7101.0 - Ag Mag - The Agriculture Newsletter, May 2011  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/05/2011   
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A VIEW FROM THE TOP PADDOCK


Welcome to the latest edition of the 'Ag Mag'. After a very full start to the year, the pace of activity certainly hasn't slowed. The despatch of the Agricultural Census is now tantalisingly close with questionnaires due to hit the post in the middle of June. The new Agricultural Land and Water Ownership Survey introduced in the last edition of the Ag Mag is nearing the end of its time in the field and the team is working hard to process the reported information for a September release.

As the despatch for the Agricultural Census nears you may hear more in the media and may even spot some promotional material around the country, encouraging farming businesses to respond to the Agricultural Census and help to measure the full impact of the extreme weather events many have experienced during the past year and provide a comprehensive picture of agriculture in Australia for the 2010 -11 year. This year, for the first one, farming businesses will have the opportunity to provide data via a web form, which we expect to be both faster and easier than the traditional paper form for many.

This edition will give readers some great information on the Agricultural Census, the recent Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced (cat. no. 7503.0), presenting estimates of the total value of production for a wide range of agricultural commodities, due in May 2011; and Water Use on Australian Farms (cat. no. 4618.0) presenting data on water sources and use for agricultural production, also due in May 2011.

Well, that's it from the top paddock for now. We can't believe that we are almost half way through 2011 already with so many exciting things on the cards for the coming months.

Helen Baird and Cherie Poulton
Directors, Environment and Agriculture Business Statistics Centre
Australian Bureau of Statistics