Tracking farmers
John Schlageck
Saturday, March 14, 2009
One of the most significant changes seen in the 2007 Census of Agriculture is the increase in female farm operators, both in terms of the absolute number and the percentage of all principal operators.
In the latest survey released last month the number of female principal operators totaled 306,209 in ’07. That’s up from 237,819 in 2002 — an increase of almost 30 percent.
Agricultural land ownership has remained stable over the past five years. The 2007 census shows that 62 percent of farmland in the U.S. is owned by the operator. Areas with more cropland, such as the Midwest, tend to have a greater percentage of rented land including Kansas.
There are more farms in the United States than there were five years ago. These farms are also smaller but have pushed the number of farms in the United States to just above 2.2 million. This reverses a 60-year trend according to the latest Census of Agriculture.
As many of us might have suspected, the typical farmer is growing older, but has more sales. The average age rose from 55.3 to 57.1, with farmers retiring later or continuing to work on a part-time basis.
On the other hand, commodity farms that produce corn, soybeans, cattle and hogs have declined in number to make way for increasing farms that produce vegetables, fruits, aquaculture and specialty animals.
The largest number of farms in the United States are small, with 60 percent of all farms reporting less than $10,000 in sales of agricultural products. 1.2 million farms depend on non-farm income to cover farm expenses.
This group also reports something other than farming as their primary occupation. Almost 900,000 principal operators report working off the farm more than 200 days a year. The share of farmers working off-farm grew from 55 percent in 2002 to 65 percent in 2007.
The demographic characteristics of operators on larger farms, with sales more than $250,000 differs from those of small farms. Operators of larger farms tend to be younger, are more likely to report farming as their primary occupation, and are less likely to work off the farm.
There is a relationship between the type of farm operated and the demographics of the farm operator. For example, white farmers are more likely than non-white farmers to produce grains and oilseeds. Asians and native Hawaiians have a higher percentage of fruit and tree nut farms than other races.
Women operators are fairly equally split among three industries: cattle, calves and feedlots; aquaculture and other livestock operations; and other crops. Cattle and calves was the most common farm type for American Indian, Black and Hispanic farmers.
The percentage of farm operations with Internet access has increased over the past five years, from 50 percent in 2002 to 57 percent in 2007. For the first time in 2007, the census looked at high-speed Internet access, an important measure of farmers’ ability to use the Internet effectively.
Of the U.S. farms with Internet access, 58 percent reported having a high-speed connection. The 2007 census shows both Internet access and high-speed Internet access at the county level for the first time.
Kansas once again held its own and ranked among the best in market value of ag products sold. With 65,531 farms, Kansas recorded total sales of more than $14.4 billion.
Leading the way were cattle and calves where 27,565 farms sold more than $8.5 billion. This ranked first and amounted to 59.3 percent of all sales. Hogs and pigs accounted for another $506 million. Milk and other dairy products from cows totaled more than $376 million. Sales in poultry and eggs amounted to nearly $70 million.
Kansas grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas accounted for more than $4.5 billion and 31.3 percent of total sales. Other crops and hay totaled nearly $254 million. Nursery, greenhouse, floriculture and sod accounted for $77 million. Vegetables, melons, potatoes and sweet potatoes contributed with sales of $25 million.
• John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.