United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service

2012 Census of Agriculture Preliminary Data Release

Rhode Island February 19, 2014

CENSUS HISTORY

• The first Census of Agriculture was conducted in 1840 in 26 states and the District of Columbia.

170 YEARS LATER

• NASS has conducted the Census of Agriculture since 1997 with the transfer of authority from the Census Bureau. • Census of Agriculture encompasses 50 states and Puerto Rico (and Outlying Areas) • Data are available for:

• National, State and County levels • Congressional Districts • Watersheds • Organic, Irrigation, Horticulture, Specialty Crops and Aquaculture

FARM DEFINITION

• Any place from which $1,000 of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally, would have been sold, during the Census year.

• This definition is unchanged since 1974.

OUTREACH EFFORTS

• NASS worked with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to assist in building the list of farm operations.

• NASS partnered with CBOs to provide hands-on assistance and support to producers in filling out census forms.

• NASS targeted media advertisements to improve census response rates.

2012 DATA COLLECTION

• NASS mailed 3.0 million questionnaires for the 2012 Census of Agriculture to potential farm and ranch operators in late December 2012.

• All paper forms were mailed from and returned by mail to the Census Bureau’s National Processing Center in Jeffersonville, IN. • Data collection was conducted through:

• Online responses • Mail questionnaires • Telephone Interviews • Face-to-face Interviews

Distribution of Responses by Mode, 2012

2.3%

7.4%

4.0%

86.3%

1.1%

7.0%

13.3%

78.6%

0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0%

Field

Phone

Internet

Mail

Percent of forms received

Mod

e

Forms by Mode of Data Collection

2012 Census

2007 Census

PRELIMINARY REPORT

• Census preliminary data provide a first look at national and state estimates. An earlier release was planned but the government shutdown and sequestration delayed progress during a critical time of data review.

• These preliminary estimates are subject to minor

change when the final comprehensive census results are released.

SNAPSHOT OF 2012 AGRICULTURAL CONDITIONS

NUMBER OF FARMS

• 1,243 farms and ranches

• 2 percent more than 2007

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

1 to 9 acres

10 to 49 acres

50 to 179 acres

180 to 499 acres

500 to 999 acres

1,000 acres or more

Number of farms

Size

in a

cres

Farms by Size, 2007 and 2012

Rhode Island 2007

Rhode Island 2012

ECONOMICS

0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200

Less than $50,000

$50,000 to $249,999

$250,000 to $999,999

$1,000,000 or more

Number of farms

Econ

omic

Cla

ss

Farms by Economic Class, 2007 and 2012

Rhode Island 2007

Rhode Island 2012

DEMOGRAPHICS

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1,000

2 years or less

3 to 4 years

5 to 9 years

10 years or more

Number of farms

Principal Operators by Years on Current Operation 2007 and 2012

Rhode Island 2007

Rhode Island 2012

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Under 25 years

25 to 34 years

35 to 44 years

45 to 54 years

55 to 64 years

65 to 74 years

75 years and over

Number of farms

Age

Gro

up

Principal Operators by Age Group, 2007 and 2012

Rhode Island 2007

Rhode Island 2012

Percentage of Farms with Women Principal Operators, New England States and U.S., 2002, 2007, and 2012

Censuses of Agriculture

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

New Hampshire Maine

MassachusettsConnecticut

Rhode IslandVermont US

2002 2007 2012