Eric Aasen

Jun. 17, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- It's census time, so people are getting counted, of course.

But don't forget about the cows, pigs, chickens and other farm animals. Or the corn, wheat and cotton.

They get counted, too.

Every five years, the Census of Agriculture counts farms and ranches across the country, as well as what's raised and grown on the land. It offers a glimpse into the state of American farming. The next one happens in 2012.

The 2007 census reported that the number of farms is growing, both nationwide and in North Texas.

Small farms are helping to fuel the growth, census officials said. More than a third of the country's farms are classified as residential or lifestyle farms.

Dallas County reported a 3 percent jump, while Tarrant County saw a 2 percent increase. Collin County saw a 5 percent bump, while Denton County farms climbed 9 percent.

But it doesn't take much to be a farm in the government's eyes. The census defines a farm as a place where at least $1,000 in agricultural products are produced or sold annually.

The last census showed a 4 percent increase in the number of farms nationwide. Across Texas, farms were up 8 percent.

While the human census is getting the names and races of people in a household, the farm census has a different focus:

How much did you spend in fertilizer, lime and soil conditioners?

Do you grow organic products?

What about dewberries? Currants? Loganberries?

Do you raise emus? Pigeons? Ostriches?

Like the U.S. Census, agriculture census organizers make a big push to get the word out about the farm count. Forms are mailed out to farmers and ranchers. Those who don't respond receive follow-up mailings, phone calls or visits from census workers.

Farm organizations, businesses and local, state and federal governments use the data to evaluate farm policy, develop ways to improve agricultural production and allocate funding for farm programs.

"The more accurate the information, the better it is for everybody involved, so everybody knows what exactly we have and what our needs are," said Bob Garino, deputy director of the Texas field office for the National Agricultural Statistics Service, which conducts the census.

The fact that small farms are blossoming nationwide doesn't surprise Todd Moore, who owns Lavon Farms in Plano, the last remaining dairy in Collin County.

"You are starting to see more community gardening set-ups and people becoming small artisans, whether it's bread or grapes for wine," Moore said. "We're in the middle of a food revolution. People are starting to read labels, and they're starting to realize they can't pronounce what's on a label. ... People want to know where their food comes from."

The agriculture census started in 1840 and was taken as part of the U.S. Census through 1950.

Despite their best efforts, both census projects -- human and farm -- can't track down everyone.

But they do their best to track down folks like William Boyce, an Ellis County farmer who has a grove of pecan trees.

Harvest time is between October and December, but the rest of the year is spent spraying trees to keep the bugs away and monitoring the grove to keep the crows at bay.

Boyce, who lives near Bristol, calls farm life satisfying.

But it comes at a price.

"It keeps one very busy."

Newstex ID: KRTB-0046-46153979