2012 Census of Agriculture Preliminary Report, by the numbers

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DES MOINES, Iowa – The 2012 Census of Agriculture Preliminary Report is out, and between 2007 and 2012, Iowa lost about 4,000 farms. The size of the farms counted in the latest Census have increased by just over 4% on average, as the land in farms overall has dropped less than half of a percent.

However, Iowa’s crop sales increased 68% from the last Census of Agriculture in 2007, while sales of livestock jumped 34%. Government payments to Iowa farms also increased, by slightly more than 10%.

The final and complete report will be released sometime in May, and NASS Administrator Cynthia Clark points out “the 2012 Census was not conducted in a typical crop year, and drought had a major impact on U.S. agriculture, affecting crop yields, production and prices.” More information, down to the county level, will be available in the final report.