In 2009, there were 85,500 farms in Kentucky, up 200 farms from a year ago according to the Kentucky Field Office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. A farm is defined as "any establishment from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were sold or would normally be sold during the year."

Sales also include government payments. Farm numbers include properties with acres enrolled in the Conservation or Wetland Reserve government programs. Research and institutional farms are included in the farm definition.

Kentucky was the fifth ranking state in the number of farms. Texas ranked first with 247,500. Missouri was second with 108,000, Iowa was third with 92,600 and Oklahoma was fourth with 86,500. Kentucky farm numbers were further divided into 5 distinct sales categories: 54,000 had sales of $1,000-$9,999; 25,400 with sales of $10,000-$99,999; 3,000 with sales of $100,000- $249,999; 1,450 with sales of $250,000-$499,999; and 1,650 with sales of $500,000 or more.

Total land in farms was 14.0 million acres, unchanged from 2008. Farmland represents 55.1 percent of Kentucky’s approximate 25.4 million total acres. The number of farms increased, while land in farms and average farm size was unchanged from a year ago