Full 2012 Census of Agriculture provides detailed report

May 02, 2014 | 05:22 PM

The Agriculture Department hosted a webcast today announcing the final results of the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Highlighting changing trends in demographics, production and farm economics were, from left, Hubert Hamer, director of the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s statistics division, and Joseph Reilly, NASS acting administrator. At right is Susan Carter of USDA Radio News, who fielded questions submitted by social media. (Jerry Hagstrom/The Hagstrom Report)

The Agriculture Department today released the full 2012 Census of Agriculture. USDA released preliminary findings in February, but the full Census was delayed due to the government shutdown last fall.

The full Census provides a much more detailed report on agriculture and farming.

While the preliminary Census showed there are 3.2 million principal operators, most of whom are male and have an average age of 58 years, the full Census shows there are also 928,151 secondary operators, many of whom are the wives of farmers and who are on average 10 years younger than the principal operator.

It also shows 142,620 tertiary operators, often children of farmers, and who are on average age 12 years younger than principal operators, NASS officials said on a webcast today.

The data also showed that 22 percent of all farmers were classified as beginning farmers in 2012, meaning that one out every five farmers had operated a farm for less than 10 years.

“The Census results reiterate the continued need for policies that help grow the rural economy from the middle out,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“The data illustrate the power of USDA efforts to grow the economy and strengthen infrastructure in rural America, create new market opportunities for farmers and ranchers, and provide access to capital, credit and disaster assistance for producers of all sizes,” Vilsack said.

“The Census also shows the potential for continued growth in the bioeconomy, organics, and local and regional food systems. USDA will continue to focus on innovative, creative policies that give farmers, ranchers and entrepreneurs the tools they need to attract a bright and diverse body of talent to rural America.”

Highlights of the 2012 Census of Agriculture data release include:

Young, beginning principal operators who reported their primary occupation as farming increased from 36,396 to 40,499 between 2007 and 2012 — an 11.3 percent increase in the number of young people getting into agriculture as a full-time job.
969,672 farm operators were female — 30 percent of all U.S. farm operators.
The number of farms run by Latino farmers increased from 82,462 in 2007 to 99,734 in 2012, a 21 percent increase, which USDA said reflects the changing face of America as a whole.
70 percent of all farms had Internet access in 2012, up from 56.5 percent in 2007. “But there is more work to be done to expand Internet access in rural America,” USDA said.
57,299 farms reported using a renewable energy producing system in 2012, more than double the 23,451 operations that reported the same in 2007. Solar panels accounted for 63 percent of renewable energy producing systems on farms, with 36,331 farms reporting their use.
Nearly 150,000 farmers and ranchers nationwide sell products directly to consumers, with 50,000 selling to local retailers. Industry estimates valued local food sales at $7 billion in 2011, “reflecting the growing importance of this new market to farm and ranch businesses,” USDA said.
Total organic product sales by farms have increased by 82 percent since 2007, from $1.76 billion in 2007 to $3.1 billion in 2012. Organic products were a $35 billion industry in 2013.