Crops(a) '000 ha	Agricultural land(b) '000 ha	Non-agricultural land(c) '000 ha
2002-03	75	1 771	5 069
2003-04	73	1 745	5 095
2004-05	71	1 803	5 037
2005-06(d)	68	1 739	5 101
2006-07(d)	62	1 659	5 181

(a) Excludes crops harvested for hay and seed, and pasture and grasses.
(b) Total area of businesses with an estimated value of agricultural operations of $5,000 or more.
(c) Comprises conserved land, forestry, urban and unused land such as vacant Crown land, commercially unused land on Aboriginal and other Crown reserves and waste land, ephemeral lakes, mangrove swamps, as well as businesses not included in the scope of the Agricultural Census/Survey.
(d) The ABS has moved to a new frame from the 2005-06 Agricultural Census onwards. This means that data are not directly comparable with historical time series. For more information, please see the technical notes at the back of the 2005-06 edition of the source publication 7121.0.
Source: Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0).


During the 2006-07 financial year, Tasmanian farmers spent $23 million controlling pests, which is more than weeds ($22 million) and land and soil problems ($17 million). The total cost of managing these problems was $62 million or an average of $14,193 per agricultural business.

	Weeds	Pests	Land and soil
Agricultural businesses reporting NRM problems (no.)	3 101	3 482	2 364
Agricultural businesses reporting NRM activities (no.)	3 979	3 798	2 473
NRM expenditure of Ag. businesses reporting NRM activities:
Total expenditure ($m)	22	23	^17
Average expenditure ($/agricultural business)(b)	5 469	6 086	^7 025
Average expenditure ($/'000 ha)(c)	15 163	15 011	^15 723
NRM effort on Ag. businesses reporting NRM activities:
Total effort (person days)	78 750	95 146	46 002
Average effort (person days/agricultural business)(d)	20	25	19
Average effort (person days/'000 ha)(e)	55	62	^42

^ estimate has a relative standard error of 10% to less than 25% and should be used with caution.
(a) The management of weed, pest and land and soil related problems and activities. The management of other types of problems are not included.
(b) Total expenditure on weed, pest and land and soil related activities, divided by the number of agricultural businesses reporting weed, pest and land and soil related activities.
(c) Total expenditure on weed, pest and land and soil related activities, divided by the total area ('000 ha) of agricultural businesses reporting weed, pest and land and soil related activities.
(d) Total effort on weed, pest and land and soil related activities, divided by the number of agricultural businesses reporting weed, pest and land and soil related activities.
(e) Total effort on weed, pest and land and soil related activities, divided by the total area ('000 ha) of agricultural businesses reporting weed, pest and land and soil related activities.
Source: Natural Resource Management on Australian Farms (cat. no. 4620.0).


In 2006-07, 43% of Tasmanian agricultural businesses reported using water for irrigation, with the total area irrigated being 87,000 hectares. These businesses used 263 gigalitres of water for irrigation of crops and pastures.

	Agricultural businesses no.	Agricultural businesses irrigating no.	Area under pasture or crop '000 ha	Area irrigated '000 ha	Volume applied ML	Application rate ML/ha
Totals(a)	(b)4 783	(b)2 060	(c)1 659	87	263 029	3.0
Pasture for grazing	na	960	na	48	161 939	3.4
Pasture harvested for hay (including lucerne), silage or seed	na	^264	na	^5	^11 460	2.2
Cereal crops harvested for grain or seed(d)	485	^135	20	5	8 232	1.7
Cereal crops cut for hay or for grazing or fed off	na	^68	na	^1	*1 741	^1.9
Other broadacre crops(e)	258	^91	^8	^3	^7 942	^2.7
Fruit trees, nut trees, plantation or berry fruits(f)	299	^257	3	3	6 670	2.4
Vegetables for human consumption or seed	na	674	na	14	45 420	3.4
Nurseries, cut flowers or cultivated turf	^131	^120	—	—	1 455	4.2
Grapevines	^213	^164	^1	^1	^2 492	^2.1

— nil or rounded to zero (including null cells).
^ estimate has a relative standard error of 10% to less than 25% and should be used with caution.
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.
na not available
(a) Totals include other pastures or crops not elsewhere classified.
(b) Total does not equal the sum as many businesses grow or irrigate more than one crop or pasture.
(c) Total includes area of all agricultural land. This does not equal the sum of area under pasture or crop as not all land on agricultural holdings is under pasture or crop.
(d) Excludes rice.
(e) Excludes sugar cane and cotton.
(f) Excludes grapevines.
Source: Water Use on Australian Farms (cat. no. 4618.0).

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