WASHINGTON, D.C. - Penn
sylvania farms declined in num
bers and decreased in size between
1978 and 1982, according to the
Commerce Department’s Census
Bureau.
Preliminary reports just
released for the 1982 Census of
Agriculture show 55,539 farms,
compared with 56,202 in 1978. Land
in farms totaled 8.3 million acres,
an average per farm of 149 acres,
compared with 152 in 1978. Total
sales of agricultural products
amounted to $2.8 billion in 1982.
The average value of land and
buildings per farm was $225,834
with a per acre value of $1,520.
Land from which crops were
harvested increased to 4.4 million
from 4.3 million acres and acres
irrigated rose from 14,662 to 18,154
in 1982.
The Bureau defines a farm as
any place from which $l,OOO or
more of agricultural products
were, or normally would have
been, sold in the census year.
The preliminary data indicate
expenditures for livestock and
poultry feed were $603.2 million;
total costs for farm energy, $210.1
million; for fertilizer, $127.8
million; and for hired labor, $223.9
million.
The sales of livestock, poultry
and their products were $2.1
billion, 74 percent of total
agricultural sales. Dairy products
amounting to $l.l billion were sold
from 15,146 farms. The number of
milk cows were up from 656,363 in
the previous census to 690,779 in
1982.
The total cattle and calves in
ventory of 1.8 million head on
38,686 farms was up from 1.7
million in 1978. The 877,889 sold
were down from 928,932 four years
earlier.
An inventory of 871,098 hogs and
pigs including 93,344 for breeding
purposes was reported on 9,232
farms of which 413 farms had
inventories of 500 or more and
accounted for 51 percent of the
750$
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SHENKS FARM SERVICE ERWIN W. ZIMMERMAN HENRY S. LAPP
bOl East Woods Di ive Route 1 RD 1 Box I^6
LitiU PA l/b4d Mdilnibbuig PA lbbb<l Gap PA 1/b^/
717-626-1151 814-793-3954 717-442-8134
Pa. farms decline in number & size
State’s total inventory. A total of
1.7 million hogs and pigs was
reported sold, of which 504,502
were feeder pigs.
Some 3,530 farms reported
113,608 head of sheep and lambs,
with 87,889 shorn yielding 594,016
pounds of wool; 80,151 head were
sold.
Sales of poultry and their
products were $456.4 million. Some
8,424 farms reported an inventory
of 24.5 million chickens three
months old or older; 8,287 farms
reported 21 million hens and
pullets; and 1,262 farms, 103.8
million broilers sold. In addition,
437 farms sold 5.5 million turkeys
compared with 4 million sold in
1978.
The sale of crops amounted to
$751.3 million. By harvested
acreage, among the leading crops
were com, with 119.9 million
bushels from 1.3 million acres;
oats, with 18.1 million bushels from
307.455 acres; and wheat, with 7.8
million bushels from 221,454 acres.
Other crops were alfalfa hay,
755,062 acres, soybeans, 131,241
acres; barley, 58,644; and apples,
39,150 acres.
Agriculture census data for
Pennsylvania also revealed these
facts:
Of the total farms in the State,
7,221 had gross sales of $lOO,OOO or
more; 28,341 reported sales of less
than $lO,OOO.
The average age of farm
operators was 50 years; 8,876 were
under 35, and 22,116 were 55 or
older.
Women operated 2,787 farms or 5
percent of the State total.
Fifty-six percent of the operators
reported farming as their principal
occupation, but 43 percent of all
operators worked 100 days or more
off the farm.
Eighty-nine percent of the farms
were operated by individuals or
families as sole proprietorships;
4,844 by partnerships; and 899 by
corporations, of which 84 percent
were family held.
DANIEL B. STOLTZFUS JOSEPH M. FISHER
Routed Box Z3b A Box 48b RD 4
Lewibtown PA 1/044 York PA I /4U4
717-242-0776 717 764 0494
YILIT FARM SUPPLY ROVENDALE SUPPLY FARM SERVICE COMP
Route I Box ZZt R D I Box IU7 RU 1 Bux /4J
Avella PA 15312 Wdlsonlown PA 1//// Nownidniluwii PA
412-345 3753 717 538-5521
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PENNSYLVANIA
Farms by Size
40.9
Less than
50 acres
1978 56,202 Farms
1982 - 55.539 Farms
Ninety-one percent of the far
mers owned all or part of the farms
they operated: 34,416 were fully
owned; 16,027 partly owned; and
5,096 were operated by tenants.
NEWARK, DEL. A major goal
of current soil fertility research at
the University of Delaware
Agricultural Experiment Station is
to show farmers how they can
refine management practices so as
to take advantage of organic
sources of nitrogen such as poultry
_ , . , manure and legumes. To do this,
Single copies of preliminary researchers must find out how
state and county reports may be quickly nitrogen from these
obtained for $1.75 and $1.50 each, sources is released into the soil in a
respectively, prepaid from the form plants can use.
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Last summer, soil scientist J
Government Printing (Office, Thomas Sims conducted field
Washington, D.C. 20402. Price for studies designed to predict N
entire set is available upon release from poultry manure in
request. conventional and no-till irrigated
Data in the report for 1978 and
1982 are directly comparable for
acreages and inventories. Dollar
values have not been adjusted for
changes in price levels.
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AMOS N. HOOVER
R D 1
HARVEST CO.
R D 1 Box J<*
Miltlmburt PA 1/814 Milllinlown PA 1/nb'J
717 966 2009 717 436 2326
1/0/4
717 949 2366
R. LAMAR HACKMAN
R D 2
Mittlnibur t; PA i/844
717-966-3264
50 to 499
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500 acres
or more
Nitrogen release studied
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DISTRICT
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R D 2
Bellelonte PA 16824
(Hublet sbuigj
814 383-2798
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 24,1984-D29
1982 Market Value of
Agricultural Products
Poultry
Dairy
products
Livestock
Total Value $2.8 Billion
corn. He found that it was possible
to estimate available N from this
source fairly accurately based on
the assumption that 80 percent of
the inorganic N was available the
first year after application, and 60
percent of the organic N became
available during crop growth.
Yield and measurements of plant
N uptake and soil N all supported
his findings.
Yield responses to poultry
manure applied in no-tillage
systems were approximately 90
percent of those in conventional
tillage, indicating that it is possible
to use poultry manure successfully
as an N source for no-till.
In related laboratory and
greenhouses studies Sims found
that temperature and moisture
both affect nitrogen release from
the manure. Mineralization of
readily decomposable organic N
was essentially complete within
three months, the scientist said.
Plant N uptake was markedly
increased by incubating the
poultry manure in the soil at 25
degrees C, but raising the tem
perature to 40 degrees C resulted in
little increased availability.
Suns conducted this work with
the help of a Delmarva Poultry
Industry, Inc. grant. Next sum
mer, he plans to look more closely
at the rate at which nitrogen in
poultry manure and leguminous
cover crops like hairy vetch is
released over the growing season.
Knowing when nitrogen from
organic sources is most available
to crops will help producers tailor
supplemental fertility programs to
meet plant needs. Under
irrigation, this information might
eventually tell farmers the proper
time to fertigate, for example
Crops
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