2012 Census of Agriculture Data Available

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service has released the full 2012 Census of Agriculture report. Once every-five years - USDA’s NASS Head Dr. Cynthia Clark says farmers, ranchers and growers have the unique opportunity to let the world know how U.S. ag is changing, what’s staying the same, what’s working and what can be done differently. The census reveals 3.2-million farmers operate 2.1-million farms on 914.5-million acres of farmland across the country. Some other key findings include the fact that 87-percent of all U.S. farms are operated by families or individuals and sales and production expenses reached record highs in 2012. In fact - U.S. producers sold more than 394-billion dollars of ag products in 2012 - but it cost them more than 328-billion dollars to produce them. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the census results reiterate the continued need for policies that help grow the rural economy from the middle out. Vilsack says the data illustrate the power of USDA efforts to grow the economy and strengthen rural America’s infrastructure, create new market opportunities for farmers and ranchers, and provide access to capital, credit and disaster assistance for all producers. He says 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. For the full report - visit ag census dot USDA dot gov (www.agcensus.usda.gov).