Cereals and oil seeds, area and yields, 2000, preliminary figures

Including all grain crops, average grain yield per decare was 414 kilos in 2000, against 397 kilos the year before. A total of 335 500 tons of wheat, 592 100 tons of barley and 408 100 tons of oats was harvested in 2000. Most grain was grown in Akershus, Østfold and Hedmark. These three counties accounted for 56 per cent of the grain area and 59 per cent of the total grain crop.

Total wheat area increased by 32 per cent from 1999 to 2000. This increase was mainly attributed to the larger area sown with winter wheat. Total wheat crop is estimated at 335 500 tons, corresponding to a per decare yield of 494 kilos. In 1998 and 1999 decare yields were 469 and 466 kilos respectively. In Østfold wheat was grown on more than one third of the grain area in 2000, while nearly half of the grain area in Vestfold was sown with wheat. Hedmark, however, achieved the largest yield calculated in kilos per decare, with 612 kilos, more than 100 kilos more than in the two previously mentioned counties.

Decline in barley area

The barley area was reduced by 226 900 decares to 1.6 million decares in 2000, a decline of just over 12 per cent from the year before. The decline in barley area also led to a decline in the barley yield. As a result of higher decare yields than the year before, the yield decline was only 9.4 per cent. Average decare yield of barley for the entire country was 369 kilos in 2000, against 357 kilos the year before. Hedmark recorded the highest yield calculated in kilos per decare with 401, closely followed by Østfold and Vestfold with 395 kilos.

The area of oats sown increased by 36 000 decares to 942 800 decares in 2000. This led to a 9 600 ton increase in the total yield of oats to 408 100 tons, while the decare yield of 433 kilos was somewhat lower than the year before. Vestfold had the highest decare yield with 483 kilos, while Buskerud followed with an average yield of 372 kilos per decare.

One of three grain holdings gone since 1989

The number of holdings growing grain (including oil seeds) has fallen by 39 per cent since 1989, i.e. one in three grain holdings has disappeared during this period. A total of 20 200 holdings grew grain in 2000. Because the total grain area has changed little, the average grain area increased from 105 decares in 1989 to 162 decares in 2000. There are constantly fewer small grain farms, while the number of holdings with at least 200 decares of grain area is increasing. In 1989, 15 per cent of holdings had at least 200 decares of grain area, while the corresponding figure for 2000 was 28 per cent.

Tables:

• Table 1 Holdings with grain and oil seeds. Area used for grain and oil seeds. 2000*
• Table 2 Yield of grain. 2000*
• Table 3 Holdings, by area used for grain and oil seeds. 2000*