Methods of whole-farm planning under risk are briefly reviewed, noting especially associated operational problems. A planning problem relating to spatial diversification of beef production in the Clarence region of N.S.W. is investigated using a model comprising both simulation and linear...

To concentrate on treating the most serious risks, methods of business risk management usually seek to identify the main risks and to assess their relative importance. Risks are typically assessed in terms of their chances of occurrence and the severity of their consequences. The assessments may...

Little attention has been given in the agricultural economics literature to the impact of off-farm work on farm productivity and efficiency. More knowledge about what determines part-time farming and whether farm productivity and efficiency are affected by part-time farming could help policy...

The optimal economic life cycle of grass leys with winter damage problems in northern Norway and the threshold of winter damage before it is profitable to re-seed grasses are investigated. The loss in profit of a sub-optimal strategy compared to an optimal strategy is briefly discussed. An...

This paper discusses the use of sub-optimal programming techniques in farm management. The scope for employing such techniques to derive farm plans which more closely conform to farmers' real objectives and preferences is reviewed. A method using conventional linear programming in this way is...

The title relates to the title of the Inaugural Lecture of the Late Professor John L Dillon, Foundation Professor of Farm Management at UNE, in whose memory this lecture series was established. The author has been involved in the farm management discipline for more than 50 years. He reflects on...