The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Alabama office recently released 2017 Census of Agriculture information.

Key Alabama highlights, compared to figures from the 2012 census, include:

The state had 40,592 farms in 2017, down from 43,223 farms in 2012.
Females made up 34% of farmers in 2017, up from 13% in 2012.
91% of farms are operated by families or individuals, a minimal decrease from 2012.
Farms comprised 8.58 million acres in 2017, down from 8.9 million acres in 2012.
Farmers sold $5.98 billion of ag products in 2017, compared to $5.57 billion in 2012. It cost $4.61 billion to produce these products in 2017, down from $4.74 billion.
Poultry and eggs contributed 87% of the total livestock, poultry and products sold, up from 85.2%.
Alabama ranks second in the U.S. for broilers sold, quail inventory, catfish value sold and peanuts produced.
Top-10 counties in terms of number of farms are DeKalb, Cullman, Marshall, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Morgan, Limestone, Blount and Madison.
1,813 Alabama farm operators reported selling products directly to consumers. In 2017, sales totaled almost $9.4 million, up 2.2%.
The average farmer in 2017 was 58 years old, down from 59.3 years old.
Alabama farms with Internet access rose from 65% to 73% in 2017.
772 Alabama farms produced on-farm renewable energy, up 208% from 2012.

Visit nass.usda.gov/AgCensus to learn more.