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<br />Agriculture has increasingly become a high investment industry . The 1964 Farm Census
<br />listed the average value of land and buildings on farms in this area as $64,500 per farm. Value
<br />of farm real estate per acre has nearly tripled between 1944 and 1964 due both to actual
<br />increases in general land values and large capital investments in private irrigation development.
<br />
<br />In 1964 cash receipts from livestock and crop sales were 144 million dollars, an average
<br />of $15,100 per farm, and an increase of 163 percent over 1944.
<br />
<br /> TABLE 12
<br /> V ALUE OF FARM PRODUCTS SOLD
<br /> BIG BLUE BASIN
<br />FARM PRODUCTS SOLD 1944 1949 1954 1959 1964
<br />Milk, Cream & Dairy 4,197,700 4,521,000 5,070,200 5,599,600 6,004,100
<br />Products
<br />Poultry & Products 6,679,800 6,476,700 4,462,800 3,985;800 3,036,400
<br />Other Livestock & 19,981,400 28,724,800 33,730,600 52,909,600 78,732,800
<br />Livestock Products
<br />Forest Products Sold 5,000 5,600 7,200 13,200 9,400
<br />Crop Sales 24,085,800 34,680,400 45,626,300 63,979,100 56,593,600
<br />TOTAL SALES 54,949,700 74,408,500 88,897,100 126,487,300 144,376,300
<br />SOURCE: U. S. Department of Agriculture (6)
<br />
<br /> TABLE 13
<br /> FARM SIZE AND FARM NUMBERS
<br /> BIG BLUE BASIN
<br /> 1944 1949 1954 1959 1964
<br />TOTAL NO. 13,402 12,973 11,957 11 ,003 9,540
<br /> PERCENT
<br />< 100 acres 16.5 16.9 13.6 13.9 14.0
<br />100-179 acres 30.3 28.5 26.7 21.5 17.5
<br />180-259 acres 26.2 26.1 26.2 23.2 17.9
<br />260-499 acres 24.6 25.5 29.9 35.6 38.7
<br />> 500 acres 2.4 3.0 3.6 5.7 11.9
<br />Average Size (acres) 212.0 218.0 235.0 261.0 301.0
<br />SOURCE: U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, Agricultural Census, 1959
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