Report: number of Virginia farms declined in 2015

(AP) – There are fewer operating farms in Virginia, but the average acreage of a farm has grown.

The figures are from the National Agriculture Statistic Service. It found that the number of Virginia farms dropped 3 percent last year from 2014. The decline has left the state with 44,700 farms.

At the same time, the size of an average farm grew to 181 acres. That’s a 2-acre increase.

Nationally, the statistic service said the number of farms in the United States declined by 1 percent in 2015. Those farms encompass 912 million acres.

Despite the dip in the number of farms, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation reports that farms with sales of less than $10,000 annually showed the greatest decline. The Farm Bureau said farming remains stable.