Source
https://beeflambnz.com/industry-data/farm-data-and-industry-production/sheep-beef-farm-survey — original source (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)
Beef+Lamb NZ Sheep & Beef Farm Survey — INSIGHTS (2023-24 final + 2025-26 forecast)
Resolves the
pasture_grazingOPEX half of RT_280 — the B+LNZ per-ha farm-class P&L tablesThe document RT_280 explicitly named (“class P&L per-ha tables with $/ha expense lines, NOT the inflation report”). Five regional editions of the B+LNZ Economic Service Sheep & Beef Farm Survey (P25005), 2,000+ farms, ranked by EBITRm per hectare, with per-class quintile analysis. Figures read directly from the PDFs (pdftotext) → data_quality high. Authoritative download from beeflambnz.com (not AI-prepared). B+LNZ also publishes the machine-readable quintile spreadsheets (
sqtile-{nni,eni,wni,csi,ssi,northland}-nso-2425.xlsx) behind these reports: the per-class/per-quintile source data.
Summary
The Beef+Lamb NZ Economic Service Sheep & Beef Farm Survey — final 2023-24 results + 2024-25 provisional + 2025-26 mid-season forecast, in five regional editions (NNI Northland/Waikato/BOP; ENI Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa; WNI Taranaki/Rangitīkei/Manawatū; CSI Marlborough/Canterbury; SSI Otago/Southland). Each farm class (S.I. High Country → N.I. Finishing, ~8 classes) is analysed by quintile and ranked by EBITRm (Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Rent and manager wage) per hectare. It carries the full per-hectare P&L — Gross Farm Revenue, Total Expenditure, EBITRm, and component lines (fertiliser, interest, R&M) — plus physical KPIs (stocking rate SU/ha, meat kg/ha, lambing %). Total farm expenditure ranges ~NZD 160/ha (extensive S.I. high country) to ~NZD 1,100/ha (intensive finishing), with hill-country classes ~NZD 740–980/ha — the per-ha operating-cost figure the NI livestock cost cell needs.
Key claims
- claim: "TOTAL FARM EXPENDITURE per hectare (the pasture-grazing OPEX cell, RT_280) — 2023-24 final mean. Extensive S.I. High Country (Class 1) ~NZD 160/ha; N.I. Hard Hill Country (Class 3, Northland/Waikato/BOP) NZD 741.38/ha; N.I. Hill Country (Class 4) NZD 976.59/ha; intensive finishing classes ~NZD 977–1,110/ha. National spread ~NZD 160–1,110/ha, driven by land class and intensity. This is the FULL farm-P&L expenditure — it INCLUDES interest, rent and manager wage — so a community grazing its own debt-free land with its own labour would use a lower cash-operating sub-total."
source_location: "Quintile Analysis Ranked by EBITRm per hectare, Total expenditure $/ha (Mean 2023-24 col), NNI Class 3/4 + SSI Class 1; regional editions"
- claim: "KEY INPUT COMPONENTS per hectare (NNI, 2023-24 final mean). Fertiliser: Class 3 (hard hill) NZD 86.36/ha, Class 4 (hill) NZD 144.01/ha; total fertiliser application 104–179 kg/ha. Interest: Class 3 NZD 177.32/ha, Class 4 NZD 166.83/ha. Repairs & maintenance: Class 3 NZD 65.24/ha, Class 4 NZD 91.92/ha. Stocking rate: Class 3 7.4 SU/ha, Class 4 8.8 SU/ha (mean). Fertiliser + R&M + animal health + shearing are the core recurring inputs a community grazing operation carries; interest is finance, not an operating input."
source_location: "NNI report — Fertiliser $/ha, Interest $/ha, Repairs & maintenance $/ha, Stocking rate SU/ha rows (Mean 2023-24)"
- claim: "PROFITABILITY (EBITRm per hectare) + quintile spread. NNI 2023-24 mean: Class 3 NZD 276.20/ha, Class 4 NZD 360.51/ha (Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Rent, manager wage). Wide quintile spread — Class 4 ranges Q1 -NZD 107.56/ha (loss) to Q5 NZD 925.17/ha — so top-quintile management vastly outperforms; 2025-26 forecast is higher (Class 4 ~NZD 937/ha). Sheep & beef on hill country is a low-margin, management-sensitive enterprise."
source_location: "NNI report — EBITRm $/ha row (Q1–Q5, Mean, Prov., Forecast), Class 3/4"
- claim: "SCOPE + METHOD. B+LNZ Economic Service survey of 2,000+ data points/year, stratified by geographical region and farm class (S.I. Class 1 High Country → N.I. Class 5 Finishing, ~8 classes; each defined by contour/fertility/stocking). Ranked by EBITRm/ha (S.I. Classes 1–2 by EBITRm/SU due to extensive scale). Five regional editions cover the main sheep-and-beef regions; data is final 2023-24 + provisional 2024-25 + forecast 2025-26. Class 4 (N.I. Hill Country) is the largest class at 3,055 farms."
source_location: "Report front matter (survey principles, Farm Classes Defined); regional coverage headers"Neobiome Intelligence relevance
Resolves the pasture_grazing OPEX half of RT_280 — the exact B+LNZ per-ha farm-class P&L tables the target named, replacing the dropped/unverifiable inflation-report figures. Total expenditure $/ha by class is the OPEX cell: ~NZD 740–980/ha for hill country (the community-relevant land), ~NZD 160/ha extensive high country, ~NZD 1,100/ha intensive finishing.
- ⚠ Boundary nuance (important): total farm expenditure includes interest (~NZD 167–177/ha), rent and manager wage. A community grazing its own debt-free land with its own labour should use a cash-operating sub-total (≈ total expenditure − interest − rent ≈ NZD 575–810/ha hill country) — the same self-sufficiency/ISBL boundary logic applied to CapEx elsewhere. Fertiliser (NZD 86–144/ha) + R&M (NZD 65–92/ha) + animal health + shearing are the core recurring inputs.
- Stocking rate (7.4–8.8 SU/ha hill country) cross-checks the model’s
su_ha[LUC](OT_083 / CR_044) and the ④f food/livestock module. - Does NOT cover
poultry_layers(that stays CR_044), stock-purchase $/head, or stockyards/water-reticulation → RT_280 stays partly open for those. - data_quality high — authoritative B+LNZ survey, figures read directly from the primary PDFs; these are the sourced anchor for the pasture OPEX cell. See D02.
Research targets
Research gaps
- RT_280 stays partly open: stock-purchase long-run average $/head, stockyards + water-reticulation quotes, and a firmer NZ laying-hen budget (
poultry_layers) — the pasture-grazing OPEX is now sourced (this source).
Connections
Links to
EDT domains (1): D02: Smart Food Systems & Agriculture
Referenced by
Sources (4): CR_044 · OT_128 · OT_172 · OT_195
EDT domains (1): D02: Smart Food Systems & Agriculture