Variability of rainfall and commodity prices are important off-farm factors influencing the profitability of dryland farming. Since neither of the above factors can be predicted, lessons from the past can be a preparation for the future. Analysing farm profit over ten years is suggested as a way...

The brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), introduced to New Zealand in 1858, is a significant conservation pest and a major vector of bovine tuberculosis (Tb; Mycobacterium bovis). Consequently, central and local government agencies now spend more than $30 million (NZD) each year on possum...

One component of biosecurity is protection against invasive alien species, which are one of the most important threats worldwide to native biodiversity and economic profitability in various sectors, including agriculture. However, agricultural producers are not homogeneous. They may have...

Cities have been investing heavily in recent years to augment their water supply, focusing on either stormwater harvesting or desalination. A more optimal strategy is to consider all sources of water jointly, thereby allowing for hedging of supply risks. A portfolio model of urban water supply...

Motivated by recent EC proposals to “strengthen risk management tools” in the CAP in relation to farmers’ increased exposure to market price risk, this paper draws attention to a potential negative consequence of such a change in the CAP – an associated increase in cheating behaviour by...

Climate variability impacts significantly on the agricultural service sector, affecting the operations and policies of agribusiness suppliers, banking and insurance companies. For example, bank lending policy and agribusiness advice was likely affected by recent El Niño drought events. Through...

Farms systems are open to financial systems. Financing matters. Analysis of questions about management of farms is a multi-dimensional task; focusing on economic efficiency only partly does the job. A financial system channeling funds efficiently from the non-farm sector to the farm sector,...

South Australia’s Minister for Primary Industries, Natural Resources and Regional Development in 1996 delegated to an industry based Apiary Task Force the role to develop and implement a cost effective disease control strategy. Underlying this broad term of reference was the need to increase...

One approach to rationalising policies for addressing potentially catastrophic climate change when such policies may prove unnecessary is to suppose the policies provide a form of social insurance even in the presence of pure uncertainty. Then, provided the policies are effective, such insurance...

This article analyses the risk-return efficiency of limits to which loan pricing accounts for credit risk in the Australian-farm sector. A key issue faced by banks is the trade-off between raising returns through higher risk premiums and the possibility of impairing credit quality. The...