Canterbury/Marlborough hill country sheep and beef

Model chapter

This chapter contains model results and commentary from the 2009 pastoral monitoring programme as a printable PDF. The chapter provides information on the production and financial status of the Canterbury/Marlborough hill country sheep and beef pastoral model farm. Model chapters will no longer be published in the pastoral monitoring report.

Download the model chapter in PDF format [298K PDF]

To request a printed copy of this document please contact policy.publications@maf.govt.nz

Data release

This release provides key points and budget tables from the 2009 sheep and beef monitoring programme for the Canterbury/Marlborough hill country sheep and beef model. Final results from the 2009 monitoring round, with commentary on the model, are due for release in late October 2009.

Key points

Farm production increased slightly in 2008/09 compared with 2007/08. This was due to heavier carcass weights and sale weights for store stock, with similar lambing percentages, wool weights and calving percentages.
Net cash income increased 22 percent to $362 000 in 2008/09, compared with $295 700 in 2007/08. This reflects the dramatic improvement in sheep and cattle prices but also the destocking of 193 stock units during the year.
Farm working expenses increased 4 percent to $223 000 in 2008/09, compared with $214 500 in 2007/08. This was despite farmers being very restrained at the start of the season and making cutbacks in some areas such as fertiliser.
Farm profit before tax increased from $4300 in 2007/08 to $46 900 in 2008/09. A cash surplus of $29 000 was generated although this must be balanced with the $24 500 reduction in stock value during the year.
Prices and income are predicted to fall in 2009/10 resulting in a decrease in farm profit before tax to $20 500, less than half of that achieved in 2008/09. Farmers are expected to be dissatisfied when the realisation of this sinks in as they will have had only one year in four with a reasonable farm profit.