School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences - Theses
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ItemThe economic evaluation of forage research results( 2004)Three economic analyses were conducted on the results of dairy forage production experiments undertaken in Victoria. The first analysis investigated the level of pasture production increases that would have to be achieved to warrant the investment in different soil modification options. This analysis took pasture production data and using a computer program "UDDER" (Larcombe 1990) generated farm data which was then applied to development budgets. The increase in pasture growth rate required was such that it is unlikely that investment in the soil modification systems tested here will produce a satisfactory return on investment. The second analysis investigated the use of different pasture species combinations on a dairy farm in northern Victoria. A linear programming model was developed that balanced the energy requirements of the milking herd with the energy supplied from pasture and supplements. The results showed that the most profitable mix of pasture depended on the energy supply profile of the pasture and the requirements of the herd. The proportion of autumn and spring calving cows in the herd in part determined the most profitable pasture mix. The effect of grazing management on profit was the subject of the third study. A farm model was constructed that balanced the energy, protein and neutral detergent fibre requirements of the milking herd with that supplied by pasture and supplements and optimised operating profit. The results of a grazing trial conducted in south-west Victoria were entered into the model and the operating profits for each treatment compared. The results suggested that while Operating profit was related to total pasture consumption, the timing of the pasture consumption impacted on operating profit. The results also suggested that grazing frequency may have affected operating profit more than grazing intensity.
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ItemFactors influencing the purchases of Pivot fertilisers and Prescription Farming program /cIwan Dhaniyarso( 2000)This study is about the factors influencing the purchases of fertiliser and prescription farming in general and Pivot fertilisers and the Pivot Prescription Farming in particular. The purchase of Pivot fertilisers in this study is defined to be a decision about Pivot as the main fertiliser company. Meanwhile, the purchase of Pivot Prescription Farming is defined as whether or not farmers purchase the Pivot Prescription Farming for the on going activities of their farms. Prescription farming, in this study, refers to services associated with farm inputs such as soil testing and plant analysis. Farmers' decision-making process on the farm inputs, including the choice within a product class, might be dominantly influenced by the problem-solving process. However, the human factors in the farmers' decision is also important. Thus, the farmer's decision-making process is likely to be based on a combination of cognitive and emotional models. In the context of farm income, farmers normally face three stages on the problem of their income allocation. First, allocation to production, consumption and savings. Second, allocation to the categories of generic products in farm activities such as tractors, compound feed and fertilisers. Third, allocation within a product class such as a particular product type or brand. Since the purchase of fertiliser and prescription farming might be categorised as an out-stock situation, the buying process for these inputs only involves stage three. Past research has indicated that the purchase of fertilisers from a particular firm might be affected by quality, price, service, availability of fertiliser, distribution coverage and a specific relationship with the firm. Past studies on the use of soil testing and plant analysis, which are some elements of prescription farming, have shown that price, turnaround time, reliability of results, service and follow up of the service have influenced the use of these services. Additionally, knowledge about available providers, which reflects the amount of information possessed, may influence the purchase. The quantitative analyses in this study use existing data from Pivot Ltd. The method used in this study is logistic regression. The decision on the purchase of Pivot Prescription Farming is involved in the model for the decision on Pivot as the main fertiliser company, and vice versa. For this particular sample, the results revealed that no variable was found to be significant in explaining the decision about Pivot as the main fertiliser company. Only the purchase of Pivot Prescription Fanning and some dummy variables for types of farm and states were significant. The result may indicate that subjective norm appears in the outcome. For the decision about the purchase of the Pivot Prescription Farming, knowledge about service provider, follow up, turnaround time and the decision on Pivot as the main fertiliser company significantly affected the purchase. Those results indicated that farmers who chose Pivot as their main fertiliser company were more likely to purchase the Pivot Prescription Farming, and vice versa. The results also revealed that there is a need to do further research to incorporate with the important issues such as brand loyalty, consumer attitude formation, and the multipersonal influence in farm enterprise, in a better survey with more exhaustive data collection methods.