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Farm Management analysis: a core discipline, simple sums, sophisticated thinking

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  • Malcolm, Bill

Abstract

In this paper it is argued that solving problems in farm management involves applying an appropriate balance of disciplinary knowledge. More specifically, farm management decision-making is about making choices, and the discipline of choice is economics. Thus economics is the core discipline of farm management analysis and decision-making. Modelling farm systems using the whole farm approach, with emphasis on the risky elements, can be very useful. Also enlightening is using real farm case studies to test research output. The conclusion is that bringing to bear on farm management questions a few disciplines, a few perspectives and a few figurings to explore a few futures is a useful way to go.

Suggested Citation

  • Malcolm, Bill, 2004. "Farm Management analysis: a core discipline, simple sums, sophisticated thinking," AFBM Journal, Australasian Farm Business Management Network, vol. 1, pages 1-10.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:afbmau:120918
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.120918
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ronan, Glenn, 2002. "Delving and Divining for Australian Farm Management Agenda: 1970-2010," Australasian Agribusiness Review, University of Melbourne, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 10, pages 1-24, September.
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    4. Kingwell, Ross S., 2002. "Issues for Farm Management in the 21st Century: A view from the West," 2002 Conference (46th), February 13-15, 2002, Canberra, Australia 173982, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    5. Kingwell, Ross S. & Pannell, David J. & Robinson, Stephen D., 1993. "Tactical responses to seasonal conditions in whole-farm planning in Western Australia," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 8(3), pages 211-226, March.
    6. Brennan, Lisa E. & McCown, Bob, 2002. "Back to the future - Reinventing farm management economics in farming systems research," 2002 Conference (46th), February 13-15, 2002, Canberra, Australia 125062, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    7. Kingwell, Ross, 2002. "Issues for Farm Management in the 21st Century: A view from the West," Australasian Agribusiness Review, University of Melbourne, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 10, pages 1-28, September.
    8. Ronan, Glenn, 2002. "Delving and Divining for Australian Farm Management Agenda: 1970-2010," 2002 Conference (46th), February 13-15, 2002, Canberra, Australia 174039, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    9. Mullen, J. D., 2002. "Farm Management In The 21st Century," 2002 Conference (46th), February 13-15, 2002, Canberra, Australia 174072, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    10. McGregor, Murray J. & Rola-Rubzen, Maria Fay & Murray-Prior, Roy B. & Dymond, John & Bent, Martin J.M., 2003. "Farm Management - Bugger the roots, where is the future?," 2003 Conference (47th), February 12-14, 2003, Fremantle, Australia 57923, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    11. Mullen, J.D., 2002. "Farm Management In The 21st Century," Australasian Agribusiness Review, University of Melbourne, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 10, pages 1-18, September.
    12. Pannell, David J. & Malcolm, Bill & Kingwell, Ross S., 2000. "Are we risking too much? Perspectives on risk in farm modelling," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 69-78, June.
    13. McCown, R. L. & Hochman, Z. & Carberry, P. S., 2002. "Probing the enigma of the decision support system for farmers: Learning from experience and from theory," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 1-10, October.
    14. T. W. Schultz, 1939. "Theory of the Firm and Farm Management Research," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 21(3_Part_I), pages 570-586.
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    Cited by:

    1. Li, Xin & Paulson, Nicholas, 2014. "Is Farm Management Skill Persistent?," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170170, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Painter, Marvin J., 2007. "The impact of management skills on farm incomes in Canada," AFBM Journal, Australasian Farm Business Management Network, vol. 4(1-2), pages 1-13.
    3. Malcolm, Bill, 2004. "Where's the economics? The core discipline of farm management has gone missing!," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 48(3), pages 1-23.
    4. Tarrant, Katherine A. & Malcolm, Bill, 2011. "Open to Ideas: Information flows from Dairy Directions to Dairy Farmers," 2011 Conference (55th), February 8-11, 2011, Melbourne, Australia 100717, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    5. Hardaker, J. Brian, 2011. "The John L. Dillon Memorial Lecture 2010: The rise and fall of farm management as an academic discipline: an autobiographical perspective," AFBM Journal, Australasian Farm Business Management Network, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, October.
    6. Muhammad Azher Bhatti & Sosheel Solomon Godfrey & Shai André Divon & Julie Therese Aamodt & Siv Øystese & Peter C. Wynn & Lars Olav Eik & Øivind Fjeld-Solberg, 2022. "Micro-Investment by Tanzanian Smallholders’ in Drip Irrigation Kits for Vegetable Production to Improve Livelihoods: Lessons Learned and a Way Forward," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-26, October.
    7. Alford, Andrew & Garcia, S.C. & Farina, Santiago & Fulkerson, Bill, 2009. "An Economic Evaluation of the FutureDairy Complementary Forage Rotation System - Using Cost Budgeting," Research Reports 280786, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries Research Economists.
    8. Muhammad Azher Bhatti & Thomas Williams & David Laurence Hopkins & Leif Jarle Asheim & Geir Steinheim & Michael Campbell & Lars Olav Eik & Peter Charles Wynn & Tormod Ådnøy, 2019. "Adapting Seasonal Sheep Production to Year-Round Fresh Meat and Halal Market in Norway," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-15, March.
    9. Hutchings, Timothy R. & Nordblom, Thomas L., 2011. "A financial analysis of the effect of the mix of crop and sheep enterprises on the risk profile of dryland farms in south-eastern Australia," AFBM Journal, Australasian Farm Business Management Network, vol. 8(1), pages 1-23, October.
    10. Hutchings, Timothy R. & Nordblom, Thomas L. & Hayes, Richard C. & Li, Guangdi & Finlayson, John D., 2016. "A framework for modelling financial risk in Southern Australia: the intensive farming (IF) model," 2016 Conference (60th), February 2-5, 2016, Canberra, Australia 235333, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    11. Alford, Andrew & Garcia, S.C. & Farina, Santiago & Fulkerson, Bill, 2009. "An Economic Evaluation of the FutureDairy Complementary Forage Rotation System – Using Whole Farm Budgeting," Research Reports 280787, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries Research Economists.
    12. Bill Malcolm, 2004. "Where's the economics? The core discipline of farm management has gone missing!," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 48(3), pages 395-417, September.
    13. Glover, Sari, 2015. "How to think about what climate change might mean for a wool producer in Yass, New South Wales," AFBM Journal, Australasian Farm Business Management Network, vol. 12, pages 1-21.
    14. Malcolm, Bill & Ho, Christie K.M. & Armstrong, Dan P. & Doyle, Peter T. & Tarrant, Katherine A. & Heard, J.W. & Leddin, C.M. & Wales, W.J., 2012. "Dairy Directions: a decade of whole farm analysis of dairy systems," Australasian Agribusiness Review, University of Melbourne, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 20, pages 1-20.

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