March 9, 2007

Nebraska farm numbers continue to decrease, echoing a nationwide trend that includes small increases in the average size of operations. Nebraska farm and ranch operation size increased to 960 acres in February, an eight-acre increase from a year earlier.

In 2006, the national average farm size was 446 acres, an increase of 10 acres from 1997 and one acre from 2005. Farms and ranches in the United States were estimated at 2.09 million, 0.4% fewer than in 2005. Total land in farms and ranches, totaling 932.4 million acres, has decreased 780,000 acres since 2005.

The number of farms and ranches in Nebraska total 47,600, down 400 -- or less than 1% -- from 2005, with land totaling 45.7 million acres, the same as In 2005.

More cattle and market data about Nebraska is available at www.nass.usda.gov.

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service