Andrew Frankenfield
Agricultural Educator
On May 2nd the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the final 2012 Census of Agriculture results sharing a wide-range of information about what agricultural products were raised in the United States in 2012, and where, how and by whom they were grown.
Lancaster County, took the top spot out of all U.S. counties with inventory of egg laying chickens at 10.7 million birds. Chester County led all U.S. counties for mushroom sales totaling $396.8 million dollars.
The 2012 Census of Agriculture data show the following key trends for Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s market value of livestock and animal products sold increased 17 percent to $4.62 billion dollars in 2012 compared to 2007. The Pennsylvania counties with the largest market value of sales of livestock and animal products were:
- Lancaster $1.21 billion; an increase of 31.5 percent from 2007
- Franklin $324.6 million; an increase of 20.4 percent from 2007
- Berks $303.7 million; an increase of 50.1 percent from 2007
- Lebanon $303.2 million; an increase of 28.9 percent from 2007
- Snyder $138.3 million; an increase of 46.9 percent from 2007
Pennsylvania’s market value of crops and horticulture products sold increased 48.9 percent to $2.78 billion dollars in 2012 compared to 2007. The Pennsylvania counties with the largest market value of sales of crops and horticulture were:
- Chester $535.2 million; an increase of 21.6 percent from 2007
- Lancaster $261.0 million; an increase of 74.9 percent from 2007
- Berks $225.0 million; an increase of 35.9 percent from 2007
- York $147.2 million; an increase of 47.0 percent from 2007
- Adams $114.0 million; an increase of 62.0 percent from 2007
According to the farmers reporting on the Agriculture Census, along with increased value of farm products sold, farm operating expenses also increased. Expenses to produce agricultural products in Pennsylvania totaled $6.04 billion dollars in 2012, an increase of 23 percent from 2007. Expenses averaged $101,869 across Pennsylvania’s 59,309 farms.
Selected practices new to the 2012 Agriculture Census tabulation were tillage practices used on cropland, cropland planted to cover crops, conservation easements, and land drained by tile. Pennsylvania farmers recorded cropping practices aimed at environmental stewardship.
Pennsylvania totals:
- 1,379,252 acres of No-Till Practices
- 504,502 acres conservation Tillage (excluding no-till)
- 470,436 acres using conventional tillage practices
- 446,295 acres of cropland planted to cover crops
- 313,373 acres of conservation easements
- 297,320 acres drained by tile
Source:psu.edu