Hawke's Bay farm incomes have bounced back with an average increase of 21 per cent, according to leading rural accounting consultants and providers Crowe Horwath.
As a result, the company suggests farmers in the Bay invest more in assets, with average gross income per hectare rising to $978 in 2014, up from $805 the previous year.
Increasing prices for sheep and beef are encouraging Hawke's Bay farmers to invest more according to the company's 2014 farm benchmarking analysis.
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Price growth has encouraged farmers to invest in livestock, up 31 per cent on average, and plant and vehicles (29.6 per cent), the analysis says. This has lifted long-term debt by about 9 per cent.