Floriculture crop farms increasing, according to 2012 Ag Census data

The USDA released the 2012 Ag Census data recently.

The numbers paint an interesting portrait of agriculture in America. There are now 914.5 million acres of farmland, 2.1 million farms, and 3.2 million farmers. Twenty-two percent of all farmers were "beginning farmers" in 2012, meaning they had operated a farm for 10 years or less. To review what the numbers said about greenhouse agriculture, click here.

Production expenses have never been higher for growers, but neither have sales. Growers recorded record numbers in both categories, selling $394.6 billion worth of agricultural products, but paying a cost of $328.9 billion to produce those products.

For greenhouse growers of floriculture crops, and cuttings and seedling, the numbers paint an interesting picture.

In the category "Cuttings, seedling, liners, and plugs" the numbers saw a slight uptick between 2007 (the last Ag Census) to 2012:

• 2007 recorded 1,066 farms with square footage of 29,975,544
• 2012 recorded 1,114 farms with square footage of 35,627,552

In the broader category of "Floriculture Crops" (which includes bedding/garden plants, foliage plants, cut flowers and cut florist greens, potted flowering plants, and greenhouse fruits and berries) another slight increase was recorded:

• 2007 recorded 18,670 farms with square footage of 819,940,649
• 2012 recorded 18,724 farms with square footage of 873,290,590

However, the market for floriculture crops (grown under glass or outdoors) seemed to weaken on the whole. In 2007, there was a reported $6,466,885,753 in total value of sales. In 2012, that number dropped to $5,888,527,346. However, with more than 33,000 farms spread across the greenhouse and outdoor growing, only 26,884 farms reported their total value of sales.

All of the greenhouse related statistics are available at this link.

Other stats of note from the report: 70 percent of farms now have Internet access, up from 56.5 percent in 2007. About 150,000 farmers, nationwide, are selling their products directly to consumers. About 57,300 farms reported using a renewable energy source in 2012, up from 23,451 in 2007. Sixty-three percent of farms said they were using solar panels. Thirty percent of farm operators are now women.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released a statement on the results:"The Census results reiterate the continued need for policies that help grow the rural economy from the middle out. The data illustrate the power of USDA efforts to grow the economy and strengthen infrastructure in rural America, create new market opportunities for farmers and ranchers, and provide access to capital, credit, and disaster assistance for producers of all sizes. The Census also shows the potential for continued growth in the bioeconomy, organics, and local and regional food systems. USDA will continue to focus on innovative, creative policies that give farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurs the tools they need to attract a bright and diverse body of talent to rural America."

The preliminary results from the study were released Feb. 20, 2014 and showed the value of agriculture products in the U.S. had risen to rising to $394.6 billion in 2012, up $97.4 billion from 2007. However, the number of farms and farm land decreased slightly over the same five-year span.