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EXPLANATORY NOTES


INTRODUCTION

1 The value estimates in this publication are derived by the multiplication of price and quantity estimates of agricultural commodities.

2 Price information refers to the average unit value of a given commodity realised in the market place. Price information for livestock slaughterings and wool is obtained from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) collections. Price information for other commodities is obtained from non-ABS sources, including marketing authorities and industry sources.

3 Quantity data for most crops have been collected from the 2008-09 Agricultural Survey. Remaining commodity data (grapes, livestock disposals and livestock products excluding eggs) are obtained from other ABS collections, with some information from non-ABS sources, and continue to be comparable across time.


GENERAL

4 Where data for individual states or territories have been suppressed for reasons of confidentiality, they have been included in relevant totals.

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

6 The estimates for earlier years shown in this publication have been revised where necessary, for example, when a new price becomes available for a commodity after the previous publication date.

7 A wider range of commodity items was collected from the 2008-09 Agricultural Survey in comparison to the 2007-08 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). Care should be taken when comparing estimates over time for Australia, state/territory and regional levels as not all categories directly align between years. Further information is available upon request.

8 As a result of the reduced range of commodities collected in the 2007-08 ARMS, it was necessary to estimate the values of the non-reported commodities for the groups, 'All other crops', 'All other orchard fruit' and 'All other fruit'. For each of these commodity groups, only a total area was collected in 2007-08. To derive approximate 2007-08 production quantities for the commodities in these groups, production quantities for each of the groups from the 2006-07 Agricultural Survey were adjusted on a pro-rata basis to the 2007-08 reported commodity group areas. Average 2007-08 market prices were applied to these estimated 2007-08 production quantities to produce commodity values for 2007-08. These commodity values contributed to the 'All other crops' category in 2007-08, and not to 'Other cereals for grain', 'Other legumes for grain' or 'Other oilseeds'. Further information is available upon request.

9 In 2006-07 and 2008-09, 'Other cereals for grain' included maize and triticale, 'Other legumes for grain' included chickpeas, field peas, faba and other field beans, lentils, vetches, etc., and 'Other oilseeds' included safflower, soybeans and sunflowers.

10 The method of collection of relevant prices and the costs of marketing for agricultural commodities varies considerably between states and between commodities. Where a statutory authority handles marketing of the whole or a portion of a product, data are usually obtained from this source. Information is also obtained from marketing reports, wholesalers, brokers and auctioneers. For all commodities, values are in respect of production during the year (or season) irrespective of when payments are made. For that portion of production not marketed (e.g. hay grown on farm for own use), estimates are made from the best available information and, in general, are calculated on a local value basis.


PERIOD COVERED

11 The production statistics used in deriving the final value estimates relate to years ended 30 June 2009, 2008 and 2007.


SAMPLE ERROR

12 The estimates for 2008-09 gross value of most crops are based on information obtained from respondents to the 2008-09 Agricultural Survey, which was a sample survey drawn from the total agricultural business population in scope of that collection. These estimates are therefore subject to sampling variability. That is, they may differ from the figures that would have been produced if all agricultural businesses had been included in the Agricultural Survey.

13 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 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 agricultural businesses had been reported for, and about nineteen chances in twenty that the difference will be less than two SEs.

14 The estimates of gross value of livestock slaughterings and other disposals, wool and milk are based on data obtained from censuses and are therefore not subject to sampling variability.

15 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 with limited production of certain commodities, RSEs are greater than 10%. Estimates that have an estimated relative standard error 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 variability 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.

16 A table with RSEs for selected estimates of gross values follows:

RELATIVE STANDARD ERRORS, Gross values of selected commodities - Year ended 30 June 2009
	Aust.	NSW	Vic.	Qld	SA	WA	Tas.	NT	ACT
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Barley for grain	2.60	6.10	4.30	9.30	3.30	5.50	5.50	-	-
Wheat for grain	1.60	3.60	4.60	5.50	2.60	2.10	9.80	-	21.50
Lupins for grain	3.80	12.90	15.10	-	16.70	4.20	10.10	-	-
Sugar cane for crushing	5.80	12.10	-	6.10	-	-	-	-	-
Total crops	0.80	1.80	2.60	1.80	1.10	1.60	1.90	3.50	9.20
Total livestock slaughterings	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total livestock products	0.20	0.90	0.20	1.00	0.20	0.40	0.10	26.30	-
Total agriculture	0.50	1.00	1.10	0.90	0.70	1.20	0.90	0.70	2.50
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)

Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0)
Agricultural Commodities: Small Area Data, Australia (cat. no. 7125.0)
Livestock and Meat, Australia (cat. no. 7218.0.55.001)
Livestock Products, Australia (cat. no. 7215.0)
Principal Agricultural Commodities, Australia, Preliminary (cat. no. 7111.0)
Value of Principal Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia, Preliminary (cat. no. 7501.0)
Vineyards Estimates, Australia (cat. no. 1329.0.55.002)