1969 Farm Census
Due January, 1970
How many farms aie still op definition of a farm, accounting
Crating m the United States” tor a loss of about 232 thousand
The 1969 Census of Agncul- farms
tone may count tewer than thiec The smallest decrease in any
million for the Hist time since five-year peuod since 1935 was
1870.
After a peak of 6 8 million censuses of 1940 and 1945 A
farms counted in 1935, each farm comparable diop in the period
census conducted by the Bureau between 1964 and 1969 would
Of the Census has shown a steady bring the total below three mil
decline in the total number of boi.
farms and ranches in the nation The decrease in the number of
The 1964 census count was 3.2 farms has been accompanied by
million, a decrease of about 553 en increase in size, although
thousand from the previous cen- there has been a slight reduction
sus in 1959, which in turn show- in the total amount of land being
ed a drop of about 11 million farmed The average acreage in
farms from the 1954 census Con 1964 was 352, an increase of 49
tributing to the decline from acres over 1959 and 109 acres
1954 to 1959 was a change in the largei than m 1954 In 1935, the
QQE3OiP
Stevens Feed Mill, Inc.
[ Harold H. Good
the 233 thousand between the
DO IF
Wm mm 111 Put us on
the spot. Ask us what’s new for fall
farrowing. Ask us when we’re going to
have something to put faster gains on
fall litters ... something to keep them
healthy through autumn weather..,
something to get pigs to market sooner.
Then let us tell you about our brand-new
Ful-O-Pep Gro-Pig FIVE FOR FALL
FARROWING.. • five powerful new feeds
that give you the ideal combination for
competing in the pork business.
YOUR HEADQUARTERS FOR
FUL-QPEp
Leola
Terre Hill
poak .\ear foi number of fauns,
‘he avciage sue was only 155
acres.
The gi cutest boom peiiod ic
-001 fieri was 1870-1880, inflecting
the wc-dwaul movement follow
ing the Civil War and the sub
division of large land holdings
The 4 008.907 farms counted in
1880 amounted to a 51 percent
lump ovei 1870 The acreage
listed in farms in 1880 was 536
million, a 10-year gain of 32 per
cent
Beginning in 1840, the farm
census was taken at 10-year in
tervals at the same time as the
decennial census of population
After 1900, increasing demand
for information at more frequent
intervals to measure the effect
of rapid agricultural changes re
sulted in a decision to take the
census every five years, starting
in 1925 Although each census
listed inventory items on hand
at the time of the enumeration,
production figures were asked
for the preceding year Time of
the census was shifted in the
1950’s to those years ending in
four and nine and both inventory
and production figures were
made to cover the same year.
The 1969 Census of Agricul
ture will be the first to be con
ducted entirely by mail Ques
tionnaires will be mailed to a
mastei list of faims eaily in
January of 1970 and farmeis will
be asked to fill them out and le
tuin them by mail Computers
will be used in the check-in of
letuins to identify those farmers
who fail to lespond or fill them
out inconectly In those cases
followups will be made by mail
and telephone or enumerators
will call to piovide help
In addition to the number
and acreage of farms, the census
will determine the value of land
and buildings, cropland harvest
ed, acreage of irrigated land,
S. H. Hiestand & Company
Salunga
Stevens Feed Mill, Inc.
Stevens
Lancaster Farming, Saturday. September 20, 1960
acieagem major ciops and mini- in buying feed, pesticides, gasn
beis of puncipal Kinds ot live line and olhci iaim fuels, ma
slock Other items concern the chine hue, laim laboi, livestock
number ol laim opeiatois by and poulliy '
age, value ol laim pioducls sold, Each launei’s iespouses to tho
the amount of time laim opeia qucstionnaue will be completely
tois woiKed off the farm, income confidential as in’the past The
fiom recreational use of land, infoimation acquned, minus
and the number of autos, trucks, names oi clues to identification,
tiactors, combines and coin pick- will become a pait of statistical
ers totals and will be published in
Among questions to be asked Slate and county gioupings as
of opeiators with expected sales well as foi the entne nation
ol $2,500 and over are numbei
of regulai workers, acres fertih/ rp •
ed, amounts of dry and liquid 1 l*y
fertilizer used for almost all -
crops, acres limed and the num- ““
ber of gi am-fed cattle sold
Information will be obtained
on the amount of money spent
It Pays
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