The 2007 Census of Agriculturewas released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS). While I was at Kiwanis for lunch. So much for this afternoon’s productivity!
“The number of farms in the United States has grown 4 percent and the operators of those farms have become more diverse in the past five years.” USDA press release here.
The Grand Forks Herald (Forum Communications) summarizes:
In North Dakota, one of 39 states in which the numbers of farms rose in the five-year period, the federal census found 31,970 farms in 2007, up from 30,619 in 2002. Average size decreased, from 1,283 acres to 1,241. Farm numbers increased just slightly in Minnesota, which recorded 80,992 farms in 2007 to 80,839 in 2002. Farm size on Minnesota fell from 340 acres to 332 acres.
Edit 2:45 CST: Star Tribune finds the lemons in the lemonade:
“We’re seeing growth in the two ends of the scale — farms with fewer than 180 acres, and farms with 1,000 acres or more,” said Doug Hartwig, [Minnesota] state agricultural statistician.
Tune in for more in-depth analysis and play-by-play on your favorite rural development channel: jcshepard.com.