Productivity indices were calculated for rice farms across New South Wales using data envelopment analysis (DEA) techniques. These revealed distinct geographic patterns. Preliminary work showed these geographic patterns were consistent with differences in resource quality, including depth from watertables, soil types and salinity levels. If differences in measured productivity are influenced by the quality of land and water resources used to produce rice, isolating this influence may provide a way of quantifying the costs associated with resource quality issues such as rising groundwater tables and soil salinity.