CHAPTER.11- THE AGRICULTURAL CORE

This chapter discusses trends in the number and size of farms in the agricultural core. The number of farms has decreased in last century, but the average farm size has increased. The question is whether or not this trend is also the case in the Los Angeles area. Between 1900 and 2002 the number of farms decreased from 6,577 to 1,543. This decrease was not constant, as there was actually an increase in the number of farms through the 1940's, followed by a steady decrease until 1982 when there was a small increase in the number of farms. The number of farms then continued to decrease until recently when the number of farms in Los Angeles increased between 1997 and 2002 from 1,226 to 1,543. Average farm size has decreased since 1900 from an average size of 136 acres to 72 acres. Between 1964 and 1972 there was a sharp increase in farm size, reaching a peak average size of 223 acres. The overall decrease in the average farm size in the last century differs from the trends of the agricultural core. This is just another way Los Angeles differs from the rest of the country! 
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