U.S. Farm Numbers Down Slightly;

Increase in Largest Sales Class

Wyoming: The number of farms and ranches in Wyoming in 2006 is estimated at 9,100, according to Nancy Hussey with the Wyoming Field Office of USDA NASS. This is down 100 farms from 2005. A farm is defined as "any establishment from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were sold or would normally be sold during the year." The number of Wyoming farms has remained steady since 1992.

Total land in farms and ranches was 34,400,000 acres, unchanged from 2005, but down 40,000 acres or 0.1 percent from 2004 and 2003 and down from 34,500,000 in 2002 and 2001. Wyoming ranks first in the Nation in average size of farms and ranches at 3,780 acres. Arizona ranks second at 2,610 acres. In Wyoming, there were 3,600 farms (40 percent) with less than $10,000 of agricultural sales in 2006, unchanged from last 2 years and down 100 farms from both 2003 and 2002. This group accounted for 3,300,000 acres or 10 percent of the total land.

United States: The number of farms in the United States in 2006 is estimated at 2.09 million, 0.4 percent fewer than in 2005. Total land in farms, at 932.4 million acres, decreased 780 thousand acres, or 0.1 percent, from 2005. The average farm size was 446 acres during 2006, an increase of one acre from the previous year. The decline in the number of farms and land in farms reflects a continuing consolidation in farming operations and diversion of agricultural land to nonagricultural uses.

Farm numbers declined in the $1,000-$9,999 and the $100,000 -$249,999 sales classes. Farm numbers rose slightly in the $10,000 - $99,999 and the two largest sales classes. The decline in the smallest sales class is most likely due to normal attrition, such as retirements, and rising incomes. The changes within the other sales classes were a result of operations moving to larger sales classes by consolidation and expansion. Because of rising incomes, many farms and ranches near the top of their sales class in 2005 moved into the next higher sales class in 2006 without adding land or otherwise expanding their operations..

The largest percentage changes from 2005 occurred in the smallest and largest sales classes. Farm numbers declined 1.1 percent, to 1.15 million farms, in the $1,000 - $9,999 sales class. Meanwhile, farm numbers increased 2.4 percent, to 81,350 farms, in the $500,000 & over sales class. The number of farms with less than $100,000 in sales fell 0.6 percent from 2005 and the number of farms with $100,000 or more in sales rose 0.7 percent.

Land in farms also shifted from lower sales classes to higher sales classes. In the $1,000-$9,999 sales class, land in farms dropped 3.0 percent, to 114.7 million acres, while land operated by farms in the largest sales class, $500,000 & over in sales, increased 1.7 percent, to 213.4 million acres.

Over all, the average farm size increased 1 acre in 2006. However, average farm sizes declined in some of the sales classes due to smaller farms moving up to higher sales classes.