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Where's the economics? The core discipline of farm management has gone missing!

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  • Bill Malcolm

Abstract

Economic illiteracy is abundant in farm management analysis. Failure to understand that economics is the core discipline of farm‐management analysis and failure to apply the whole‐farm approach leads to wrong questions being asked and wrong answers being given. The power of economic thinking is in making sense of resource allocation questions in farm systems characterised by much complexity and powerful dynamics. The challenge for those who continue to work in farm management economics is to re‐establish theoretically sound farm‐management analysis based on economics as the core discipline.

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  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ajarec:v:48:y:2004:i:3:p:395-417
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8489.2004.00262.x
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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.
    2. Just, Richard E., 2003. "Risk research in agricultural economics: opportunities and challenges for the next twenty-five years," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 75(2-3), pages 123-159.
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    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. Malcolm, Bill, 2003. "What Price Animal Health - And Whose Problem is it Anyway?," Papers 234167, University of Melbourne, Melbourne School of Land and Environment.
    9. Malcolm, Bill, 1990. "Fifty Years of Farm Management in Australia: Survey and Review," Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 58(01), pages 1-32, April.
    10. Lloyd, Alan G., 1970. "Some Current Policy Issues," Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 14(2), pages 1-14, December.
    11. 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.
    12. Malcolm, Bill, 2000. "Farm Management Economic Analysis: A Few Disciplines, a Few Perspectives, a Few Figurings, a Few Futures," 2000 Conference (44th), January 23-25, 2000, Sydney, Australia 171920, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    13. Dillon, John L., 1965. "Farm Management in Australia as an Academic Discipline," Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 33(04), pages 1-15, December.
    14. Wright, Vic, 1983. "Some Bounds To The Relevance Of Decision Theory," Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 27(3), pages 1-10, December.
    15. Alan G. Lloyd, 1970. "Some Current Policy Issues," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 14(2), pages 93-106, December.
    16. 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.
    17. Victor E. Wright, 1983. "Some Bounds To The Relevance Of Decision Theory," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 27(3), pages 221-230, December.
    18. 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.
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    Cited by:

    1. Crosthwaite, Jim & Malcolm, Bill, 2006. "Farmer decisions, public policy and risk information in management of native pastures," 2006 Conference (50th), February 8-10, 2006, Sydney, Australia 174098, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    2. Crosthwaite, Jim & Moll, Jim & Dorrough, Josh & Malcolm, Bill, 2009. "Re-organising farm businesses to improve environmental outcomes," Australasian Agribusiness Review, University of Melbourne, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 17, pages 1-25.
    3. Farquharson, Robert J., 2006. "Production Response and Input Demand in Decision Making: Nitrogen Fertilizer and Wheat Growers," Australasian Agribusiness Review, University of Melbourne, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 14.
    4. repec:ags:aare05:139331 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. Husemann, Christoph & Novković, Nebojša, 2014. "Farm Management Information Systems: A Case Study On A German Multifunctional Farm," Economics of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Economics, vol. 61(2), pages 1-13, June.

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