Graph from 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture County Profile
for Rio Arriba, NM.
According to the 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture for Rio Arriba county, from 2007 to 2012, the number of farms increased by 44% whereas the land in use for farms decreased by 2%. The average farm size also decreased, by 32%, while the market value of products per farm saw a 3% increase. This indicates a possible slight shift to higher value crops, while also farming less land.
For Rio Arriba county, the acreage of farms runs on the smaller side with about 1,200 out of 1,892 farms under 50 acres. The top crops for the county in 2012 were alfalfa/hay/grasses, apples, and vegetables at 19,975 acres, 580 acres, and 352 acres respectively. As far as the top value of commodity by crop per $1,000, the highest is cattle & calves, followed by other crops—hay, fruit, nuts, and vegetables, at 9,819 and 6,477 respectively.
Crop Data Layer created using CropScape National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.
Rio Arriba County Farmers
When looking at agriculture, it is always important to understand the who, as well as the what. The following is a summary of the Principle Farm Operator characteristics for Rio Arriba county from the 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture. Of the principle farm operators of the county 836 report farming as their primary occupation, while 1,056 operators reported “other” as the primary occupation. Operators average an age of 61.2 for the county and 303 reported their gender as female and 1,589 as male. Ethnicities reported for principle operators are as follows: 223 Native American, 6 Asian, 0 Black or African American, 17 Pacific Islander, 2,060 Spanish/Hispanic/Latino, 2,674 White, and 15 reported multiple ethnicities.