USDA: Number Of Colorado Farms, Ranches Fell In 2010

DENVER (AP) - The number of Colorado farms and ranches appears to be slipping.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service says there were an estimated 36,100 farms and ranches in the state in 2010. That would be down by 100 operations from 2009.

The agency says about 31.2 million acres in Colorado are in farms, and the average size of each farm is 864 acres.

Nationwide, it says, the amount of land in farms rose last year by 100,000 acres to about 920 million acres. There are an estimated 2.2 million farms nationwide. The number has held roughly steady the last two years.

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