APPENDIX THREE : Questionnaire

Confidentiality: Farms will not be able to be identified from the report. Only the approximate size and type of farm, and distance from employment centres will be stated in the report.

General (current)

(1) Area of farm


(2) Approximate number of stock by type
  • cattle
  • cattle
(3) Distance to nearest centre [ A centre is defined as a village or town with at least a school and a retail outlet.]
  • to nearest centre
  • available at centre
(4) Distance and time to nearest city

Off-farm Work Issues

(5) When was off-farm work begun


(6) Why was off-farm work begun
  • response to falling output prices,
  • output due to drought etc,
  • requirement for income,
  • for work arose,
  • in family circumstances
  • (specify).
(7) What were the alternatives?


(8) Type of off-farm work (by broad category only), circle one:



Farm or horticultural work, agricultural servicing, agricultural contracting, agricultural processing/packing, professional, managerial, clerical, technical, self-employed, transport, other (specify):
(9) Distance travelled to work place,


(10) time taken for travel,


(11) any difficulties associated with travel arrangements


(12) Hours worked on and off-farm (total, per week, month by month if variable/seasonal)

average hours worked off-farm (specify units, ie, per week etc) hours worked on-farm now (specify units, ie, per week etc) hours worked on-farm before off- farm work taken on (specify units, ie, per week etc)
by principal

farmer




by spouse


by other family members


(13) Total income from off-farm work by principal farmer

$1-10,000 $10,000-20,000 $20,000+


(14) Total income from off-farm work by other family members (see footnote)

$1-1,000 $10,000-20,000 $20,000+


(15) What is the income earned primarily used for:
  • provide the bare essentials of household expenditure;
  • provide extras for household expenditure;
  • provide for children's education or other needs;
  • operating expenses;
  • development,
  • servicing.
  • (specify)
(16) If the off-farm income was not earned, would this expenditure (ie, the expenditure sourced from off-farm income)
  • occur
  • and expenditure on the farm reduced accordingly, or
  • the farm be sold,
  • (specify)

Changes that have been made on-farm as a result of taking on off-farm work

A. Stocktype, Stock Policies, Production Systems


(17) Changes in:



- stock type eg, sheep to beef;



- stock class/breed;



- stock numbers;



- stock policies eg rearing to breeding cows; nurse cows to breeding cows, rearing to fattening


(18) Changes in:



farm management eg, grazing management (rotational grazing daily shifts to weekly shifts or set stocking), changes in supplement management, calving/lambing dates, drying off dates, weaning dates, less frequent drafting off of lambs etc, less frequent drenching etc


B. Changed in Output


(19) Changes in physical output Adjust for seasonal conditions

Before Now
numbers of stock sold and weights

kg wool produced

  • change in price received,

C. Changes in Input


 before now
hours applied to

management tasks



number of people employed and cost

contractors employed [ Shearing, docking/tailing, crutching, dipping, milking, fencing, cultivation, hay/silage making, weed control, hedge cutting etc.] &cost

fertiliser typeratescost

repairs and maintenancecost

other expenditure items [ Stock purchases, animal health, electricity, feed, freight, seeds, weed and pest, vehicles, administration.] (cost)

attendance at field days, seminars, workshops on agricultural topics, reading of ag. publications

use of consultants

(20) What capital purchases have you made since taking on off-farm work.


(21) Has working off-farm meant you have access to information that has been of assistance to you in the farming enterprise?



Yes / No



If yes, what is the nature of the information?
(22) What changes have had to be made in household arrangements
  • carrying out more farm work/housework,
  • for child care and/or housekeeping arrangements,
  • (specify)
(23) As a result of the off-farm work has there been a change in the time spent by members of the family on :
  • and sport, Yes / No
  • activities, Yes / No
  • and community work Yes / No
(24) What is your assessment of the change in stress levels in the family associated with off-farm work:
much higher higher no change lower much lower
(25) If higher or much higher, what is the source of the stress
  • that the farm suffers/is going backwards?
  • that the family suffers?
  • long hours?
  • of time?
  • pressures?
  • role demands (demands of off-farm work, farm work, family, community, own needs)?
  • quality of life?
  • disapproval or criticism?
  • (specify)
(26) Are there health and safety implications of your off-farm work?

Attitudes to Off-farm work

(27) What do you value about working off-farm?


(28) What is the down side of working off-farm?


(29) On balance, do you feel that working off-farm is a good thing,

or would you stop working off-farm if you could (eg, if the returns from farming improved significantly)?


(30) If you had your time again, would you make the decision to work off-farm: Yes / No

or would you do something different?
(31) Has the reason for engaging in off-farm work changed since you first took it on?

Environmental effects

(32) Has having off-farm work altered the amount of the following activities you have been able to do on your farm
  • conservation
  • of streams and/or wetlands
  • of noxious weeds and pests
(33) Do you think your ability to handle an adverse climatic event has increased, decreased or not changed as a result of taking on off-farm work?

short term disasters eg floods longer term problems eg, drought, severe storm causing slipping
ability to handle an

adverse climatic event

increased/decreased/no change increased/decreased/no change
response take time off work to repair

pay someone else to repair

work longer hours

destock

ignore the damage

other (specify)

take time off work to repair

pay someone else to repair

work longer hours

destock

ignore the damage

other (specify)
(34) Do you think having off-farm work has had a positive or negative effect on the environmental conditions on the farm.

Training and Education

(35) Did you have to undertake extra training or education before obtaining off-farm work Yes / No



(36) If so, what was the nature of the training:




costs in terms of distance

costs in terms of time

direct training costs.



(37) Do you feel the need for further training: Yes / No




and if so, is training available to you? Yes / No



(38) What would be the best way of providing training to you, and who do you think should provide it?



(39) Did you feel that you had access to sufficient information when you took on off-farm work about:




the likely future profitability of your farming enterprise: Yes / No

potential jobs available Yes / No

and their remuneration. Yes / No
(40) What would be the best way of providing information:



and who should provide it?

Future Plans

(41) In the future do you plan to:
  • the amount of off-farm work done
  • off-farm jobs
  • the status quo
  • the amount of off-farm work done and increase farm work
  • farming

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Contact for Enquiries

Rural Affairs Coordinator
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND

Phone: +64 4 894 0675
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0745
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