There were an estimated 4,766 businesses undertaking agricultural activity recorded in Tasmania at 30 June 2007. The majority of agricultural businesses were engaged in beef cattle farming, with an estimated 1,456 engaged in this as their main activity. An estimated 1.7 million hectares or 24% of Tasmania's land area (6.8 million hectares) was used for agricultural activity in 2006-07. Some 3.7% of Tasmania's agricultural land was used for cropping.

Industry	Number
Beef cattle farming (specialised)	1 456
Sheep farming (specialised)	552
Dairy cattle farming	517
Vegetable growing (outdoors)	424
Sheep/beef cattle farming	339
Other crop growing	^105
Apple and pear growing	^85
All other industries	1 288
Total all industries	4 766

^ estimate has a relative standard error of 10% to less than 25% and should be used with caution.
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.
(a) Refers to farm establishments with an estimated value of agricultural operations of $5,000 or more.
Source: Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0).


Many Tasmanian farms undertake a range of farming activities, for example, livestock can be found on most farms in the state. Sheep are mainly farmed in the drier areas down through the midlands from Campbell Town to the Derwent Valley. Beef and dairy cattle are concentrated in wetter areas, with the majority located across the north of Tasmania.

Vegetables are produced in the high rainfall, high fertility areas of the state in the north-west around the Meander Valley as well as in the north-east, and increasingly, in drier areas of the state where irrigation is available.

• The main broadacre crops grown are oil poppies for pharmaceutical use, barley for malting and stockfeed, and wheat for milling and stockfeed.

• The main livestock raised are cattle for beef and milk production, and sheep for meat and fine wool.

• While the apple industry is no longer as significant as it once was, it is still Tasmania's main fruit crop; in recent years, other crops such as cherries and strawberries have grown in significance.

• The main vegetable crops grown include potatoes, onions and carrots.

	Production '000 t		Area '000 ha		Yield t/ha
Barley	16.2		7.5		2.2
Wheat	17.7		7.2		2.5
Apples	28.5		(a)1 041		(b)27.4
Potatoes	301.7		6.6		45.6
Onions	66.4		1.4		46.8
Carrots	53.4		0.8		65.9
Oil poppies	np		7.9		np

np not available for publication.
(a) Thousands of trees four years and over.
(b) Yield equals kg/tree and is based on the number of trees 4 years and over.
Source: Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0).


In 2006-07, the gross value of agricultural production for Tasmania was $963 million, a decrease of 2.3% on 2005-06. Crop production contributed $404 million or 42% of the total value of agricultural production, while livestock slaughterings and disposals were valued at $236 million (25%) and livestock products were valued at $323 million or 34% of the total value of agricultural production.

	Total crops(a) ($m)	Total livestock slaughterings & other disposals ($m)	Total livestock products ($m)	Total agriculture ($m)
2005-06	444.3	252.3	289.9	986.5
2006-07	404.3	236.2	322.9	963.4

(a) Includes pastures and grasses, vegetables, fruit and nuts.
Source: Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia (cat. no. 7503.0).

This section contains the following subsection :

Agriculture and the economy

Livestock and livestock products

Land management and water use

Fruit

Broadacre crops

Vegetables

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