Sample survey of agriculture and forestry, 2005, preliminary figures

The most common supplementary activity is machinery-related services, carried out by around 10 700 holdings. More than 8 500 holdings had income from machinery-related services performed outside the agricultural industry in 2004. The total gross income from this work was about NOK 500 million.

Several of the industries falling under the definition of supplementary industry require little or no work input, like renting out hunting or fishing rights or buildings and agricultural land. Many holdings are engaged in such activities that do not affect much on the total labour input on the holdings.

In this context, supplementary industry refers to an activity that uses the land, buildings or machinery belonging to the holding.

Fewer man-hours in agriculture

The total labour input on holdings with agriculture was 131 million man-hours in 2004/05. The labour input in agriculture and horticulture represents 120 million man-hours of the total. The labour input in forestry was 3.9 million man-hours, and in supplementary industries 6.9 million. The total labour input on holdings with agriculture in 2004/05 was 11.3 million man-hours less than two years earlier. The decline in agriculture and horticulture is the main explanation to the drop in the total labour input.

2.2 tractors per holding

There were 115 000 four-wheeled tractors on agricultural holdings in 2005, 19 000 less than in 1999. The reason for the decline is mainly a reduction in the number of holdings. On average, there were 2.2 four-wheeled tractors per holding in 2005, against 1.9 in 1999 and 1.6 in 1989.

Much hiring of machinery

Hiring machinery is common in farming. Fully 35 800 or 67 per cent of the agricultural holdings hired machinery for one or more jobs in 2004. Four-wheeled tractors and machinery for harvesting of grass are the most common machineries to hire.

Revised figures for holdings with supplementary industries in 2003

Information on supplementary industries was also collected in the Sample Survey of Agriculture and Forestry in 2003. The survey in 2005 surveyed the number of holdings with supplementary industries better than the survey in 2003, especially supplementary industries that require little or no work input. The explanations of this are changed questions related to renting out hunting or fishing rights and processing of timber and furthermore better revision of information related to renting out agricultural land. Statistics Norway has revised the figures of the number of holdings with supplementary industries in 2003, while the figures on labour input in supplementary industries in 2002/03 are not changed.

Tables:

• Table 1 Holdings with supplementary industry by type of supplementary industry, by county. 2004/05
• Table 2 Labour input in agriculture and horticulture, forestry and other supplementary industries on the holding, by county. 2004/05. 1 000 man-hours
• Table 3 Number of holdings with four-wheeled tractors and two-wheeled tractors/motorized mowers and number of four-wheeled tractors and two-wheeled tractors/motorized mowers, by county, agricultural area in use and type of farming. 2005*