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Sarah Hoffman (202) 720-0684
Deborah Norton (202) 690-8124
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2002 Census Reveals an Increase in Women Principal Operators
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WASHINGTON, March 9, 2005 - The 2002 Census of Agriculture indicated a 13.4 percent increase in the number of farms operated by women since 1997. A total of 237,819 farms were reported as having a woman as the principal operator in 2002. Women operated 59,383,557 acres of land in 2002, an increase of 16.5 percent from 1997. In addition, 84 percent of the women principal operators were full owners of the farms they operated. Nearly all women principal operators, 95.4 percent, own at least part of the land they operated. In 2002, women rented or leased 2,137 fewer farms and 83,910 less acres of land than in 1997.
"The 2002 Census of Agriculture shows the growing interest and participation of women in U.S. agricultural production," commented Ron Bosecker, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). "Census of Agriculture results show the contribution of women farmers and ranchers to the agricultural industry and interesting facts about the types of commodities they produce."
The top five states for farms operated by a woman principal operator were Texas with 27,192 farms; California with 12,615; Missouri with 10,818; Tennessee with 9,413; and Oklahoma with 8,720. The top five states in acreage operated by women were Texas with 11,178,527 acres; Arizona with 5,703,441; Montana with 3,804,871; New Mexico with 3,494,882; and Wyoming with 2,569,140. The top five states for women as a percent of all principal operators were New Hampshire with 24.9 percent; Maine with 21.7 percent; Massachusetts with 21.5 percent; Arizona with 20.8 percent; and Connecticut with 20.7 percent.
The 2002 Census provided the first facts on computer and internet use by farmers and ranchers on a county-by-county basis. As a result, the Census revealed that women principal operators were more likely to use computers for business and have Internet access than male principal operators. According to the Census, 40.4 percent (96,025) of women-operated farms used computers for business compared to 38.7 percent of male-operated farms. In addition, 52 percent (123,556) of women-operated farms had Internet access, compared to 49.4 percent of male-operated farms.
Data from the Census also revealed some common characteristics of women principal operators. Most women principal operators had worked at least 10 years or more on their present farm. Of all the women principal operators, 79 percent lived on their farm and 52 percent listed farming as their primary occupation. The 2002 Census also indicated that women operators are slightly older than principal operators in general. The average age of a woman principal operator is 56.7 years, compared to 55.3 years for all principal operators.
Looking at market value of agricultural products sold by women-operated farms, women produced $4.5 billion in livestock, poultry and their products, and an additional $3 billion in crops. Of the 237,819 farms operated by women, 25 percent received government payments, totaling $323 million.
NASS conducts the census of agriculture every five years and it is the only source of consistent, comparable and detailed data for every county in America. NASS also collects and provides a vast array of production, economic, demographic and environmental facts about U. S. agriculture through regularly scheduled weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual survey reports. For more census information, visit NASS online at www.nass.usda.gov and click on "Census of Agriculture" for aggregate facts and figures,
or call 1-800-727-9540. |
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