Farm Employment and Income. In 2002, there were 1,035 farm workers on 1,319 farms within the region accounting for a payroll of $6,603,000 million (USDA 2004). Table 3.4 lists the hired farm and contract labor costs per county within the ROI and labor costs as a percentage of total production costs. In 2002, 1,282 farms within the ROI had sales less than $250,000 classifying them as small farms, while 37 large farms had sales greater than $250,000 (USDA 2004). Realized net farm losses were in excess of $3.08 million in 2002 (USDA 2004). Total government payments to farms within the ROI were $718,000 in 2002, an increase of $266,000 (58 percent) over the 1997 government payments to farms within the ROI (USDA 1999). Table 3.4 - Farm Labor as a Percentage of Total Production Expenses Area 2002 1997 Hired Farm Labor ($000) Contract Labor ($000) Total Production Expenses ($000) Labor as a Percent of Total Production Expenses Hired Farm Labor ($000) Contract Labor ($000) Total Production Expenses ($000) Labor as a Percent of Total Production Expenses Deer Lodge 474 88 4,813 11.68% 560 37 4,128 14.46% Granite 1,534 621 11,644 18.51% 1,045 92 8,235 13.81% Missoula 1,025 145 11,029 10.61% 1,055 112 11,160 10.46% Xxxxxx 3,327 262 20,685 17.35% 2,387 161 13,850 18.40% Butte – Silver Bow 243 15 3,229 7.99% 309 17 2,402 13.57% Total 6,603 1,131 51,400 15.05% 5,356 419 39,775 14.52% Source: USDA 2004
Farm Employment and Income. In 2002, there were 4,007 farm workers on 4,907 farms within the region accounting for a payroll of $21,701,000 (USDA 2002). Table 3.6-1 lists the hired farm and contract labor costs per county within the region and labor costs as a percentage of total production costs. Realized net cash farm income of operations was in excess of $14,185,000 in 2002 (USDA 2002). Total government payments to farms within the region exceeded $37.6 million in 2002, an increase of over $19 million (49 percent) over the 1997 government payments to farms within the region (USDA 1997). Table 3.6-1 Farm Labor as a Percentage of Total Production Expenses 2002 1997 Labor as a Labor as a Hired Total Percent of Hired Total Percent of Farm Contract Production Total Farm Contract Production Total Labor Labor Expenses Production Labor Labor Expenses Production ($000) ($000) ($000) Expenses ($000) ($000) ($000) Expenses Acadia 4,024 323 39,048 11.13% 3,332 275 41,113 8.77% Xxxxx 967 27 10,380 9.58% 376 61 10,312 4.24% Calcasieu 1,729 347 19,993 10.38% 1,243 171 18,329 7.71% Xxxxxxx 510 (D) 7,297 NA 698 30 9,873 7.37% Xxxxxxxxxx 2,753 200 27,833 10.61% 2,835 293 29,272 10.69% Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx 2,519 497 41,155 7.33% 1,800 349 35,022 6.14% St. Xxxxxx 9,199 348 59,552 16.03% 5,048 304 54,342 9.85% Total 21,701 1,742 205,258 11.42% 15,332 1,483 198,263 8.48% Source: USDA 2002
