THE FARM SECTOR OF DELAWARE AGRICULTURE: CHANGES FROM 1982 - 1997

Agriculture contains a vast array of economic activities to produce and provide food, fiber and related products and services. These economic activities can be divided into three sectors: the farm sector, agribusiness and the public sector. Using data from the 1982 and 1997 Censuses of Agriculture, this bulletin documents changes in the farm sector of Delaware agriculture over the 1982 - 1997 time period. It is an update to the Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin #503, The Farm Sector of Delaware Agriculture: Trends from 1982 - 1992 (Tytus, Hastings and Cole, 1995). Overall, the analysis finds that the farm sector of Delaware agriculture continues to change. Reasons for the change remain the same as they have been for several decades: continued population growth, emerging technologies, evolving and waning demand for agricultural products, fluctuating domestic and international markets, changing consumer preferences, economic conditions both locally and nationally, increasing environmental concerns and growing competition for critical resources, such as land and water. These factors have affected the farm sector of Delaware throughout the last century and will continue to influence in into the 21st century