The USDA Census of Agriculture Historical Archive is a collaborative project between Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell University and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The site serves as a public archive of Census publications published prior to 2007.

For Census years 2007 and 2012, please visit the USDA NASS Census of Agriculture site.

About This Historical Archive

The Census of Agriculture, taken every five years, is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. The Census looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures, and many other areas.

The first agriculture Census was taken in 1840 as part of the Sixth Decennial Census of Population. For 156 years (1840 - 1996) the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census was responsible for collecting data for the Census of Agriculture. In 1997, responsibility for conducting the Census of Agriculture transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Mann Library is proud to be the repository for the Census of Agriculture for the years 1840 - 2002.