Mount Barker
Agriculture Sector
Analytical insights into the Agriculture Sector in SA's Mount Barker District
.png)
.png)
VALUE ADDED
The Agriculture Sector generated $258M in output and $121M in value added in 2020/21, 8.1% of the total Mount Barker economy.
This represented 2.3% of South Australia's total Agriculture Sector value.
In 2020/21, 22% of value was generated by Other Vegetables e.g. Brussel Sprouts.
The second highest contributing industry was Poultry (Chicken).
Value added in the sector grew by 2.1% p.a. over the last decade. This was higher than the South Australia average of -1.5% p.a.
Recent growth (last four years) has averaged 8.4% p.a., higher than the South Australia average (-1.4%)
EMPLOYMENT
The Agriculture Sector supported 834 (6.0% of total jobs) and provided employment for 717 (3.5% of all employed residents) in 2020/21.
The region represented 2.9% of all South Australia's total Agriculture Sector jobs.
In 2021, an estimated 185 (22% of local jobs) were in Beef Cattle Farming.
The industry that employed the most local residents (inside and outside the region) was Beef Cattle Farming with 136 (19% of all Agriculture Sector resident workers).
Local jobs in the sector averaged 3.4% p.a. growth over the decade to 2020/21. Growth in employment of local residents in the sector was lower over the decade, averaging 1.3% p.a.
Recent growth in jobs (10.4% p.a.) has been higher than the decade average.
Jobs growth in the sector in South Australia averaged 0.3% p.a. over the decade and -0.8% p.a. in recent years.
SPECIALISATIONS
In 2021, the most over-represented industries* in the Mount Barker Agriculture Sector by employment were Horse Farming (10.3x the South Australia average share of Agribusiness Sector jobs) and Berry Farming.
The most over-represented by share of state production were Strawberries.
* Over-represented means a higher share of local workers are in this industry/occupation compared to the benchmark average.
Industry Concentrations
N.B. A location quotient is a simple way of seeing which are the main industries in an area, relative to the larger benchmark region. LQ shows the percentage of the local economy characteristic (eg. employment, value add) in a particular industry divided by the percentage of the characteristic in the industry in a benchmark area (region, state, nation) . A number greater than 1 suggest the industry is over-represented locally and could be a specialisation. Tables have been filtered for industries/occupations with >0.5% share of jobs
BUSINESSES
In 2021, the largest number of registered businesses (64; 15%), were in Beef Cattle Farming (specialised).
Another 9% (37) were in Other Agriculture and Fishing Support Services.
Registered business numbers have increased by 3.3% p.a. (+74 businesses) between June 2011 and 2021, led by Sheep-Beef Cattle Farming (+18) and Beef Cattle (specialised) (+15).
Growth in the last four years has been marginally weaker (3.1% p.a.)
WORKFORCE PROFILE
The Mount Barker Agriculture Sector workforce in 2021 was slightly older and much more female orientated. They were more educated, but had a lower median income than the state average.
52
years
old
61%
39%
Median
Age
Male
Female
(49 years)
(70%)
(29%)
Source: ABS Census, 2021;
South Australia
17%
Born o/s
(20%)
19%
33%
Degree Educated
Owner-Manager
(13%)
(35%)
70%
$42,037
Median
Income
Full-Time
(70%)
($49,373)
In 2021, the main occupations of local workers in the Agriculture Sector were Livestock Farmers and Crop Farmers.
The two top field of study areas for qualified workers were Agriculture and Business and Management.
In 2021, 19% of local workers in the Agriculture Sector had degree level qualifications. This is lower than the share of local workers in all sectors (24%).
However, qualification attainment was higher than that for South Australia workers as a whole in the sector (13% degree qualified in 2021).
In 2021, the most common age bracket for local workers in the Agriculture Sector was 65 year and overs (26%). In contrast, this age bracket was only the third highest for South Australia workers as a whole in the sector.
The region had similar shares of Agriculture Sector workers aged between 15 to 34, but a higher share of 55 and over workers compared to the South Australia average.
GEOGRAPHY
In 2021, Mount Barker Surrounds (DZN 410081490) was nominated in the Census as the working destination for 235 workers in the Agriculture Sector, 45% of the LGA's total. The largest industries were Cattle and Sheep Farming.
This report relies on data sourced from NIEIR (2021) and ABS Census of Population and Housing (2011, 2016, 2021).
The sector includes relevant activities within the ANZSIC industry definitions for Agriculture and Agriculture and Fishing Support Services.