7111.0 - Principal Agricultural Commodities, Australia, Preliminary, 2010-11  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 17/11/2011   
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EXPLANATORY NOTES


INTRODUCTION

1 This publication presents preliminary estimates of principal agricultural commodities and livestock numbers for the 2010-11 season, and comparative data for the previous two years. The preliminary estimates are based on data collected in the 2011 Agricultural Census.

2 The Agricultural Resources Management Survey (ARMS) and the Agricultural Survey are conducted in alternate years, with an Agricultural Census conducted every five years.

3 Additional commodity estimates from the 2011 Agricultural Census will be published in Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0) in June 2012.

4 The estimates for 2008-09 and 2009-10 are final national estimates for principal agricultural commodities and livestock numbers collected in the 2008-09 Agricultural Survey and the 2009-10 ARMS. Estimates for 2010-11 are preliminary and may be subject to revision.


GENERAL

5 Where figures have been rounded, discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.


SCOPE AND COVERAGE

6 Estimates in this publication are based on information obtained from the 2011 Agricultural Census for the year ended 30 June 2011.

7 The scope of the Agricultural Census was all agricultural businesses recorded on the ABS' Business Register (ABSBR) above a minimum size cutoff. The ABSBR is based on the Australian Business Register (ABR) which is administered and maintained by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

8 A minimum size cut-off of $5,000 was applied to determine whether a business was in-scope for the 2011 Agricultural Census. The measure of size was based on the ABS' Estimated Value of Agricultural Operations (EVAO) or a derived value based on Businesses Activity Statement (BAS) turnover.

9 While the ABSBR does not include all agricultural businesses in Australia, it provides improved coverage from the former ABS-maintained Agricultural Survey frame as most businesses and organisations in Australia need to obtain an Australian Business Number (ABN) from the ATO for their business operations. The ABR-based register is also more up-to-date as it excludes agricultural businesses with cancelled ABNs and incorporates regularly updated information on agricultural businesses from the ATO.

10 The 2010-11 preliminary estimates are based on a response rate of 79% from a sample of 163,000 agricultural businesses selected for the 2011 Agricultural Census.


RELIABILITY OF ESTIMATES (SAMPLE ERROR)

11 The estimates in this publication are based on information obtained from respondents to the 2010-11 Agricultural Census. Since not all selected units responded, the estimates may differ from those that would have been produced if all farms had responded. One measure of the likely difference is given by the standard error (SE), which indicates the extent to which an estimate might vary by chance when not all units have responded, i.e. when a 'sample' of responses only is obtained. There are about two chances in three that a 'sample' estimate will differ by less than one SE from the figure that would have been obtained if all farms had responded, and about nineteen chances in twenty that the difference will be less than two SEs.

12 In this publication, 'sampling' variability of the estimates is measured by the relative standard error (RSE) which is obtained by expressing the SE as a percentage of the estimate to which it refers.

13 Most published estimates have RSEs less than 5%. For some states with limited production of certain commodities, RSEs are greater than 10%. Estimates that have an estimated RSE between 10% and 25% are annotated with the symbol '^'. These estimates should be used with caution as they are subject to sampling variability too high for some purposes. Estimates with an RSE between 25% and 50% are annotated with the symbol '*', indicating that the estimate should be used with caution as it is subject to sampling error too high for most practical purposes. Estimates with an RSE greater than 50% are annotated with the symbol '**', indicating that the sampling variability causes the estimates to be considered too unreliable for general use. Separate indication of the RSEs of all estimates is available on request.

14 A table with RSEs for the principal commodities in this publication follows:

RELATIVE STANDARD ERRORS OF SELECTED ESTIMATES - year ended 30 June 2011
NSW
Vic.
Qld
SA
WA
Tas.
NT
ACT
Aust.
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
Barley for grain - Production (t)
1.30
0.96
3.88
0.86
1.10
5.17
57.97
-
0.50
Canola - Production (t)
1.37
1.61
24.77
1.49
1.37
18.17
-
50.95
0.73
Cotton Lint - Production (t)
2.30
-
3.21
-
-
-
-
-
1.96
Grain sorghum - Production (t)
2.82
41.91
2.12
37.74
36.44
-
57.97
-
1.75
Lupins for grain - Production (t)
2.42
3.71
49.11
2.48
1.85
27.22
-
-
1.30
Oats for grain - Production (t)
1.32
2.19
6.73
2.54
1.52
3.99
-
-
0.82
Rice for grain - Production (t)
2.25
8.41
10.37
-
55.23
-
-
-
2.23
Sugar cane cut for crushing - Production (t)
2.73
-
0.96
-
73.78
-
-
-
0.94
Wheat for grain - Production (t)
0.79
0.97
2.69
0.67
0.66
6.15
-
47.00
0.38
Total milk cattle (no.)
2.02
0.72
2.52
4.45
2.73
2.64
40.50
-
0.64
Total meat cattle (no.)
0.52
0.59
0.95
2.12
1.78
2.40
2.08
9.28
0.57
Total sheep and lambs (no.)
0.55
0.54
2.69
0.93
0.61
1.57
47.42
10.95
0.30
Total pigs (no.)
1.90
3.61
5.08
7.52
6.78
6.77
25.20
-
2.00
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)



ABS DATA AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

15 As well as the statistics included in this and related publications, the ABS may have other relevant data available on request. Inquiries should be made to the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.


GENERAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT

16 ABS publications draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, businesses, governments and other organisations. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated. Without it, the wide range of statistics published by the ABS would not be available. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence as required by the Census and Statistics Act 1905.


RELATED PUBLICATIONS

17 A range of publications relevant to the Agriculture sector are produced by the ABS, including:
18 Current publications and other products released by the ABS are listed under the Statistics and Topics @ a Glance pages on the ABS website <https://www.abs.gov.au>. The ABS also issues a daily Release Advice on the website which details products to be released in the week ahead.