More on the Census of Ag

The 2012 Census of Agriculture was released last week and showed that while the number of farms and land were down the overall value of ag products increased 33%. In 2012, the market values of crops, livestock, and total agricultural products were each record highs. The principal farmer was becoming older with an average age of 58.3 years. In 2012, the number of beginning farmers – on their current operation less than 10 years – was down 20 percent from 2007. Nearly 172,000 farmers were on their current operation less than 5 years. The Census counted more minority-operated farms in 2012 than in 2007. Hispanic principal operators increased by 21 percent. In 2012, more than 90 percent of female farmers operated farms with sales less than $50,000. More than a third of Asian farmers operated farms with sales of $50,000 or more. The amount of land in farms decreased in 31 states but increased in 19 states. If you want to read more of the data visit www.agcensus.usda.gov.

That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.