Measuring the Efficiency of Wheat Production of Western Australian Growers

Using stochastic frontier analysis, efficiency of production of wheat in Western Australia was studied. The production function model used was a relatively simple input model, consisting of wheat yield, effective rainfall, fertilizer application rates and year of study. Inefficiency was captured in a second model that incorporated machinery capital investment, opening equity level, and year of study. Data covered the production years 2004 through to 2007. The results demonstrated that inefficiency was present in wheat production in Western Australia and that inefficiency increased over the period from 18% in 2004 to 29% in 2007. Higher machinery investment per hectare and opening equity levels reduced inefficiency, due to producers having sufficient capacity, mechanical or financial, to adapt to variability within the production season. The results demonstrated the stochastic nature of efficiency and that for some firms improving efficiency may not be possible or feasible due to limitations within the firm. This also holds for firms that are relatively efficient in some years and that the reasons for the inefficiency are not necessarily production related, hence, programs targeted to improve efficiency may not be very successful. On the other hand firms that are consistently inefficient provide an ideal target audience for programs to improve efficiency. However, these programs must be conditioned on adequately identifying the source(s) of inefficiency and the producer having access to resources to increase efficiency. Similar analyses could be undertaken in different crops or different geographic locations, to identify if and why inefficiencies are present in other production systems.Wheat production, efficiency, fertiliser, rainfall., Farm Management,

Uncertainty and investment in precision agriculture - Is it worth the money?

Irreversibility and uncertainty render the standard capital budgeting techniques such as net present value (NPV) analysis insufficient as a decision criterion. The standard NPV underestimates the value of the investment by not including the value of waiting for new information to reduce the uncertainty of the cashflows generated by the investment. An alternative to NPV analysis is real options. In this study we apply real options analysis to an investment decision for a grain producer in Western Australia. The investment choice is to purchase machinery suitable for undertaking controlled traffic precision agriculture or acquire a conventional system and reduce sowing time. The results of the analysis suggest that the required rates of return for the two investment alternatives need to be approximately 20-40 % higher than the returns estimated by the standard NPV analysis. These higher rates of return are required to compensate for the uncertainty inherent in the cropping systems of the farm. Also, in most cases, even though the variable costs of operating the precision agriculture system were higher, due to smaller operating widths, the additional returns generated by managing zones individually outweighed these additional costs. Further analysis also shows that the relative size of management zones has a marked effect on the returns generated and that it is possible to increase returns by taking out marginally productive zones

DAIRY DEREGULATION AND LOW-INPUT DAIRY PRODUCTION: A BIOECONOMIC EVALUATION

Deregulation of the Australian dairy industry could affect the utilization of resources by milk producers and the profitability of dairy production. In this study we examine the feed mix that dairy producers use, both pastures and supplements, under partial and total deregulation. We are particularly interested in the interaction of pasture utilization and farm profitability. The results of this research demonstrate that profitable low-input dairy is constrained by the most limiting resource, feed supplied by pasture, and that the interactions between economic and biological processes are critical to farm profitability.Agricultural and Food Policy, Production Economics,

DYNAMICS OF OPTIMAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PASTURE PRODUCTION AND MILK YIELDS OF AUSTRALIAN DAIRY FARMS

Deregulation of the Australian dairy industry could effect the utilization of resources by milk producers. In this study we examine the feed input mix dairy producers use, both pastures and supplements, prior to and after deregulation. We are particularly interested in the interaction of pasture utilization and farm profitability.dairy production, pasture utilization, deregulation, Land Economics/Use, Livestock Production/Industries,

Feasibility of innovative sharemilking arrangements

Sharemilking is an entry point for new dairy producers in the New Zealand industry, and, traditionally, most sharemilking arrangements have been a 50 : 50 arrangement. These structures are rigid in the share of milk income and apportionment of operating costs between the land owner and sharemilker. With milk-price volatility rising, these types of arrangements increase the financial and business risks, particularly for sharemilkers. These risks are further compounded because the value of the primary asset owned by sharemilkers, i.e. cows, declines to a much greater extent than does the value of land with a fall in milk price, reducing total wealth. We tested the hypothesis that flexible sharemilking arrangements will reduce the variability of income of sharemilkers, making for a sustainable income pattern. A synthesised dairy farm system was used to compare an innovative arrangement where milk revenue was divided on the basis of milk payout price, rather than simply on the basis of contribution. Stochasticity was incorporated into the model to capture milk-price volatility through the use of a stochastic price simulator. This approach allowed decision rules to be built into the model on the basis of revenue sharing, so as to reduce income variability. The identified innovative structures could be used by new entrants, sharemilkers and land owners to encourage alternative forms of sharemilking revenue sharing, and to provide information and education to the dairy industry. These alternative structures could be beneficial to industry sustainability, given that the dairy industry contributes a significant amount to New Zealand’s economy and export earnings, and price volatility is expected to continue to increase

Returns to research and development investment of Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia : benefit cost analysis 2005-2006

Programs of the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia apply benefit-cost analysis to assist in the allocation of funds to those areas likely to make the largest contribution to the rural economy and thus to achieve the Department outcome of increased market competitiveness and profitability. To learn lessons from the completed projects the Programs also use ex post analyses. Information collected in the course of the ex post analyses can usefully improve the assessment of proposed projects.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1095/thumbnail.jp

Physiotherapists implicitly evaluate bending and lifting with a round back as dangerous

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. Background: Beliefs can be assessed using explicit measures (e.g. questionnaires) that rely on information of which the person is ‘aware’ and willing to disclose. Conversely, implicit measures evaluate beliefs using computer-based tasks that allow reduced time for introspection thus reflecting ‘automatic’ associations. Thus far, physiotherapists’ beliefs about back posture and safety have not been evaluated with implicit measures. Objectives: (1) Evaluate implicit associations between bending lifting back posture (straight-back vs round-back) and safety (safe vs danger); (2) Explore correlations between implicit and explicit measures of beliefs towards vulnerability of the back. Design: Exploratory cross-sectional quantitative study. Methods: 47 musculoskeletal physiotherapists completed explicit measures of fear of movement (TSK-HC), back beliefs (BackPAQDanger) and beliefs related to bending and lifting back posture and safety (BSB). An Implicit Association Test (IAT) was used to assess implicit associations between (i) images of people bending/lifting with a ‘round-back’ or with a ‘straight-back’ posture, and (ii) words representing ‘safety’ and ‘danger’. A one-sample t-test assessed the degree and direction of the sample's IAT score. Cohen's d provided an effect size of the estimated bias. Correlation between IAT and each explicit measure was assessed using Pearson's coefficient. Results: The sample displayed an implicit association between ‘round-back’ and ‘danger’ (µ = 0.213, 95% CI [0.075-0.350], p =.003), with an effect size magnitude of 0.45. There were fair to moderate correlations between IAT and BSB (r = 0.320, 95% CI [0.036-0.556], p =.029) and, IAT and BackPAQDanger (r = 0.413, 95%CI [0.143-0.626], p =.004). Conclusions: Physiotherapists displayed an implicit bias towards bending and lifting with a round-back as dangerous

Determining the Impact of Hogget Breeding Performance on Profitability under a Fixed Feed Supply Scenario in New Zealand

peer-reviewedHoggets (ewe lambs aged 4 to 16 months) can be bred from approximately 8 months of age for potentially increased flock production and profit, however most New Zealand hoggets are not presented for breeding and their reproductive success is highly variable. Bio-economic modelling was used to analyse flock productivity and profit in four sets of scenarios for ewe flocks with varying mature ewe (FWR) and hogget (HWR) weaning rate combinations. Firstly, hogget breeding was identified to become profitable when break-even HWRs of 26% and 28% were achieved for flocks with FWRs of 135% and 150%, respectively. Secondly, relatively smaller improvements in FWR were identified to increase profit to the same level as larger improvements in HWR. Thirdly, a high performing flock with FWR and HWR both ≥ the 90th percentile currently achieved commercially, was the most profitable flock modelled. Fourthly, a FWR was identified with which a farmer not wishing to breed hoggets could have the same profit as a farmer with a flock achieving current industry average FWR and HWR. Overall, the relative profit levels achieved by the modelled flocks suggest that more farmers should consider breeding their hoggets, though improvements in FWRs should be prioritised

Sheep Updates 2005 - Part 2

This session covers seven papers from different authors: CONCURRENT SESSIONS - STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT 1.Finishing Pastoral Lambs, Peter Tozer, Patricia Harper, Janette Drew, Department of Agriculture Western Australia 2. Coating Improves Wool Quality under Mixed Farming Conditions, KE Kemper, ML Hebart, FD Brien, KS Grimson, DH Smith AMM Ramsay, South Australian Research and Development Institute 3. J. S. Richards, K.D. Atkins, T. Thompson, W. K. Murray, Australian Sheep Industry Co-operative Research Centre and NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Institute, Forest Rd. Orange 4. Strategic Risk Management in the Sheep Industry, J.R.L. Hall, ICON Agriculture (JRL Hall & Co) 5. Joining Prime Lambs for the Northern End of the Market - a Systems Approach, Chris Carter, Peter Tozer, Department of Agriculture Western Australia 6. Lifetime Wool - Dry feed budgeting tool, Mike Hyder, department of Agriculture Western Australia, John Young, Farming Systems Analysis Service, Kojonup, Western Australia 7. Influence of ultrafine wool fibre curvature and blending with cashmere on attributes of knitwear, B. A. McGregor, Primary Industries Research Victoria, Department of Primary Industries, Victori