1992 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE HIGHLIGHTS OF AGRICULTURE: 1992 AND 1987 NORTH CAROLINA Item ALL FARMS 1992 1987 Farms .........................number.. 51 854 59 284 Land in farms ..................acres.. 8 936 015 9 447 705 Average size of farm .......acres.. 172 159 Value of land and buildings@1: Average per farm .........dollars.. 269 000 199 781 Average per acre .........dollars.. 1 573 1 263 Estimated market value of all machinery and equipment@1 Average per farm .........dollars.. 38 452 30 403 Farms by size: 1 to 9 acres ........................ 4 651 5 253 10 to 49 acres ...................... 15 852 18 088 50 to 179 acres ..................... 19 366 22 680 180 to 499 acres .................... 8 007 9 337 500 to 999 acres .................... 2 564 2 676 1,000 acres or more ................. 1 414 1 250 Total cropland .................farms.. 47 497 54 972 acres.. 5 578 191 5 716 256 Harvested cropland ...........farms.. 42 135 50 108 acres.. 3 998 685 3 779 164 Irrigated land .................farms.. 4 337 6 445 acres.. 112 630 137 858 Market value of agricultural products sold................$1,000.. 4 834 218 3 541 419 Average per farm .........dollars.. 93 227 59 737 Crops, including nursery and greenhouse crops............$1,000.. 1 996 452 1 436 988 Livestock, poultry, and their products....................$1,000.. 2 837 765 2 104 430 Farms by value of sales: Less than $2,500 .................... 12 616 16 758 $2,500 to $4,999 .................... 7 250 8 461 $5,000 to $9,999 .................... 6 968 8 344 $10,000 to $24,999 .................. 7 641 8 515 $25,000 to $49,999 .................. 4 397 4 817 $50,000 to $99,999 .................. 3 640 4 271 $100,000 or more .................... 9 342 8 118 Total farm production expenses.$1,000.. 3 817 833 2 779 353 Average per farm .........dollars.. 73 621 46 879 Net cash return from agricultural sales for the farm unit.......farms.. 51 858 59 288 $1,000.. 912 136 688 217 Average per farm..........dollars.. 17 589 11 608 Operators by principal occupation: Farming ............................. 27 376 30 687 Other ............................... 24 478 28 597 Operators by days worked off farm: Any ................................. 25 958 31 914 200 days or more ................... 17 989 21 702 Livestock and poultry: Cattle and calves inventory...farms.. 22 718 24 985 number.. 901 980 784 136 Beef cows ..................farms.. 19 531 20 630 number.. 385 428 320 641 Milk cows ..................farms.. 1 552 2 336 number.. 99 291 110 127 Cattle and calves sold .......farms.. 20 771 22 682 number.. 399 035 395 732 Hogs and pigs inventory ......farms.. 4 311 6 921 number.. 5 100 979 2 547 127 Hogs and pigs sold ...........farms.. 4 012 6 290 number.. 10 776 400 5 180 960 Sheep and lambs inventory ....farms.. 574 542 number.. 19 546 15 820 Chickens 3 months old or older inventory.............farms.. 2 064 3 330 number.. 18 133 946 20 070 337 Broilers and other meat-type chickens sold...............farms.. 2 116 2 153 number.. 499 071 743 408 721 082 Selected crops harvested: Corn for grain or seed .......farms.. 13 052 21 000 acres.. 1 019 871 1 056 000 bushels.. 96 617 840 71 795 021 Wheat for grain ..............farms.. 6 883 7 747 acres.. 490 214 378 744 bushels.. 23 164 935 15 091 015 Cotton .......................farms.. 2 035 981 acres.. 357 766 94 186 bales.. 445 466 93 720 Tobacco ......................farms.. 17 625 22 260 acres.. 283 900 239 343 pounds.. 604 014 807 478 051 423 Soybeans for beans ...........farms.. 13 080 17 409 acres.. 1 287 573 1 273 278 bushels.. 34 176 793 31 368 069 Peanuts for nuts .............farms.. 2 371 3 038 acres.. 149 210 144 682 pounds.. 398 611 000 379 952 977 Hay-alf, other, wild, silage..farms.. 18 268 20 733 acres.. 466 944 456 360 tons, dry.. 922 347 795 954 @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. .