FFA Farm Facts

What does COA stand for?

Census of Agriculture

When was the COA created?

1840

When was the first population census conducted?

1790

When did the COA remain part of the US population census until?

August 6, 1996

What does USDA stand for?

United States Department of Agriculture

What does USDA NASS stand for?

United States Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service

What bill signed by who enacted a transfer of the COA from the United States Census Bureau to the USDA NASS?

the Appropriations Bill signed by President Clinton

What years is the COA taken?

every 5 years and in years ending in "2" or "7"

What act does legislative authority for the COA come from?

the Census of Agriculture Act of 1997

What does GCFI stand for?

gross cash farm cash income

What percentage of farms do small family farms make up in the United States?

88

What is the GCFI of small family farms?

less than $350,000

What are the three subcategories in small family farms?

retirement, primary occupation off-farm, and primary occupation on-farm

What is a retirement small family farm?

a farm whose principal operator is retired but continues to farm on a small scale

What is a primary occupation off-farm farm?

a farm whose principal operator has a primary occupation other than farming

What is a primary occupation on-farm farm?

a farm whose principal operator's primary occupation is farming and can either be low sale (GCFI less than $150,000) or moderate-sale (GCFI $150,000 to $349,999)

What percentage of farms in the United States are midsize family farms?

6

What is the GCFI of midsize family farms?

$350,000 to $999,999

What percentage of farms in the US are large-scale family farms?

3

What is the GCFI of large-scale family farms?

$1 million or more

What are the two subcategories of large-scale family farms?

large family farms and very large family farms

What is the GCFI of large family farms (subcategory)

$1 million to $4,999,999

What is the GCFI of very large scale family farms?

$5 million or more

What percentage of farms in the US are non-family farms?

3

What are non-family farms?

farms whose principal operator and persons related to the operator do not own a majority of the business

How many farms dot America's rural landscape?

2.1 million

How many farms are there in Texas?

240,000

In 2017, how many acres did the average farm occupy? In 2007?

444; 418 (recent low)

How many acres did farms in the US occupy in 2014? In 2017?

913 million; 910 million (decreased)

What was the total cropland area in 2017 and what was it expected to be 2018?

253.1 million, 253.7 million

What percentage of America's farms are operated by families (individuals, family partnerships, or family corporations)

99

How many farmers are in the millennial generation (34 years and under)?

257, 454

What percent of farmers are beginning farmers (in business less than 10 years)?

more than 20

Farming accounts for what percent of the US gross domestic product?

1

Farming accounts for what percent of the total US budget?

less than one-half

What percent of US farm products by value are exported each year?

25

How many people does one US farm feed in the US and abroad annually?

165

How much is the global population expected to increase to by 2050 and how much more food will farmers have to grow than is being grown currently?

9.7 billion, 70 percent

How much does a farmer or rancher receive out of every dollar spent on food at home and away from home? How much was it in 1980?

19 cents, 31 cents (the rest of the money goes towards materials, transportation, processing, marketing, etc.)

What percent of the US population do farm and ranch families compromise?

2

How many Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino farm operators are there?

99,734 (up 21 percent)

How many African American farmers are there?

44,629 (up 12 percent)

How many American Indian farmers are there?

58,475 (up 5 percent)

What percent of US farm operators are women?

30 (969,672)

What percent of US farms market foods locally, through direct-to-consumer or intermediated sales?

8

What percent of a US citizen's disposable income is spent on food each year?

10 (least of all countries)

In what does Texas lead the nation? (6 things)

cattle, cotton, hay, sheep, goats, and mohair production

How many farms does Texas have and how many acres do these farms cover?

248,800, 130.2 million (leads the nation)

How many women does Texas have working in agriculture?

120,758 (most of any other state)

Rural lands, including privately owned forests, total how many acres and are what percent of the state's total land area?

142 million, 84

What percent of Texas's population resides in rural areas?

12

How many out of every 7 Texas citizens is in an agriculture-related job?

1 (14 percent)

What percent of Texas farms and ranches are family farms, partnerships, or family-held corporations?

98.6

What is the average age of a Texas farmer or rancher?

58 years

How much does the economic impact of the food and fiber sector total annually?

more than $100 billion

How much do agricultural cash receipts, including timber, average annually?

$20 billion

How much did Texas Agricultural exports to foreign countries total in 2012?

$6.5 billion

What does Texas rank overall in value of agricultural exports?

fourth

What does ERS stand for?

Economic Research Service

What is the value of the cash receipts of cattle in Texas?

$8.83 billion

What place is beef ranked as a commodity exported from the US and what is its value?

fourth, $7.3 billion

What is the value of Texas's beef exports?

$855 million (leading the nation)

How many cow-calf operations are there in Texas and how many calves are born in them each year?

130,000, 5 million

How much has production per cow increased since the mid-1960s?

400 pounds to 600 pounds

How long is a cow's gestation period?

nine months

When are calves weaned from cows?

at 6 to 10 months of age

How much time do cattle spend at the feed lot?

four to six months

How much room do feedlot pens typically allow per animal?

125 to 250 square feet

What are the rations for feedlot cattle?

70 to 90 percent grain

According to the USDA, about how many fixed auction facilities are there in the US?

815

At what age are cattle usually slaughtered and how much do they weigh?

18 to 20 months of age, between 1,100 and 1,250 pounds

What does FSIS stand for?

Food Safety and Inspection Service

What act dictates strict animal handling and slaughtering standards for packing plants?

The Humane Slaughter Act

When was the Humane Slaughter Act passed and when was it updated?

1958, 1978 and 2002

What is the FSIS responsible for?

ensuring compliance with slaughter regulations and that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged

The Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA grades the carcasses by evaluating what characteristics?

marbling and the age of the animal

What is marbling?

the distribution of internal flecks of fat, contributing to tenderness and taste

How many cuts of beef meet government guidelines for lean and what are three examples?

29; tenderloin, sirloin, and 95 percent lean ground beef

The hide from one beef animal can be made into what? (7 things)

20 footballs, 12 basketballs, 18 soccer balls, 12 baseball gloves, 18 volleyballs, or 144 baseballs

Beef byproducts allow what percent of every beef animal to be utilized?

99

What three common values do all beef choices have in common?

taste, nutrition, and safety

What is grain-fed beef?

the most widely produced beef and tends to be less expensive; the cattle spend most of their lives eating grass in a pasture before moving to a feedlot where they are fed a high-energy, grain diet

What is grass-finished beef?

the cattle are raised on grass pastures their entire lives; producing this in large volumes is difficult in North America where few regions have the growing season to make it possible

What is certified organic beef?

the cattle must be fed 100 percent organic feed and must be certified through the USDA's Agricultural Marketing System; these cattle cannot be given hormones to promote growth or antibiotics (if any antibiotics are needed they are not withheld but the animal must be permanently removed from the program)

What is natural/branded beef?

beef that does not contain artificial flavoring, coloring, chemical preservatives, or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient (producers raising cattle for beef marketed with a "natural" label may follow different production practices in order to brand their cattle)

What is a cow-calf production system?

a production system in which ranchers produce the cattle for the stocker market or feedlot (commercial operations) or other breeding herds (purebred operations)

What is a feedlot production system?

a production system that raises calves until they weigh 900 to 1400 pounds and market them to packer operations

What is a stocker production system?

a production system in which ranchers graze weaned calves until they weigh as much as 900 pounds, and then market them to the feedlots

What place are broilers ranked in terms of cash receipts and what is their value? (in Texas)

third, $2.23 billion

In Texas, what place are egg commodities ranked in terms of cash receipts and what is their value?

tenth, $439 million

What is the value of broilers being exported from Texas farms?

$323 million

What was the United State's egg consumption per capita in 2014?

263 eggs (one of the top countries)

How many hens are in the US and how many eggs do they lay annually?

280 million, 5 billion

When do chickens begin laying eggs?

20 weeks old

How many eggs does a hen lay per year?

286 (approx. 1 egg every 1.5 days)

How many days does it take for chicks to hatch?

21

At what time are most eggs layed?

between 8 and 11 a.m.

Does shell color have any effect on an egg's nutrient content?

no, nutrient content is determined by a hen's feed

What is the most common white egg layer?

the White Leghorn

What is the average price of an egg?

20 cents (one of the most affordable sources of high quality protein)