ABSTRACT

The 1988 Agricultural Economics and Land Ownership Survey was the most comprehensive survey of ownership of agricultural land ever undertaken in the United States. The Census of Agriculture is a quinquennial program that collects detailed information on the number of farms, land in farms, production of crops and livestock on farms, use of agricultural inputs, and characteristics of farms and farm operators for every county and state in the United States. During the planning phase of the 1987 Census of Agriculture, the Bureau of the Census received numerous requests to satisfy the longstanding need for current information on landownership and to continue providing baseline financial data from the farm finance surveys. Under ideal survey conditions, sample of agricultural landowners would be selected from an inventory of all agricultural landowners. The response to both mailings was substantial considering the complex nature of the report forms. The initial reviews of the landlord and operator reports were conducted independently to save time.