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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Number Of Idaho Farms On The Rise

Compiled From Wire Services

The number of Idaho farms in 1995 is estimated at 21,500, an increase of 1,000 farms from last year.

The increase in farm numbers in Idaho is primarily due to a farm definition change that includes places with five or more horses, except horses in boarding stables and racetracks. The change in the definition was made to bring about consistency with the Census Bureau.

Total land in farms is estimated 13.5 million acres, unchanged for the fifth straight year.

The number of farms in the United States in 1995 is estimated at 2.07 million, up less than half a percent from 1994. Total land in farms is 972 million acres, virtually unchanged from last year.

This is the first time since 1981 that farm numbers have increased from the previous year and is partly due to the increase in small farms. The increase in small farms is partly due to the farm definition change. The average farm size decreased from 471 acres in 1994 to 469 in 1995.