By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Data in the recently-released 2007 Census of Agriculture shows while the total acreage of farms in the state of Illinois continues to fall – from 27.3 million in 2002 to nearly 26.8 million, according to the most recent study – the number of farms overall rose from 73,027 to 76,860.

That statistic is driven by a spike in the number of small farms with less than $2,500 in sales per year, which increased from 20,801 in 2002 to 26,879 in 2007.

“Although a percentage of farm ground is lost every year, there are several other variables that need to be taken into consideration when trying to get a true picture of farming today,” said Brad Schwab, Illinois State Statistician for the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

“For instance, the number of farms in Illinois has increased, but in contrast, the size of the average farm has decreased.”

Mark Schluesener, deputy director of the Illinois office, told news sources the surge in the number of small farms reflects a national increase in the number of specialty growers who produce vegetables and other commodities for farmers’ markets.

“We worked harder to find the smaller farms and measure them (for the 2007 census),” he said.

The increase in small, niche farms in Illinois coincided with a surge in the number of female farmers.

“It’s no surprise to me that in Illinois alone more than 7,660 women are the principal operators on the family farm,” stated Tom Jennings, Illinois Department of Agriculture director. “I am glad to see that the numbers are increasing, reflecting women’s hard work and contribution to the agriculture industry.”

The national census shows that the total number of female principal farm operators in the U.S. increased from 237,819 in 2002 to 306,209 in 2007.

The 2007 Ag Census further reveals that Illinois, a national leader in corn and soybean production, continued to hold its ranking as the U.S. leader in sales of grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas and pumpkin acreage.

“Most people are surprised when they hear about our statistics on horseradish and pumpkin acreage,” Schwab remarked. “Many people may not know, for example, that Mason is the number one county in the nation in popcorn acres.”

The market value of production for all Illinois farms was pegged at $14.33 billion, up from $7.68 billion in 2002. The average production value per farm was $173,421, up from $105,115.
Total farm production expenses were $9.05 billion, or $117,683 per farm, while net cash farm income was placed at $5.24 billion, or $68,209 per farm.

Illinois farmers received $487.3 million in government payments, an 18 percent increase from 2002 payments. Each farm averaged $8,577 in government payments in 2007, which was lower than the $8,622 average of 2007.

More than 88.5 percent of available Illinois farmland was being utilized for crop production in 2007, while 5.34 percent was used for woodlands and just over 6 percent for other uses.

All reports from the 2007 Ag Census are available through the NASS website at www.agcensus.usda.gov