Highlights of Pennsylvania's Agriculture 1982 to 1992


                                                                                                      ---Percent--
                                                                                                      ---Change---
Item                                                                    1992        1987       1982   87/92  82/92
Farms (number)                                                        44,870      51,549      55,535  -13.0  -19.2
Land in farms (acres)                                              7,189,541   7,866,289   8,297,713   -8.6  -13.4
Farms by size - 1 to 9 acres                                           3,005       3,759       3,816  -20.1  -21.3
Farms by size - 10 to 49 acres                                         9,095      10,264      11,208  -11.4  -18.9
Farms by size - 50 to 179 acres                                       20,136      23,696      25,784  -15.0  -21.9
Farms by size - 180 to 499 acres                                      10,286      11,453      12,398  -10.2  -17.0
Farms by size - 500 to 999 acres                                       1,880       1,961       1,953   -4.1   -3.7
Farms by size - 1,000 acres or more                                      468         416         376   12.5   24.5
Average size of farm (acres)                                             160         153         149    4.6    7.4
Estimated market value of land & buildings - avg/farm (dollars)      328,795     239,333     225,794   37.4   45.6
Estimated market value of all machinery - avg/farm (dollars)          49,383      41,641      38,624   18.6   27.9
Total cropland (farms)                                                42,390      48,546      52,795  -12.7  -19.7
Total cropland (acres)                                             5,021,773   5,398,072   5,545,787   -7.0   -9.4
Harvested cropland (farms)                                            40,090      46,157      50,423  -13.1  -20.5
Harvested cropland (acres)                                         3,861,435   4,080,153   4,363,789   -5.4  -11.5
Market value of agricultural products sold ($1,000)                3,570,191   3,077,523   2,848,207   16.0   25.3
Market value of agricultural products sold - avg/farm (dollars)       79,567      59,701      51,287   33.3   55.1
Farms by value of sales - Less than $2,500                             9,634      12,747      14,545  -24.4  -33.8
Farms by value of sales - $2,500-$4,999                                5,314       6,517       6,989  -18.5  -24.0
Farms by value of sales - $5,000-$9,999                                5,555       6,378       6,801  -12.9  -18.3
Farms by value of sales - $10,000-$24,999                              6,199       6,720       7,144   -7.8  -13.2
Farms by value of sales - $25,000-$49,999                              3,915       4,680       5,413  -16.3  -27.7
Farms by value of sales - $50,000-$99,999                              5,241       6,893       7,402  -24.0  -29.2
Farms by value of sales - $100,000 or more                             9,012       7,614       7,204   18.4   25.1
Total farm production expenses ($1,000)                            2,775,313   2,386,060        (NA)   16.3   (NA)
Total farm production expenses - avg/farm (dollars)                   61,859      46,287        (NA)   33.6   (NA)
Net cash return from agricultural sales ($1,000)                     758,341     661,804        (NA)   14.6   (NA)
Net cash return from agricultural sales - avg/farm (dollars)          16,902      12,838        (NA)   31.7   (NA)
Cattle and calves inventory (farms)                                   11,461      13,429      15,986  -14.7  -28.3
Cattle and calves inventory (number)                               1,699,820   1,745,617   1,848,087   -2.6   -8.0
Cattle and calves sold (farms)                                        26,008      31,243      34,855  -16.8  -25.4
Cattle and calves sold (number)                                      954,013     975,472     884,891   -2.2    7.8
Hogs and pigs inventory (farms)                                        5,097       6,983       9,229  -27.0  -44.8
Hogs and pigs inventory (number)                                   1,074,574     919,755     869,389   16.8   23.6
Hogs and pigs sold (farms)                                             4,577       6,495       8,176  -29.5  -44.0
Hogs and pigs sold (number)                                        2,263,427   1,997,713   1,672,055   13.3   35.4
Chickens >= 3 months old inventory (farms)                             2,922       3,314       3,530  -11.8  -17.2
Chickens >= 3 months old inventory (number)                       29,682,108  25,548,494  24,389,045   16.2   21.7
Broilers... chickens sold (farms)                                     21,610      26,968      31,699  -19.9  -31.8
Broilers... chickens sold (number)                               108,113,026  99,282,796 119,837,016    8.9   -9.8
Beef cows (farms)                                                     11,461      13,429      15,986  -14.7  -28.3
Beef cows (number)                                                   157,773     160,694     174,078   -1.8   -9.4
Milk cows (farms)                                                     12,448      15,096      17,894  -17.5  -30.4
Milk cows (number)                                                   625,165     673,054     690,779   -7.1   -9.5
Sheep and lambs (farms)                                                2,922       3,314       3,530  -11.8  -17.2
Sheep and lambs (number)                                             108,040     113,223     113,608   -4.6   -4.9
Corn for grain or seed (farms)                                        21,610      26,968      31,699  -19.9  -31.8
Corn for grain or seed (bushels)                                 112,034,518  99,282,796 119,837,016   12.8   -6.5
Corn for silage or green chop (farms)                                 13,267      15,127      17,461  -12.3  -24.0
Corn for silage or green chop (tons, green)                        6,136,435   6,219,500   6,934,561   -1.3  -11.5
Wheat for grain (farms)                                                7,734       9,719      12,068  -20.4  -35.9
Wheat for grain (bushels)                                          8,670,089   7,663,537   7,790,790   13.1   11.3
Oats for grain (farms)                                                11,205      14,900      19,254  -24.8  -41.8
Oats for grain (bushels)                                          11,064,027  13,881,340  18,088,854  -20.3  -38.8
Irish potatoes (farms)                                                   956       1,113       1,631  -14.1  -41.4
Irish potatoes (cwt)                                               4,030,015   4,428,958   4,427,048   -9.0   -9.0
Hay - all (farms)                                                     32,640      38,129      41,299  -14.4  -21.0
Hay - all (tons, dry)                                              4,091,919   4,477,463   4,230,141   -8.6   -3.3
Land in orchards (farms)                                               2,317       2,805       3,116  -17.4  -25.6
Land in orchards (acres)                                              57,656      66,537      68,124  -13.3  -15.4

Source:        U.S. Census Bureau: 1992 Census of Agriculture
Prepared by:   The Pennsylvania State Data Center, Penn State Harrisburg