotton farms, a 25% decline in farms growing sorghum for grain, and a 31% decline in the number of farms raising winter wheat for grain.

Among livestock operations, the most significant decline in number of farms was among dairies. From 2012 to 2017, NASS counted a 15% decline in operations, leaving a total of 54,599 farms with milk cows in the U.S.

Contrasting with the decline in dairy farms, both beef cattle and hog farms saw increases in total farms in the 2017 NASS numbers.

U.S. farms with hogs and pigs totaled 66,439 in 2017, a 5% increase. Farms with beef cows totaled 729,046 in 2017, a 3% increase.

U.S. farms with laying hens saw a 15% increase to 232,500. Farms with broilers and other type meat chickens sold saw a slight decline to 32,751.

Want to learn more about the data and trends from the 2017 Census of Agriculture? Visit AgWeb.com/AgCensus2017

Rise In Women Farmers Attributed To Data Collection Change

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 06:17:30 GMT

CALDWELL, Idaho (AP) — Federal data shows more women are operating farms in Idaho, but officials say they have always been there.

The Idaho Statesman reports the 2017 Census of Agriculture released earlier this year shows about one-third of Idaho farms are run by women.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recorded more than 10,000 women in farm leadership roles.

It also says more than 17,000 women are working on farms and ranches in the state, up from the just over 13,000 women recorded in 2012.

The department attributed the uptick to a change in how the farm leadership positions are recorded.

Department statistician Randy Welk says officials determined that woman and youth were probably getting undercounted.

He says often the name listed as the operator of a family farm wasn’t updated.

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Information from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com

What Does the Ag Census Tell Us About Rural Connectivity?

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 06:15:24 GMT

If you ask someone who lives in rural America what type of internet connection they have, they are likely to give the off-the-cuff answer: “slow.”

As the government launches initiatives and the industry’s technology advances to bring improved connectivity to every back 40, the 2017 Ag Census provides insights in how progress is (or isn’t) being made.

Here are takeaways from the latest data provided by the 2017 Census of Agriculture regarding internet connectivity:

1. For the first time, farmers can answer what kind of internet access they have with “don’t know.” Other options included dialup, DSL, cable modem, fiber-optic, mobile internet service for a cell phone or other device (tablet), satellite, or other.

2. Connectivity varies by size of farm operation. But overall, less than 3% of farm operations with more than 140 acres have dial up access.

3. The 2012 Census included a category of “Broadband” which was not included in 2017 (it was replaced with “Don’t Know”.) The percent of internet access answers with either Dial Up or DSL connectivity totaled about half the connectivity in 2017 than 2012.

4. USDA and the FCC aren’t using the exact same terminology to define internet connectivity.
The FCC reports broadband availability with services including: ADSL, cable modem, FTTP, fixed wireless, satellite and other). So there’s some uneven overlap in how the agencies are classifying connections and measuring usage.

In June 2017, the FCC reported that 0.10% of the population doesn’t have access to broadband.
Since 2015 the FCC has defined broadband speeds as at least 200 kbps, at least 10 Mbps downstream / 1 Mbps upstream, at least 25/3, at least 100/10 or at least 250/25.

In June 2017, the FCC reported that 0.10% of the population doesn’t have access to broadband.
You can look up broadband providers by your address here.

2017 Ag Census: Top Stats For Ag Retailers

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 06:15:19 GMT

The 2017 Census of Agriculture is more than 800 pages of data timestamping the industry’s size, economics, and important geographical trends.

You can click here to view the entire report (released today), and here are some key takeaways our editors found for ag retailers:

1. Total number of farms continues to decline (and we’re on track to be less than 2 million farms by the next census), but your largest customers are a growing segment as the number of farms 2,000 acres or greater has never been higher.

2. Input expenses vary by category from 2012 to 2017 (showing here the top expense category for each.)

3. The total acres applied with crop protection products was up in all tracked categories.

4. For the first time, the Ag Census asked about cover crop seed purchases, and from the 2017 numbers 115,954 farms purchased cover crop seed for a total of $257 million. Acres planted in cover crops increased from 10.28 million acres in 2012 to 15.39 million acres in 2017 (these numbers exclude CRP.)

5. The use of drainage has increased. In 2012, it was reported almost 48.6 million acres were drained by tile; and in 2017, that number has increased to 55.6 million acres. Approximately 230 more farms had some acres drained by tile in 2017 than five years previously.

6. Proportion of farms with irrigation ticked slightly upward from 14.0% in 2012 to 14.4% in 2017.

Want to learn more about the data and trends from the 2017 Census of Agriculture? Visit AgWeb.com/AgCensus2017

5 Questions We Hope the 2017 Census of Ag Will Answer

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:23:49 GMT

It’s the Christmas of the agricultural data world, and we’re ready to dice up and deliver the naughty and nice facts about the economics of agriculture in the United States.

Two years ago, 72% of American farmers shared critical data about their operations, finances, labor, crops and livestock. Now we’re ready for the big reveal on April 11. As we wait, here are the top five questions we’re tracking.

Question 1. Who is running the farm?

2012 saw a decline in women as principal operators but a slight uptick in diversity, with increases in the number of black, Hispanic, American Indian and Asian principal operators. Average ages of farmers also climbed in 2012, from 57.1 years in 2007 to 58.3 years in 2012. And the total number of all operators took a slight dip as well, down 3.1%. What will 2017 tell us about who’s running the family farm?

Question 2: What’s the farmer’s financial outlook?

Some say the devil is in the details, and this case the detail is the crucial income/expense ratio. While agricultural sales increased 32.8% from 2007 to 2012 and income saw double-digit increases, expenses were also up—by a whopping 36.4%. Seed expenses increased 66% from 2007 to 2012, and fertilizer increased 57.6%, while labor climbed 23.4%. Will income and expenses show a continued upward march? We’d put money on it.

Question 3: What do current hog operations look like?

“I am interested in the shift of hog operation numbers and also where growth has been located,” says Jennifer Shike, Editor of Farm Journal’s PORK. “With disease pressure, I’m curious where those operations are moving to within the U.S. I’m also interested in ag labor numbers and how those demographics have changed since 2012.”

Question 4: How have dairy herd demographics changed?

“I want to know how the herd demographics have shifted and regionalities as well,” says Mike Opperman, Editor, Farm Journal’s MILK and Dairy Editorial Director. “I think it will help support our theory that certain areas of the country are ‘drying up,’ while others are growing significantly.”

Question 5: Is consolidation continuing in the beef market?

“From the beef industry perspective, the 2012 census counted 727,000 producers, with 10% owning 100 cows or more. That meant 10% of the operations controlled 55% of the cows,” says Greg Henderson, Drovers Editorial Director. “We expect the 2017 numbers to show more consolidation, with more of the cows falling into herds with more than 100 cows.”

What are your burning questions? Share yours with us here.

Related articles:
Take a look back at the 2012 Census data.

Check out dairy’s top 10 job-generating states .

See how many farms were family-owned in 2012.