However, even with declining farm numbers and a challenging widespread drought, 2012 brought record farm product sales. The contrast shows that although fewer people are farming, those who are farming are doing it better than ever before, but at greater cost, as expenses also rose to record highs. Average net cash farm income on 2.1 million farms was $43,750.
Following the same trend, small and mid-sized dairy farms, beef operations and hog operations also declined. Larger hog-raising operations (over 5,000 head) accounted for two-thirds of the inventory. Dairies larger than 1000 cows accounted for 46 percent of the national milking herd.
The census, conducted every five years, contains 6 million pieces of information and indicates 3.2 million farmers are currently farming 914.5 million acres of farmland. Twenty-two percent of all operators had been farming for less than 10 years. And while total organic product sales by farms increased 82 percent since 2007, organic products still account for only 0.8 percent of nationwide agricultural production in 2012.
California led the nation with nine of the top 10 counties in farm-product value sales. The top five states for agricultural sales were California ($42.6 billion); Iowa ($30.8 billion); Texas ($25.4 billion); Nebraska ($23.1 billion); and Minnesota ($21.3 billion).
Farms with Internet access rose from 56.5 percent in 2007 to 69.6 percent in 2012. The most common access type was DSL with 40 percent, and satellite with 19 percent. Nearly 140,000 operators (10 percent) still reported using dial-up service.
On-farm renewable energy production increased to 57,000 farms (more than double over 2007), with solar panels leading the way as the most dominant technology used; 10,000 farms reported leasing wind rights to others.
Cropland on which no-till practices were used was reported at 96,476,496 acres, while conventional tillage practices were reported on 105,707,971 acres. Cover crop use (excluding the Conservation Reserve Progam) was reported on 10,280,793 acres. FG
