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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 2011 Agricultural Census. Remaining commodity data (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 pig slaughterings in 2008-09 and 2009-10 shown in this publication have been revised due to new pricing information becoming available after the previous publication date. Further information is available upon request.

7 Care should be taken when comparing estimates over time as not all categories directly align between years. For example, a greater range of commodity items was collected for the 2010-11 Agricultural Census in comparison to the previous 2009-10 Agricultural Resource Management (ARMS) collection. In ARMS years, when commodities are not separately collected, they are included in 'other crops' or 'other livestock' totals. Further information is available upon request.

8 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

9 The production statistics used in deriving the final value estimates relate to years ended 30 June 2011, 2010 and 2009.


SAMPLE ERROR

10 The estimates of gross value are subject to sampling error and are based upon commodity information obtained from the 2010-11 Agricultural Census, 2009-10 ARMS and 2008-09 Agricultural Survey Collections.

11 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.

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. 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.

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

RELATIVE STANDARD ERRORS, GROSS VALUES OF SELECTED COMMODITIES - Year ended 30 June 2011
	Aust.	NSW	Vic.	Qld	SA	WA	Tas.	NT	ACT
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Barley for grain	0.40	0.90	0.60	2.40	0.50	0.80	2.90	-	-
Wheat for grain	0.20	0.50	0.60	1.70	0.40	0.50	4.00	-	32.60
Lupins for grain	0.90	2.10	2.70	30.10	1.30	1.30	16.70	-	-
Sugar cane for crushing	0.70	1.40	-	0.70	-	26.80	-	-	-
Total crops	0.30	0.40	1.10	0.60	0.40	0.40	1.00	3.30	7.50
Total livestock slaughterings	0.50	0.70	0.70	1.50	1.60	0.70	0.90	0.90	6.90
Total livestock products	0.50	0.70	0.50	4.20	1.50	0.70	1.30	-	3.60
Total agriculture	0.30	0.40	0.60	0.90	0.50	0.30	0.70	1.00	3.50
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)

Principal Agricultural Commodities, Australia, Preliminary (cat. no. 7111.0)
Value of Principal Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia, Preliminary (cat. no. 7501.0)
Stocks of Grain Held by Bulk Handling Companies and Grain Traders, Australia (cat. no. 7122.0.55.001)
Wheat Stocks and Exports, Australia (cat. no. 7307.0)
Livestock Products, Australia (cat. no. 7215.0)
Livestock and Meat, Australia (cat. no. 7218.0.55.001)
Water Use on Australian Farms 2010-11 (cat. no. 4618.0)
Gross Value of Irrigated Agricultural Production, Australia (cat. no. 4610.0.55.008)
Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0)
Vineyards, Australia (cat. no. 1329.0.55.002)