1992 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE HIGHLIGHTS OF AGRICULTURE: 1992 AND 1987 HOWARD COUNTY, MARYLAND Item ALL FARMS 1992 1987 Farms .........................number.. 382 432 Land in farms ..................acres.. 44 623 54 041 Average size of farm .......acres.. 117 125 Value of land and buildings@1: Average per farm .........dollars.. 492 252 446 488 Average per acre .........dollars.. 4 924 4 017 Estimated market value of all machinery and equipment@1 Average per farm .........dollars.. 37 173 32 489 Farms by size: 1 to 9 acres ........................ 67 83 10 to 49 acres ...................... 152 185 50 to 179 acres ..................... 110 102 180 to 499 acres .................... 33 32 500 to 999 acres .................... 12 18 1,000 acres or more ................. 8 12 Total cropland .................farms.. 322 363 acres.. 34 281 41 711 Harvested cropland ...........farms.. 248 272 acres.. 26 256 27 810 Irrigated land .................farms.. 27 27 acres.. 894 510 Market value of agricultural products sold................$1,000.. 18 949 18 305 Average per farm .........dollars.. 49 605 42 372 Crops, including nursery and greenhouse crops............$1,000.. 12 294 9 068 Livestock, poultry, and their products....................$1,000.. 6 655 9 237 Farms by value of sales: Less than $2,500 .................... 142 199 $2,500 to $4,999 .................... 62 58 $5,000 to $9,999 .................... 64 56 $10,000 to $24,999 .................. 33 40 $25,000 to $49,999 .................. 20 14 $50,000 to $99,999 .................. 24 19 $100,000 or more .................... 37 46 Total farm production expenses.$1,000.. 15 819 17 006 Average per farm .........dollars.. 41 303 39 365 Net cash return from agricultural sales for the farm unit.......farms.. 383 432 $1,000.. 1 704 1 561 Average per farm..........dollars.. 4 448 3 614 Operators by principal occupation: Farming ............................. 177 174 Other ............................... 205 258 Operators by days worked off farm: Any ................................. 219 268 200 days or more ................... 157 187 Livestock and poultry: Cattle and calves inventory...farms.. 161 186 number.. 8 203 9 841 Beef cows ..................farms.. 115 141 number.. 2 019 2 317 Milk cows ..................farms.. 24 34 number.. 1 429 2 028 Cattle and calves sold .......farms.. 158 178 number.. 4 624 6 003 Hogs and pigs inventory ......farms.. 22 28 number.. 1 730 2 721 Hogs and pigs sold ...........farms.. 26 34 number.. 3 771 6 180 Sheep and lambs inventory ....farms.. 48 42 number.. 1 081 1 013 Chickens 3 months old or older inventory.............farms.. 22 37 number.. 685 2 134 Broilers and other meat-type chickens sold...............farms.. 3 4 number.. 115 153 Selected crops harvested: Corn for grain or seed .......farms.. 72 83 acres.. 10 679 11 135 bushels.. 1 212 210 1 044 964 Wheat for grain ..............farms.. 39 41 acres.. 2 286 1 812 bushels.. 110 347 89 218 Barley for grain..............farms.. 24 40 acres.. 1 153 2 045 bushels.. 87 682 147 770 Tobacco ......................farms.. 0 0 acres.. 0 0 pounds.. 0 0 Soybeans for beans ...........farms.. 45 36 acres.. 4 533 3 445 bushels.. 163 122 116 130 Hay-alf, other, wild, silage..farms.. 172 194 acres.. 7 142 8 093 tons, dry.. 16 068 17 337 Vegetables harvested..........farms.. 22 30 acres.. 377 637 @1Data are based on a sample of farms. Legend: - Represents zero (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual farms (X) Not applicable (Z) Less than half the unit shown (NA) Not available Source: 1992 Census of Agriculture, Volume 1 Geographic Area Series, "Table 1. County Summary Highlights: 1992." This electronic series presents summary statistics for each county and state together with comparable data from the 1987 census. The items included are the same for all states and counties, except selected crops harvested, which vary by state. Data for 1992 and 1987 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 Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. If you have any questions concerning the data in this report or need additional information or order forms for agriculture publications, please call Agriculture Division, Bureau of the Census, at 1-800-523-3215. .