Tenure of farmers
Full owner (farms) 1,384,565 1,428,136 1,522,033
Percent of total 62.5 67.1 69.0
Part owner (farms) 615,902 551,004 542,192
Percent of total 27.8 25.9 24.6
Tenant owner (farms) 215,409 149,842 140,567
Percent of total 9.7 7.0 6.4
Farm organization
Individuals/family, sole
proprietorship (farms) 1,922,590 1,909,598 1,906,335
Percent of total 86.8 89.7 86.5
Family-held corporations
(farms) 81,621 66,667 85,837
Percent of total 3.7 3.1 3.9
Partnerships (farms) 185,607 129,593 174,247
Percent of total 8.4 6.1 7.9
Non-family corporations (farms) 8,811 7,085 10,237
Percent of total 0.4 0.3 0.5
Others - cooperative, estate or
trust, institutional, etc. (farms) 17,247 16,039 28,136
Percent of total 0.8 0.8 1.3
Characteristics of principal farm operators
Average operator age (years) 54.0 55.3 57.1
Percent with farming as their
primary occupation 47.1 57.5 45.1
Men 2,006,092 1,891,163 1,898,583
Women 209,784 237,819 306,209
More information on farm characteristics
• Census of Agriculture
• Contact NASS Customer Service, 1-800-727-9540.
Farm Financial Indicators
Farm income and value added data
2008 2009
Number of farms 2,200,100 2,200,010
Thousands $
Final crop output 185,071,313 169,028,650
+ Final animal output 140,274,663 119,216,135
+ Services and forestry 41,978,375 42,686,077
= Final agricultural sector output 367,324,351 330,930,862
- Intermediate consumption outlays 202,971,384 189,992,112
+ Net government transactions 923,502 1,203,668
= Gross value added 165,276,469 142,142,418
- Capital consumption 28,689,535 30,116,259
= Net value added 136,586,934 112,026,158
- Factor payments 49,989,371 49,839,092
Employee compensation (total hired labor) 24,979,930 24,850,656
Net rent received by nonoperator landlords 9,589,811 9,834,140
Real estate and nonreal estate interest 15,419,630 15,154,296
= Net farm income 86,597,563 62,187,066
More information on farm income
• Farm Income Data
• Farm Income and Costs Briefing Room
• Contact Timothy Park, 202-694-5446.
Farm balance sheet
• Estimation of State-level Balance Sheets has been suspended. See the Farm Balance Sheet data page for more information.
Top Commodities, Exports, and Counties
Top 5 agriculture commodities, 2009
Value of receipts
thousand $ Percent of US
total value
1. Cattle and calves 43,776,568 15.4
2. Corn 42,035,337 14.8
3. Soybeans 30,056,466 10.6
4. Dairy products 24,342,440 8.6
5. Broilers 21,812,789 7.7
All commodities 283,406,168
More information on United States’s top agriculture commodities
• Leading commodities by cash receipts in Excel.
• Other cash receipts data.
• Contact Ted Covey, 202-694-5344.
Top 5 agriculture exports, estimates, FY 2009
Value
million $
1. Soybeans and products 17,708.8
2. Other 12,432.5
3. Feed grains and products 11,978.7
4. Live animals and meat 8,906.6
5. Wheat and products 8,598.2
Overall rank 96,632.0
More information on agricultural exports
• State Export Data
• Agricultural Trade Briefing Room
• Contact Nora Brooks, 202-694-5211.
Top 5 counties in agricultural sales 2007
Percent of US total receipts Thousands $
1. Fresno County, CA 1.3 3,730,546
2. Tulare County, CA 1.1 3,335,014
3. Kern County, CA 1.1 3,204,147
4. Merced County, CA 0.8 2,330,408
5. Monterey County,CA 0.7 2,178,470
US total 297,220,491
More information on agricultural sales
• Census of Agriculture
• Contact NASS Customer Service, 1-800-727-9540.
2008
Tenure of farmers
Full owner (farms) 1,522,033
Farm organization
Individuals/family, sole
proprietorship (farms) 1,906,335
Pretty stark contrast - no a good one
