Statistics New Zealand, Tatauranga Aotearoa

Guide to completing the 2016 Agricultural Production Survey

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Farming is the basis of the New Zealand economy. Statistics New Zealand is conducting a survey of livestock, arable farming and forestry. Results from the 2016 Agricultural Production Survey will provide up-to-date information on this important industry. Statistics produced will be used for planning and decision making by both the private and public sectors.

The information you provide is protected by the strict confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act 1975. Provisional results will be released in 2016 and statistical information will be posted on the Statistics NZ website, www.stats.govt.nz.

Your assistance will make this survey a success. If you need help with completing the survey, need extra questionnaires, or consider you are no longer involved in farming or forestry, please contact our Survey Help Desk: 0800 333 104 or ag@stats.govt.nz.

The questionnaire includes the instructions you need to help complete it. These guide notes contain further information that will help you answer the questions in the survey. Please read the sections that are relevant to your farm.

The sections contained in these guidenotes are:

• If you have leased, sold, or purchased a farm
• If you are a high-country run holder
• If you are involved in forestry
• If you are grazing livestock
• What is meant by a formal farm nutrient planning document?

To see a sample of the 2016 Agricultural Production survey, on paper, to help you prepare your survey answers, visit link.  

For further information about the 2016 Agricultural Production Survey and completing the questionnaire, visit: www.stats.govt.nz/survey-participants

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If you have leased, sold, or purchased a farm

If you have sold, leased or otherwise disposed of your farm and have a new farm, complete a questionnaire for the farm your farming business was operating at 30 June 2016.

If you purchased or otherwise acquired a farm during the year ended 30 June 2016, and kept the original farm, you should complete two questionnaires, unless the two farms are run as one operation. If you need extra questionnaires please contact us.

If you have sold, leased or gifted your entire farm, and ceased involvement in farming or forestry activities, you only need to complete some questions. We ask you to describe your new main activity when you answer ‘Question 12 – What does the business do now?’. This lets us update our records.

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If you are a high-country run holder

Question 20 – Land use: If you have grazing land which was not being used (eg, above the snow line) at 30 June 2016, please ensure the area is included under the item tussock and danthonia used for grazing. If you have land on your farm (eg, ridge lines) which cannot be used at any time of the year, and is not plantation, bush, etc, include this land under all other land.

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If you are involved in forestry

Questions 20 – 22 Land use and Forestry: These questions are to be completed by all farmers and forestry companies. Please include all land you own or land leased from others as well as any land for which you had cutting rights at 30 June 2016. Do not include land leased to or used by others.

If you have plantation area that has been clear-felled or salvage-logged and the area is to be replanted, include the area under harvested exotic forest area awaiting restocking. If the logged area is awaiting a land use change, include the area under all other land.

Please include all forested land, whatever the type or for whatever purpose it is being used and record these in the appropriate place(s) in Question 20.

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If you are grazing livestock

If you owned livestock which were grazing on someone else’s farm at 30 June 2016 do not include these animals with your on-farm count (eg, in the case of dairy animals, in ‘Question 27 – Dairy cattle on farm’).

• Remember to include these animals in ‘Question 54 – Livestock not grazing on the farm’.
• Remember to include offspring born on the farm during the year in the relevant question.

If you were grazing livestock from another farm(s) on your farm at 30 June 2016, include these animals with your on-farm count (eg, ‘Question 27 – Dairy cattle on farm’). Remember to also include these animals in ‘Question 52 – Livestock grazing on the farm’.

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What is meant by a formal farm nutrient planning document?

The farm planning documents referred to in Question 67 are formal documents, recognised by the agricultural industry and/or government, and prepared to a prescribed format. The following are the more commonly used documents in New Zealand agriculture, described in brief:

• NB (nutrient budget) - documents all farm nutrients and inputs.
• GAP (good agricultural practice) - quality assurance programme that provides for a traceable and accountable system through to the customer. Largely used in the horticulture industries for export markets. There are several GAP programmes such as Global GAP and New Zealand GAP.
• NMP (nutrient management plan) - expands upon a NB by identifying actions to minimise loss of nutrients from farm production.

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