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The fourth release of the 2010 Agricultural Census information addresses the advance information provided by production method research on livestock buildings, manure handling and storage, as well as grazing. Statistics related to these themes illustrate the current status of agricultural production, the wellbeing of animals and environmental protection.

According to advance information in Tike's harvest statistics, the total grain harvest in 2011 is about 3.7 billion kilograms. The grain harvest increased by 25% (about 755 million kilograms) from the previous year. The cultivation areas and yield per hectare of all grains increased from 2010. The production of barley and wheat increased the most. The wheat harvest of more than 980 million kilograms is the largest ever in Finland.

The autumn grain harvest in 2011 was average, but the wheat harvest was large. Most of the wheat and rye met the quality requirements for bread grain. The hectolitre weight of feed grain was small. There was extensive quality variation between and within regions. The information is included in a summary based on grain harvest information of the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tike), and on the analysis results of grain quality monitoring performed by the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira.

At mid-October, the amount of food potato in stock totalled 221 million kilos, exceeding last autumn's amount by 21 million kilos. The total volume of potatoes stocked for the purpose of direct consumption and the food processing industry reached 274 million kilos. The data is based on statistics on potato farms’ food potato stocks compiled by Tike (the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland) twice a year.

A production method survey was for the first time conducted in connection with Agricultural Census 2010 in order to collect data on energy consumption, irrigation, field cultivation and animal husbandry. The survey covered some 14,000 agricultural and horticultural enterprises, i.e. every fifth farm in Finland. Of the replies obtained from the farms, results accounting for all the farms in Finland were estimated, and data on field cultivation will be published first.

The grain crop in 2010, 3 billion kilograms, was about a third smaller than in 2009. The harvests of wheat and oats exceeded domestic consumption, while in barley production the situation is the opposite. All grain stocks were reduced; mainly barley, as a result of diminishing production and growing exports.

The grain crop this year is expected to be 3.6 billion kilograms. Although the figure is the second smallest since 2000, it is still 20 percent more than last year. The largest crop since 2000 was harvested two years ago (4.3 billion kilograms) and the smallest last year (3.0 billion kilograms). The average yield per hectare is estimated to be slightly above the ten year average.

  In the crop year, the cereal industry and traders purchased a total of 1.8 billion kilos of cereals from farms, which equals 60 per cent of the crop yield of last summer. The industrial use of domestic and foreign cereals totalled 1.4 billion kilos in the crop year, which is one-half of last summer’s crop yield.

With an estimated 3.5 billion kilograms, this year’s grain crops will be considerably better than last year’s, although it will not reach 2009’s yield (4.1 billion kilograms). There will be an approximate 30 per cent drop from last year’s record-breaking turnip rape crop.

On average, every Finn consumed 183 kilos of liquid dairy products, 81 kilos of fruit and berries, 80 kilos of cereals, 76 kilos of meat and 68 kilos of vegetables in 2010. This information is presented in the preliminary Balance Sheet for Food Commodities 2010, which is compiled by the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tike).

About a third of Finland’s 64,000 farms and horticultural enterprises also engage in other gainful activities besides agriculture. The most popular line of business is the provision of services.

Structural changes continue in agriculture in Finland. According to the Information Service of Tike, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the number of people employed in agriculture has fallen by one third from 2000. At the same time, the number of farms and horticultural enterprises has fallen by one fifth.

  The grain cultivation area will grow by 100,000 hectares compared with 2010; the area is now approximately 1,111,000 hectares. The area will partly recover from the 200,000 hectare drop recorded last year. The grain cultivation area constitutes almost half of all the utilised agricultural area, which amounts to approximately 2.3 million hectares.

Open-field cultivation was hit hard by the dry and hot summer. The vegetable crop only reached 163 million kilos and the berry crop 12 million kilos. On the other hand, the production of greenhouse vegetables surpassed the previous year, totalling 75 million kilos. Potted vegetable production soared to record figures, 81 million units. The figures are based on the 2010 horticultural statistics compiled by Tike (Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry).

Structural changes in agriculture followed the same trend in 2010 as in the past several years. In particular, the number of livestock farms declined and the average farm size grew. In 2010, there were 62,767 farms in Finland, or 1,400 less than in the previous year and over one-fifth less than at the beginning of the millennium. The average age of farmers (50.6 years) has risen by about three years in the space of a decade. These figures are based on statistics compiled by Tike (Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry).

The producer prices of cereals swung to brisk growth last year. The price of food potatoes bottomed out in early 2010, then doubled by the turn of the year. The decline in the producer price of milk turned around in the autumn. Meat prices were down, with the exception of lamb. These figures are based on the Producer Prices for Agricultural Products statistics compiled by Tike (Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry).

About 384 million kilos of meat were produced in 2010, almost the same amount as in the previous year. Production of beef, poultry and mutton increased, while pork production decreased. These figures are based on the statistics compiled by Tike (Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry).

According to crop production statistics compiled by Tike (Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), the yield of grain crops was only 3 million tonnes. Compared to the preliminary information published in November, the crop production data are now finalised and also include grass and other field crops. The hot, dry summer dropped the yield of grain crops by 1.3 million tonnes from the record level of 2009 (4.3 million tonnes). Autumn-sown winter grains benefited from the hot summer

The hot summer of 2010 in Finland produced small crops with a high protein content and small and light kernels. The protein content and kernel size directly influence the usability of grain. The information is obtained from Tike’s (Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) final crops data and the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira’s quality monitoring for grain.

Potato storages are lower than during the two previous years. In mid-January, the inventory level at farms was 108 million kilos of food potatoes. This is 24 million kilos less than during the previous year, which is caused by a much smaller harvest from last summer and significant export activities to Russia.

In 2010, cereal industry and traders bought altogether 2.1 billion kilos of cereals from the growers in Finland. In addition, 158 million kilos of turnip rape and rape were traded. The industrial use of domestic and foreign cereals totalled 1.3 billion kilos in 2010. This information can be found in the newly compiled statistics by Tike (Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry).

Milk production was 2,268 million liters in 2010, which was slightly more than the year before. Egg production grew to record numbers since the year 2000, to some 61 million kilos. The source for this information is Tike (The Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry).