Farmland acreage in metropolitan counties rose by nearly half between 1974 and 1982 as metropolitan areas were redefined and additional counties were designated as metro. Metro farms are generally smaller, more land intensive in their production, more diverse, and more focused on high-value production than farms elsewhere. As of 1982, metro farms accounted for 29 percent of the U.S. total, 30 percent of total U.S. farm sales, and 16 percent of U.S. cropland.