Crops(a) '000 ha	Agricultural land(b) '000 ha	Non-agricultural land(c) '000 ha
2002-03	r7 557	102 728	150 260
2003-04	8 079	101 184	151 804
2004-05	8 329	104 646	148 342
2005-06(d)	7 623	98 653	154 335
2006-07(d)	6 669	96 742	156 246

r revised
(a) Excludes crops harvested for hay and seed, and pasture and grasses.
(b) Total area of businesses with an estimated value of agricultural operations of $5,000 or more.
(c) Comprises conserved land, forestry, urban and unused land such as vacant Crown land, commercially unused land on Aboriginal and other Crown reserves and waste land, ephemeral lakes, mangrove swamps, as well as businesses not included in the scope of the Agricultural Census/Survey.
(d) The ABS has moved to a new frame from the 2005-06 Agricultural Census onwards. This means that data are not directly comparable with historical time series. For more information, please see the technical notes at the back of the 2005-06 edition of the source publication 7121.0.
Source: Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0).


During the 2006-07 financial year, Western Australian farmers spent $341 million controlling weeds, which is more than pests ($103 million) and land and soil problems ($82 million). The total cost of managing these problems was $526 million or an average of $41,094 per agricultural business.

	Weeds	Pests	Land and soil
Agricultural businesses reporting NRM problems (no.)	9 145	10 306	9 104
Agricultural businesses reporting NRM activities (no.)	11 610	11 272	8 942
NRM expenditure of Ag. businesses reporting NRM activities:
Total expenditure ($m)	341	103	82
Average expenditure ($/agricultural business)(b)	29 376	9 167	9 172
Average expenditure ($/'000 ha)(c)	^6 431	1 220	^1 496
NRM effort on Ag. businesses reporting NRM activities:
Total effort (person days)	395 808	318 268	252 742
Average effort (person days/agricultural business)(d)	34	28	28
Average effort (person days/'000 ha)(e)	^7	4	^5

^ estimate has a relative standard error of 10% to less than 25% and should be used with caution.
(a) The management of weed, pest and land and soil related problems and activities. The management of other types of problems are not included.
(b) Total expenditure on weed, pest and land and soil related activities, divided by the number of agricultural businesses reporting weed, pest and land and soil related activities.
(c) Total expenditure on weed, pest and land and soil related activities, divided by the total area ('000 ha) of agricultural businesses reporting weed, pest and land and soil related activities.
(d) Total effort on weed, pest and land and soil related activities, divided by the number of agricultural businesses reporting weed, pest and land and soil related activities.
(e) Total effort on weed, pest and land and soil related activities, divided by the total area ('000 ha) of agricultural businesses reporting weed, pest and land and soil related activities.
Source: Natural Resource Management on Australian Farms (cat. no. 4620.0).


In 2006-07, 21.6% of Western Australian agricultural businesses reported using water for irrigation, with the total area irrigated being 53,000 hectares. These businesses used 293 gigalitres of water for irrigation of crops and pastures.

	Agricultural businesses no.	Agricultural businesses irrigating no.	Area under pasture or crop '000 ha	Area irrigated '000 ha	Volume applied ML	Application rate ML/ha
Totals(a)	(b)13 608	(b)2 935	(c)96 742	53	293 186	5.5
Pasture for grazing	na	^553	na	^13	^78 280	6.1
Pasture harvested for hay (including lucerne), silage or seed	na	np	na	np	np	np
Cereal crops harvested for grain or seed(d)	5 668	np	5 527	np	np	np
Cereal crops cut for hay or for grazing or fed off	na	**15	na	_	3 389	9.9
Sugar cane	^12	^12	4	4	45 708	13.1
Other broadacre crops(e)	2 997	np	1 030	1	16 748	14.0
Fruit trees, nut trees, plantation or berry fruits(f)	1 194	1 024	11	9	40 838	4.7
Vegetables for human consumption or seed	na	661	na	8	57 686	7.1
Nurseries, cut flowers or cultivated turf	376	306	2	2	14 135	7.9
Grapevines	1 034	810	15	^13	^17 892	^1.4

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells).
^ estimate has a relative standard error of 10% to less than 25% and should be used with caution.
** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use.
na not available
np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated
(a) Totals include other pastures or crops not elsewhere classified.
(b) Total does not equal the sum as many businesses grow or irrigate more than one crop or pasture.
(c) Total includes area of all agricultural land. This does not equal the sum of area under pasture or crop as not all land on agricultural holdings is under pasture or crop.
(d) Excludes rice.
(e) Excludes sugar cane and cotton.
(f) Excludes grapevines.
Source: Water Use on Australian Farms (cat. no. 4618.0).

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