1992 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE HIGHLIGHTS OF AGRICULTURE: 1992 AND 1987 MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS Item ALL FARMS 1992 1987 Farms .........................number.. 535 569 Land in farms ..................acres.. 31 583 38 709 Average size of farm .......acres.. 59 68 Value of land and buildings@1: Average per farm .........dollars.. 402 629 313 826 Average per acre .........dollars.. 7 647 4 960 Estimated market value of all machinery and equipment@1 Average per farm .........dollars.. 31 731 34 291 Farms by size: 1 to 9 acres ........................ 155 132 10 to 49 acres ...................... 206 213 50 to 179 acres ..................... 137 166 180 to 499 acres .................... 30 53 500 to 999 acres .................... 7 5 1,000 acres or more ................. 0 0 Total cropland .................farms.. 476 481 acres.. 18 005 20 266 Harvested cropland ...........farms.. 428 438 acres.. 13 972 15 064 Irrigated land .................farms.. 143 129 acres.. 1 324 1 253 Market value of agricultural products sold................$1,000.. 44 882 49 860 Average per farm .........dollars.. 83 892 87 628 Crops, including nursery and greenhouse crops............$1,000.. 34 735 28 964 Livestock, poultry, and their products....................$1,000.. 10 147 20 896 Farms by value of sales: Less than $2,500 .................... 170 189 $2,500 to $4,999 .................... 66 65 $5,000 to $9,999 .................... 75 75 $10,000 to $24,999 .................. 59 65 $25,000 to $49,999 .................. 56 57 $50,000 to $99,999 .................. 38 52 $100,000 or more .................... 71 66 Total farm production expenses.$1,000.. 31 243 39 445 Average per farm .........dollars.. 58 398 69 202 Net cash return from agricultural sales for the farm unit.......farms.. 535 570 $1,000.. 11 139 9 469 Average per farm..........dollars.. 20 820 16 612 Operators by principal occupation: Farming ............................. 292 290 Other ............................... 243 279 Operators by days worked off farm: Any ................................. 260 324 200 days or more ................... 156 184 Livestock and poultry: Cattle and calves inventory...farms.. 106 134 number.. 3 185 4 351 Beef cows ..................farms.. 72 85 number.. 707 966 Milk cows ..................farms.. 33 38 number.. 1 078 1 494 Cattle and calves sold .......farms.. 78 106 number.. 1 614 2 232 Hogs and pigs inventory ......farms.. 36 54 number.. 1 445 5 080 Hogs and pigs sold ...........farms.. 27 50 number.. 2 772 8 739 Sheep and lambs inventory ....farms.. 56 65 number.. 1 211 2 302 Chickens 3 months old or older inventory.............farms.. 60 71 number.. 24 894 85 074 Broilers and other meat-type chickens sold...............farms.. 7 0 number.. 4 998 0 Selected crops harvested: Corn for grain or seed .......farms.. 8 11 acres.. 220 162 bushels.. 4 552 17 111 Corn for sil or green chop....farms.. 32 28 acres.. 1 046 1 211 tons, green.. 18 543 22 318 Irish potatoes................farms.. 8 3 acres.. 11 3 cwt.. 1 390 280 Hay-alf, other, wild, silage..farms.. 184 211 acres.. 9 106 9 810 tons, dry.. 17 003 17 981 Vegetables harvested..........farms.. 136 128 acres.. 2 265 2 273 Land in orchards..............farms.. 53 74 acres.. 819 1 327 @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. .