Understanding our Regional Agricultural Industry
The City of Casey and Cardinia Shire have joined forces to implement a
project that will help them to help you. Your local Councils want to better
understand the agricultural industries in this region. By completing the
attached survey you will provide valuable information - information that can
support arguments for improved services for this important sector.
The funding for the project has been obtained from the Commonwealth
Government’s Regional Assistance Program, administered by the Department
of Transport and Regional Services.
Why do we need a survey?
We want to give primary producers the opportunity to raise issues that they
feel are important to the future of their industry in the region.
Measures of the economic importance of agriculture in the region are
conflicting. This survey will correct that issue.
As well as collecting information from full time farmers, we also wish to collect
information from those who do not work full time on their farms. The large
numbers of part time farmers are significant to both agricultural and other
downstream business activities.
How will the survey benefit you?
Firstly, farmers will be able to better represent themselves to local, State and
Federal Governments, input suppliers (eg. Water Boards, Energy
Companies), potential industry investors in the Region (primary producers,
downstream processors, food manufacturers, etc.) and export markets (intra
state, inter state and international).
Secondly, the survey will raise the profile of the whole industry by improving
your Councils responses to State and Federal Government inquiries relating
to agriculture in the region, allowing them to emphasise its importance to
Victoria and to Australia.
Finally, by improving Local and State Government responses to all other
enquires relating to agribusiness such as business development opportunities,
export opportunities, new supply/input businesses looking to establish in the
region and marketing programs (eg. Austrade, Naturally Victorian).
What happens when the survey is completed?
The survey will identify the major issues that are important to agriculture in the
region. These issues will be prioritised and where appropriate, action will be
taken to deal with them once the initial project has been completed.
The survey information will be collated and analysed and then made available
to agribusiness organisations and individuals for business or industry
planning.
All survey results will be collated and presented in aggregate only. No
individual businesses will be identified at any stage and none of the
individual information provided will be used for any other purpose.
Please place your completed survey form in the enclosed reply paid envelope
to reach us by __________ or fax via number (03) 9705 5202.
If you have any queries relating to this survey, please phone Barrie Pickersgill,
Agribusiness Officer, on 03 9705 5393.
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
Helping us understand your Agribusiness
Preliminary Question
1. Do you derive any part of your income from producing and/or selling
agricultural/primary products, services or livestock? This includes commercial
horse related activities.
No
Go to Q 45
Yes
Please read the notes below and then proceed to Q 2
The Holdings being surveyed
Survey sheets have been mailed to all landowners outside the urban area,
irrespective of land size.
Rates databases have been used to address the mail out. If a company,
partnership, family or other organisation has two or more holdings listed,
duplicate holdings have been deleted to avoid excess survey forms being
posted. Please accept our apologies if you have received more than one
survey form.
If you do have more than one holding in the region comprising the City of
Casey and Cardinia Shire and you did receive more than one copy of the
survey, please combine the data from all such holdings onto one
questionnaire.
Do not include holdings outside the Casey/Cardinia municipal boundaries.
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
Land Area and Use
2. What is the total area of your property/properties?
Include land that you rent or lease from some one else.
Do not include land that you own but rent or lease out to some other person.
___
hectares
or
acres.
3. How much of the total area shown above is currently productive agricultural
land, ie. as pasture, cropping land or otherwise under cultivation?
____________hectares
or
__________acres.
4. If the productive area shown under Q3 above is less than the total property area
as shown at Q2, what is the non agricultural land used for?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
Agricultural Production
The questions contained in this section are aimed at identifying the types and levels
of agricultural production and land use.
The term “agricultural production” includes commercial horse related activities.
5. Over the last 12 months what agricultural activities were you engaged in and /or
what agricultural products did you produce? There are eleven spaces provided.
Please use as many spaces as needed.
Crop/Livestock Type__________________________________________________________________
Variety/Breed_______________________________________________________________________
If Livestock, please state number of animals_______________________________________________
Annual Production Output
(ie quantity sold)
(make sure you include the units you are using, eg. Tonnes, Kg’s, Litres, animal numbers, bunches, dozens, etc.)
Crop/Livestock Type__________________________________________________________________
Variety/Breed_______________________________________________________________________
If Livestock, please state number of animals_______________________________________________
Annual Production Output
(ie quantity sold)
(make sure you include the units you are using, eg. Tonnes, Kg’s, Litres, animal numbers, bunches, dozens, etc.)
Crop/Livestock Type__________________________________________________________________
Variety/Breed_______________________________________________________________________
If Livestock, please state number of animals_______________________________________________
Annual Production Output
(ie quantity sold)
(make sure you include the units you are using, eg. Tonnes, Kg’s, Litres, animal numbers, bunches, dozens, etc.)
Crop/Livestock Type__________________________________________________________________
Variety/Breed_______________________________________________________________________
If Livestock, please state number of animals_______________________________________________
Annual Production Output
(ie quantity sold)
(make sure you include the units you are using, eg. Tonnes, Kg’s, Litres, animal numbers, bunches, dozens, etc.)
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
Crop/Livestock Type__________________________________________________________________
Variety/Breed_______________________________________________________________________
If Livestock, please state number of animals_______________________________________________
Annual Production Output
(ie quantity sold)
(make sure you include the units you are using, eg. Tonnes, Kg’s, Litres, animal numbers, bunches, dozens, etc.)
Crop/Livestock Type__________________________________________________________________
Variety/Breed_______________________________________________________________________
If Livestock, please state number of animals_______________________________________________
Annual Production Output
(ie quantity sold)
(make sure you include the units you are using, eg. Tonnes, Kg’s, Litres, animal numbers, bunches, dozens, etc.)
Crop/Livestock Type__________________________________________________________________
Variety/Breed_______________________________________________________________________
If Livestock, please state number of animals_______________________________________________
Annual Production Output
(ie quantity sold)
(make sure you include the units you are using, eg. Tonnes, Kg’s, Litres, animal numbers, bunches, dozens, etc.)
Crop/Livestock Type__________________________________________________________________
Variety/Breed_______________________________________________________________________
If Livestock, please state number of animals_______________________________________________
Annual Production Output
(ie quantity sold)
(make sure you include the units you are using, eg. Tonnes, Kg’s, Litres, animal numbers, bunches, dozens, etc.)
Crop/Livestock Type__________________________________________________________________
Variety/Breed_______________________________________________________________________
If Livestock, please state number of animals_______________________________________________
Annual Production Output
(ie quantity sold)
(make sure you include the units you are using, eg. Tonnes, Kg’s, Litres, animal numbers, bunches, dozens, etc.)
Crop/Livestock Type__________________________________________________________________
Variety/Breed_______________________________________________________________________
If Livestock, please state number of animals_______________________________________________
Annual Production Output
(ie quantity sold)
(make sure you include the units you are using, eg. Tonnes, Kg’s, Litres, animal numbers, bunches, dozens, etc.)
Crop/Livestock Type__________________________________________________________________
Variety/Breed_______________________________________________________________________
If Livestock, please state number of animals_______________________________________________
Annual Production Output
(ie quantity sold)
(make sure you include the units you are using, eg. Tonnes, Kg’s, Litres, animal numbers, bunches, dozens, etc.)
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
Overseas Exporting
6. Do you export overseas any of your primary products from your property?
No
Go to Q 9
Yes
7. Approximately what proportion of your products do you export?
8. If you indicated under Q 6 above that you export products overseas, are you
considering increasing the proportion of your products that you export?
Yes
Go to Q 10
No
9. If you answered No to Q 6, do you have any interest in exporting any of your
products overseas?
Yes
No
Agricultural Employment
10. Are you solely employed ie. work full time in your agricultural activities?
Yes
Go to Q 12
No
11. Please estimate how many hours per week you devote to commercial agricultural
production.
12. Do you employ people in your business? The term “employ” includes any family
members who work for the business.
No
Yes
Go to Q 17
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
13. How many of the following employee types work for your business? (The numbers
should include owners/operators and any other family member(s) who work for
your business).
Employee Type
Full-time
Part-time
Casual (excluding seasonal casuals – see Q.14 below)
Total
Number
Qualifications (any discipline, not just agricultural)
Degree Qualified Workers
Diploma Qualified Workers
Semi skilled/qualified Workers
Unskilled Workers
Other (please specify)
Number
14. Do you employ seasonal casual workers during the year?
No
Go to Q 16
Yes
15. Please insert the approximate numbers employed in the box adjacent to the
relevant month(s).
Seasonal
workers
Seasonal
workers
(number)
January
February
March
April
May
June
(number)
July
August
September
October
November
December
Employment Training and Skills Issues
16. If you answered “Yes” to Q 12 (do you employ people in your business?) do you
have any issues relating to the availability of personnel, the suitability of their skills
or their level of, or lack of, qualifications? Please describe briefly.
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
17. As the owner/operator/manager of the business are there any business or
agricultural skills which you would like to improve through further training or education
for yourself? If so, please list briefly.
Value Adding
“Value Adding” means increasing the dollar value of a primary product from your
agricultural operation through further processing (eg. milk into cheese) or increasing
the consumer appeal of a product (eg. washing and/or attractive packaging for various
crops). Value Adding therefore attracts a higher price than you would have got for the
basic product. Value adding can be done either on the farm or at other premises
owned by the primary producer. It is done before you sell the product to any other
person.
18. Do you “value add” to any of the primary products you produce prior to them
leaving your property?
No
Go to Q 20
Yes
19. If you do value add, please describe briefly how you do this.
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
Organic Production
20. Do you consider yourself to be an organic producer?
No
go to Q 22
Yes
21. Are you accredited as an organic producer and if so, under which organisation(s)
are you accredited? (Please tick more than one if appropriate)
NASSA1
BFA2
BDRI3
OTHER
Please State which
OHGA4
OVAA5
OFC6
22. If you answered No to Q 20, do you have any interest in becoming an organic
producer?
Yes
No
Quality Assurance and Quality Management
23.Does your agribusiness have any written system of Quality Assurance or Quality
Management practices in place?
No
Go to Q 26
Yes
24. Is your Quality Assurance or Quality Management system certified by an external
auditing organisation?
No
Yes
25. If Yes, what is the name of the certifying body?
1
National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia
Biological Farmers of Australia Cooperative
3
Bio-Dynamic Research Institute
4
Organic Herb Growers of Australia
5
Organic Vignerons of Australia
6
Organic Food Chain
2
Go to Q 26
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
Agribusiness Issues
This section is designed to gather information about various issues for agricultural
businesses in the Region.
Business Confidence
26. How do you foresee production, income and employment for your business in
the next 12 months? (Tick one box per line only)
Increase Increase Stay the
a lot
a little
same
Decrease
a little
Decrease
a lot
Production
Income
Employment
27. How do you foresee production, income and employment for your business in
the next 5 years? (Tick one box per line only)
Increase
a lot
Increase
a little
Stay the
same
Decrease
a little
Decrease
a lot
Production
Income
Employment
28. Are your responses above influenced by reduced outputs from the current
drought?
No
go to Q 30
Yes
29. If your property has suffered drought conditions and assuming that the drought is
easing, please indicate how long you anticipate that it will take your production to
recover from the effects of drought?
_________Year(s) _________Months
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
Business Planning
30. Do you have a Strategic Plan or Business Plan?
No
Go to Q 32
Yes
31. Which of the following best describes your Strategic Plan or Business Plan?
(please tick one option)
A written plan covering one year
A written plan covering two to three years
A written plan covering four to five years
A written plan longer than five years
A plan which is not written
Agricultural Inputs and Sourcing
32. Please list below the five main inputs, ie goods and services, that you purchase
for the operation of your business.
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
33. Please estimate the approximate level of the total inputs (ie goods and services)
used by your agribusiness that you source from local businesses operating within
the City of Casey and Cardinia Shire? Please tick one box only.
All of them
Most of them
About Half
A few of them
None of them
Not sure
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit

Water Issues
34. In the operation of your agribusiness, do you use water from (please tick more
than one option if appropriate)
Town Supply
Dam on a waterway or gully
Catchment Dam that is not on a waterway or gully
Bore
Direct from a Local Waterway
Recycled Water
Purified Effluent
Other
For “Other” please give detail (eg, re-use) ___________________________
35. Are there any issues relating to water that impact on your agribusiness
operation? Please list up to three.
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
General Agricultural Issues
36. Do you think there are any advantages to operating your agribusiness in the
Casey/Cardinia Region? (please list up to three)
37. Do you think there are any disadvantages to operating your agribusiness in the
Casey/Cardinia Region? (please list up to three)
38. Are there any issues effecting the ongoing viability of your agribusiness? If so,
please describe briefly below.
39. Please use the space below to mention any other issues you feel are important
for agriculture in the Casey/Cardinia Region.
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit
For the Future
40. Would you be interested in joining an agribusiness organisation or group if one
were to be formed for the Casey/Cardinia region?
No
go to Q 45
Yes
please add your details below.
Note -The details you add will be transferred to a Casey/Cardinia agribusiness
database so that we can contact you in the future.
41.
Business Name:
42.
Business Address:
Postcode:
43. Contact Phone No:
44. Main business contact name (Dr, Mr, Ms, Mrs, Miss)
45. Please estimate the time you required to complete this survey
Mins
Please place the completed questionnaire in the reply paid envelope provided.
Alternatively you can fax the questionnaire back on (03) 9705 5202
Thank you very much for your contribution
Casey and Cardinia Regional Agricultural Audit