1997 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE HIGHLIGHTS OF AGRICULTURE: 1997 AND 1992 OCEAN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY Item ALL FARMS 1997 1992 Farms .........................number.. 235 233 Land in farms ..................acres.. 11 381 10 365 Average size of farm .......acres.. 48 44 Value of land and buildings@1: Average per farm .........dollars.. 348 713 347 159 Average per acre .........dollars.. 6 791 6 254 Estimated market value of all machinery and equipment@1 Average per farm .........dollars.. 18 851 26 992 Farms by size: 1 to 9 acres ........................ 94 79 10 to 49 acres ...................... 102 113 50 to 179 acres ..................... 25 25 180 to 499 acres .................... 9 13 500 to 999 acres .................... 5 3 1,000 acres or more ................. 0 0 Total cropland .................farms.. 203 194 acres.. 5 692 5 572 Harvested cropland ...........farms.. 167 157 acres.. 4 091 3 647 Irrigated land .................farms.. 64 51 acres.. 883 775 Market value of agricultural products sold................$1,000.. 8 170 5 046 Average per farm .........dollars.. 34 767 21 657 Crops, including nursery and greenhouse crops............$1,000.. 5 562 3 998 Livestock, poultry, and their products....................$1,000.. 2 608 1 048 Farms by value of sales: Less than $2,500 .................... 93 106 $2,500 to $4,999 .................... 36 36 $5,000 to $9,999 .................... 30 22 $10,000 to $24,999 .................. 34 29 $25,000 to $49,999 .................. 11 15 $50,000 to $99,999 .................. 10 10 $100,000 or more .................... 21 15 Total farm production expenses.$1,000.. 5 288 4 861 Average per farm .........dollars.. 22 407 20 954 Operators by principal occupation: Farming ............................. 98 111 Other ............................... 137 122 Operators by days worked off farm: Any ................................. 145 126 200 days or more ................... 91 69 Livestock and poultry: Cattle and calves inventory...farms.. 26 30 number.. 553 566 Beef cows ..................farms.. 14 16 number.. (D) 95 Milk cows ..................farms.. 3 8 number.. (D) 182 Cattle and calves sold .......farms.. 25 29 number.. 158 225 Hogs and pigs inventory ......farms.. 23 17 number.. 653 (D) Hogs and pigs sold ...........farms.. 25 19 number.. 1 674 909 Sheep and lambs inventory ....farms.. 13 9 number.. 95 149 Layers and pullets 13 weeks old and older inventory.............farms.. 27 33 number.. 3 019 4 196 Broilers and other meat-type chickens sold...............farms.. 2 2 number.. (D) (D) Selected crops harvested: Corn for grain or seed .......farms.. 13 13 acres.. 619 626 bushels.. 65 430 66 480 Corn for sil or green chop....farms.. 7 7 acres.. 273 (D) tons, green.. 3 606 2 340 Soybeans for beans ...........farms.. 9 5 acres.. 428 330 bushels.. 9 303 8 075 Hay-alf, other, wild, silage..farms.. 50 52 acres.. 1 064 1 350 tons, dry.. 1 627 2 464 Vegetables harvested..........farms.. 46 60 acres.. 606 811 Land in orchards..............farms.. 13 23 acres.. 45 84 @1Data are based on a sample of farms. Legend: (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual farms (X) Not applicable (Z) Less than half the unit shown (NA) Not available Source: 1997 Census of Agriculture, Volume 1 Geographic Area Series, "Table 1. County Summary Highlights: 1997." This electronic series presents summary statistics for each county and State together with comparable data from the 1992 census. The items included are the same for all States and counties, except selected crops harvested, which vary by State. Data for 1997 and 1992 are directly comparable for acreage and inventories. Dollar values have not been adjusted for changes in price levels. You can obtain the Volume 1 Geographic Area Series from the National Technical Information Service. If you have any questions concerning the data in this report or need additional information or order forms for agriculture publications, please call the National Agricultural Statistics Service at 1-800-523-3215 or 1-800-727-9540.