A VIEW FROM THE TOP PADDOCK 
Welcome to the latest edition of the 'Ag Mag'. The year has certainly started with a flurry of activity. Preparations are continuing for the despatch of the Agricultural Census to approximately 170,000 businesses in June and the ABS is preparing to conduct the new Agricultural Land and Water Ownership Survey (ALWOS) in March to determine levels of foreign ownership for agricultural businesses, land and water.
But, while we are busy in our own little paddocks tending to our flocks, our thoughts are also very much with those agricultural businesses that have been hit by natural disasters this year. With many farm businesses incurring serious losses after the recent flooding and cyclones, some owners are facing extremely tough times ahead. We know these events have impacted on the agricultural sector - the big question is - just how much is that impact going to be? While statistics and filling out forms is the last thing on many farmers' minds and the ABS does not wish to add to their burdens, information that can be provided will assist in measuring the full impact of these extreme events.
This edition will give readers a bit more of an insight into the Agricultural Census, provide some background to the ownership survey, take a novel look at high tech collection methods and provide details on the recently released preliminary estimates of "Geoff's baby" the Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced (VACP), Australia (cat. no. 7501.0) .
Upcoming releases over the coming months include: Agricultural Commodities (cat. no. 7121.0), presenting final area and production estimates for an extended range of commodities, due out in April 2011; Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced (cat. no. 7503.0), presenting estimates of the total value of production for a wide range of agricultural commodities, due in May 2011; and Water Use on Australian Farms (cat. no. 4618.0) presenting data on water sources and use for agricultural production, also due in May 2011.
Jane Wood and Helen Baird
Directors, Environment and Agriculture Business Statistics Centre
Australian Bureau of Statistics
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