Farm debt and equity

KeyDocument 03 Debt is an important source of funds for investment and ongoing working capital for many vegetable-growing farms. At the national level, from 2006-07 to 2016-17 average total debt per farm increased by around 38 per cent in real terms. The overall increase in average debt has been accompanied by increases in average total cash receipts per farm. Changes in debt from year to year are mainly a result of changes in debt for working capital and land purchases. In 2016-17 total farm debt at 30 June decreased by around 20 per cent to an average of around $438,000 per farm, mainly because of reduced working capital debt.