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EXPLANATORY NOTES


INTRODUCTION

1 This publication contains final estimates for data items collected in the 2013-14 Rural Environment and Agricultural Commodities Survey (REACS). Included are statistics on land use, crop and horticultural area and production, livestock numbers and farm management and demographic information.

2 Data at sub-state levels including Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Statistical Area 4 (SA4) and Natural Resource Management (NRM) region will be released at a later date as data cubes (Excel (xls) and zipped Excel files) attached to the publication.

3 The REACS is conducted annually in the years between the five-yearly Agricultural Census.

4 Prior to 2012-13, the ABS conducted an Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) and an Agricultural Commodity Survey (ACS) in alternating years. In 2012-13, the ARMS and ACS were combined to form the REACS.

5 Estimates in this publication are based on information obtained from the REACS for the financial year ended 30 June 2014 and administrative data from non-ABS sources is used to supplement reported data. A copy of the 2013-14 REACS survey form can be found under the Downloads tab of this publication.

SCOPE AND COVERAGE

6 The scope of the 2013-14 REACS was all businesses undertaking agricultural activity recorded on the ABS Business Register (ABSBR) above a minimum cut-off applied to the value of their agricultural production.

7 For the purposes of this survey a business is identified as undertaking agricultural activity as defined by the 2006 edition of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC). For more information, please refer to Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (cat. no. 1292.0).

8 The ABSBR is based on the Australian Business Register (ABR) which is administered and maintained by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Most businesses and organisations in Australia are required to obtain an Australian Business Number (ABN) from the ATO for their business operations.

9 A minimum cut-off value of $5,000 was used to determine whether an agricultural business operation was in-scope for the 2013-14 REACS. This measure of size was based on the ABS' Estimated Value of Agricultural Operations (EVAO) or a derived value based on turnover reported by an agricultural business operation in its Businesses Activity Statement (BAS).

10 The 2013-14 REACS final estimates are based on a response rate of 83% from a sample of 34,704 agricultural businesses selected.

RELIABILITY OF ESTIMATES (SAMPLE ERROR)

11 The estimates in this publication are based on information obtained from respondents to the REACS for the year ended 30 June 2014. The sample population for the REACS is drawn from the total agricultural business population in scope of the collection, and are subject to sampling variability; that is, they may differ from the figures that would have been produced if all businesses had been included in the survey.

12 One measure of the likely difference is given by the standard error (SE) which indicates the extent to which an estimate might have varied by chance because only a sample was taken or received. There are approximately 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 establishments had responded or been reported for, and approximately nineteen chances in twenty that the difference will be less than two SEs.

13 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. Most published estimates have RSEs less than 10%. For some states and territories with limited production of certain commodities, RSEs are greater than 10%. Estimates that have an estimated RSE between 10% and 25% 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% should also be used with caution as they are subject to sampling variability too high for most practical purposes.

Estimates with an RSE greater than 50% at the national, state and territory level have been suppressed in this publication as they are considered too unreliable for general use. Where estimates for data items have been suppressed at the national, state or territory level, they have also been suppressed at the sub-state level. Where figures for individual states or territories have been suppressed, they have been included in relevant totals.

RSEs for all estimates are available on request.

14 A table with RSEs for selected commodities follows:

RELATIVE STANDARD ERRORS OF SELECTED COMMODITIES - at 30 June 2014 Aust. NSW Vic. Qld SA WA Tas. NT ACT % % % % % % % % % Wheat for grain, production 2.1 2.1 4.9 5.8 10.2 2.5 11.5 - 0.0 Oats for grain, production 3.7 5.3 8.0 26.4 13.0 6.1 24.2 - 0.0 Barley for grain, production 2.6 3.2 5.6 8.6 9.9 3.6 15.7 - 0.0 Canola, production 2.4 3.1 6.0 28.2 10.3 3.4 11.9 - 0.0 Oranges, production 6.1 10.3 14.9 14.2 9.2 9.3 - - - Carrots, production 3.6 20.7 5.4 4.9 2.9 7.9 8.1 - - Potatoes, production 3.9 12.4 7.6 15.5 9.7 9.0 6.3 - - Total sheep and lambs 1.7 1.9 3.3 7.0 8.6 2.6 6.4 - 3.7 Total dairy cattle 3.1 6.2 4.2 14.3 10.0 10.6 5.8 - - Total meat cattle 2.5 2.3 4.1 4.9 6.3 4.8 6.8 3.3 2.5 Total pigs 3.0 4.6 3.0 8.0 6.5 9.9 7.4 52.9 -

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)