School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences - Theses
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ItemEconomic evaluation of vegetable crop production in the Goulburn Valley region : using profit maximisation and optimal crop combination approaches( 2002)The vegetable industry in the Goulburn Valley Region has strengths, including the availability of technology and expertise, growing markets, a clean production environment, water availability and the relatively low cost of energy resources. Availability of the use of developed methods, techniques and equipment from transplanting machinery to post-harvest handling and storage facilities are also strengths of the vegetable industry in the Region. These advantages could enable the growers to readily incorporate other vegetable crops into their cropping practices. This type of diversification may well be beneficial both from economic and agronomic standpoints. The overall aim in this thesis is to make recommendations on optimal crop combinations, which can maintain farm profitability of vegetable growers in the Region. Incorporated within this overall objective, three major methods were undertaken in this study to find out options to better farm management. First, the economic aspects of some major vegetable crops are analysed and their economics and productivity are compared. The gross margin analysis of five selected vegetable crops are used to compare the different management practices, timing of operations and different returns. The gross margins per hectare of each crop were also estimated to provide decision-makers with a tool for comparative analysis of activities in a similar environment on their farm. The advantages and disadvantages of single cropping with multi cropping practices, by identifying practical possibilities that could enable growers to better utilise their farm and equipment by crop diversification, was also compared in this part. Second, to investigate economic rationality of growers production practices, using a Cobb-Douglas production function. The production function provides ideas about relationships between production inputs and output. Decision-makers can use the production function analysis to investigate returns to scale, which can show how the scale of production (output) will change when the decision-makers change the factors (inputs) of production. The gross margin technique assumes a linear relationship as an activity is expanded, ie. If the area of crop is doubled, it is assumed that the gross margin for the extra hectares will be the same as for the original area. This is not always so, as there can be a diminishing returns effect as the activity is expanded. While in many cases it is reasonable to assume a linear relationship when planning to increase the area, the grower and his decision-maker should keep the possibility of diminishing returns in mind as the activity is expanded (Makeham and Malcolm, 1986). This information can be obtained from the production function analysis. Third, a linear programming model was developed in this thesis and it was used to solve a particular planning problem (profit maximisation) in a hypothetical situation. Growers must repeatedly make decisions about what crops to produce, by what method, in which season or time periods, and in what quantities in any multiple cropping system. They have to make these decisions subject to the existing farm physical and financial constraints to get the best or "optimal" solution to their problems. The linear programming model's results were also related to production and price functions. This was done to provide the decision-makers with a logical structure for understanding the farm profit related problems and finding how crop quantity and price can be affected. In order to assess the objectives the following two hypotheses were also tested. 1. As an alternative crops whether the production of capsicum, zucchini, broccoli and cabbage were satisfactory crops according to tomato in the Region, and 2. Whether there were any new practices, which could be used by growers to adjust to producing those vegetables. The results show that the vegetable industry has potential to achieve better utilisation of the farm resources and thus increase the farm profitability. Growers should be aware of the production factors that will enable them to increase their competitiveness, and must structure themselves to better utilise them. Therefore, some new practices such as diversification or double cropping practices, using the same growing materials in the same paddock continuously, should be considered. Diversified systems or multi cropping would reduce financial risk and provide protection against drought, pest infestation or other natural factors that can limit the farm production and profitability. However, diversification may increase risk for various reasons including capital costs of highly specialised equipment, associated economy of scale issues and possible lack of expertise required for increasingly specialised production systems. In addition, the possibility that related products such as summer or winter vegetables may be in ample or scarce supply at the same time, and subject to the same price cycle. The major outcome from this research is that there are possibilities and opportunities for the growers to sustain their farm profitability and productivity in the Region. This could be achieved by identifying potential objectives (minimise or maximise something) to find the optimal solution to their farm problems.
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ItemScale economics in farm forestry with special reference to timber harvesting( 2001)The potential for farm forestry to provide commercial timber for industry will largely be dependent on the viability of harvesting and marketing of logs from many independently owned, small-scale forest blocks. This thesis examines the economic and technical aspects of small-scale timber harvesting systems based on a series of harvesting case studies, a survey of landholders with and interest in commercial timber production and time studies of industrial harvesting systems. Based on the time studies a model was developed to calculate the component costs for ownership, operating and labour for a range of industrial harvesting systems. This model was then used to gauge if farm forestry harvesting systems are likely to encounter additional costs due to their scale of operation, disaggregation, ownership, or non-timber interests. The research confirms that scale of production remains a real threat to the viability of farm forestry as it is being promoted and practised in Australia. Against this is a potential for landholders to site, design and manage their plantations so as to influence tree size and form, log quality, ease of harvesting and other factors in an attempt to improve harvest viability. The motivations and interests of farmers involved in forestry and the characteristics of their forests are likely to limit the appropriateness and relevance of industrial timber harvesting technologies, training, monitoring and evaluation methods. There is a need for specialist farm forestry harvesting and marketing approaches that are less scale dependent, more mobile and adaptable to different forest types and log specifications. A range of new alliances between the forest industry, harvest professionals, educators and landholders will be required to accommodate and support the large number of relatively inexperienced small-scale forest owners. The research also identifies a need for coordinated resource data collection that is able to collate information on forest types, location, ownership and likely yields, and a flexible regulatory environmental that acknowledges the diverse range of motivations, resources and opportunities amongst landholders involved in farm forestry in Australia.
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ItemA farm management economic analysis of future dairy systems in the Goulburn Valley( 2002)Case studies were used to analyse the organisation and management of two irrigated dairy farm businesses. In particular, the focus was to . identify the economic' aspects of current and future farming systems in the Goulburn Valley. The approach involved focusing on farmers, the farm business, and the specific details of the farm system that farmers were managing. A whole-farm perspective was relevant as it provided details of the farm system and farmer characteristics that substantially influence how they respond to market changes. The economic 'analyses revealed that theoretical concepts often match the practical management of irrigated. dairy businesses. Also, relatively simple farm management budgets, which capture the full effect on management of the whole farm system from development, have a useful role in providing farmers with effective information about the medium-term growth opportunities on irrigated dairy farms in the Goulburn Valley. From these results it can be concluded that 'it is not what you do, but how you do it' that primarily determines the level of success in achieving goals.
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