Browsing by Subject "contractors"

The global warming imposes limitations on timber harvesting. As a result the seasonal variation of logging is expected to increase. At the same time the growth of Russian wood tariff will reduce the import. Together, these will increase the demand for domestic wood. Due to own entrepreneurial work and investments in agricultural machinery, several farms have the opportunity to provide seasonal timber harvesting services as contractors. With timber harvesting services these farms could increase the machinery utilization and save in the fixed costs. The growth of the machinery utilization rate will improve the profitability of the timber harvesting of contractors. The aim of this study was to analyze the profitability of seasonal timber harvesting contractors by employing data of the Finnish bookkeeping farms. The profitability was worked out by the income and costs of timber harvesting and also by the entrepreneur's input of labour. This study also aimed to find out the adventages of synergy in labour and common use of machinery in timber harvesting and farming. In addition this study aimed at to define the influence of the timber harvesting services on the farms total profitability, the seasonal variation of family labour and the use of total working hours. The source material of this study was the data of eight bookkeeping farms collected by MTT Agrifood Research Finland. These eight farms had carried on timber harvesting in the years 2005 and 2006. The income statement and the balance sheet of logging were calculated by using a mail inquiry and recorded financial statements of the farms. On the basis of the income statement and the balance sheet, the essential parameters of the profitability were calculated. The proportional profitability of the timber harvesting services was measured by the profitability ratio. The profitability ratio was calculated by dividing Family Farm Income (FFI) by the sum of costs for family factors, i.e. the wage claim and the interest claim of timber harvesting. The profitability ratio of logging was 1,69 in year 2005 and 1,19 in year 2006. Due to small data the skewness of results was often rather high. The results of the study, however, showed that for farms the timber harvesting services are a good way to increase the utilization rate of the agricultural machines and to improve the profitability of business. Providing timber harvesting services could also balance the seasonal variation of family labour and the use of total working hours of the family farm.