Farmers’ income and debt, 2004

In 2004, 17 per cent of the farmers had 90 per cent or more of the gross income from agricultural activity. About the same percentage of farmers had between 50 and 89 per cent of the gross income from agriculture. Holdings with high labour input during the whole year have the highest percentage of farmers with agriculture as a main source of income. This applies particularly to farmers operating specialist dairy holdings and mixed dairy and rearing/fattening holdings. On these holdings some more than 70 per cent of the farmers had agriculture as a main source of income. Among farmers operating pig/poultry holdings and mixed livestock holdings the corresponding percentage was a bit over 50. Few farmers on specialist cereals and oil-seed holdings and specialist sheep holdings had agriculture as a main source of income. Farmers operating such holdings are often combining farming with other entrepreneurial activity or they are employed off the holding.

Great variations in income from agriculture

In 2004, the farmers' average gross income was NOK 372 400, of which NOK 112 200 was entrepreneurial income from agriculture. Only 2 000 holders, or 4 per cent, had an entrepreneurial income from agriculture of at least NOK 400 000. Such a level of entrepreneurial income from agriculture was most frequent among farmers with pig/poultry production. 16 per cent of these farmers had entrepreneurial income from agriculture of at least NOK 400 000 in 2004. Cattle dairying is an important production that is difficult to combine with other gainful activities for the farmers. 5 per cent of the dairy farmers had at least NOK 400 000 as entrepreneurial income from agriculture, while around 50 per cent had an entrepreneurial income from agriculture between NOK 100 000 and 250 000.

Almost 25 per cent of the farmers had a positive entrepreneurial income from agriculture below NOK 50 000. One third of the farmers with specialised cereals and oil-seed production belonged to this group. The same applied to 38 per cent of the farmers operating specialist sheep holdings.

15 per cent of the farmers had negative entrepreneurial income from agriculture in 2004. This may concern farmers with small holdings or farmers who had just started farming or was expanding. 10 per cent of the farmers have no entrepreneurial income from agriculture. Most of these are assumed to run hobby like agriculture that are not considered as industry by the tax authorities. Another reason may be that the entrepreneurial income from agriculture is assigned to the farmer's spouse.

Married couples that jointly operate an industry may share the taxable entrepreneurial income. In 2004, 11 500 spouses/registered partners had entrepreneurial income from agriculture, in average NOK 111 100.

The statistics are based on the tax assessment for personal taxpayers and cover all holdings operated by a natural person. Out of a total of 55 500 holdings in 2004, 53 400 were operated by a natural person, of which 87 per cent were males and 13 per cent females. The holdings vary much in size, from hobby like production to holdings with a turnover of more than NOK one million.

Tables:

• Table 1 Entrepreneurial income from agriculture for holders, by county, agricultural area in use and sex of holder
• Table 2 Entrepreneurial income from agriculture for holders, by type of farming. 2004
• Table 3 Average gross income for holders, by county, agricultural area in use and sex of holder. NOK
• Table 4 Average gross income for holders, by type of farming. 2004. NOK
• Table 5 Holders by entrepreneurial income from agriculture as per cent of gross income, by county, agricultural area in use and sex of holder
• Table 6 Holders by entrepreneurial income from agriculture as per cent of gross income, by type of farming. 2004