R.B.M. Huirne

Evaluation of sustainability of organic, integrated and conventional farming systems: a farm and field-scale analysis

Abstract Agricultural researchers widely recognise the importance of sustainable agricultural production systems and the need to develop appropriate methods to measure sustainability. The principal purpose of this paper is to evaluate the financial and environmental aspects of sustainability of organic, integrated and conventional farming systems (OFS, IFS and CFS, respectively) at farm level and on more detailed spatial scales. This was achieved by applying an integrated economic-environmental accounting framework to three case study farms in Tuscany (Italy) covering different farming systems (FSs) and different spatial scales. The environmental performances of the FSs were measured through the application of an environmental accounting information system (EAIS) at field, site and farm level. The EAIS indicators were then integrated with: (1) a set of financial indicators to evaluate the economic and environmental trade-offs between different FSs and (2) with information on the regional and site-specific soil and climate conditions to study the impact of different pedo-climates on the environmental performances of the FSs. The gross margins of steady-state OFSs were found to be higher than the corresponding CFS gross margins. The OFSs perform better than IFSs and CFSs with respect to nitrogen losses, pesticide risk, herbaceous plant biodiversity and most of the other environmental indicators. However, on hilly soils, erosion was found to be higher in OFSs than in CFSs. The pesticide and the nitrogen indicators in this study showed a similar environmental impact caused by integrated and conventional farming practices. Regional pedo-climatic factors were found to have a considerable impact on nutrient losses, soil erosion, pesticide risk and herbaceous plant biodiversity, site-specific factors on nutrient losses and soil erosion. Results at field level suggest that herbaceous plant biodiversity and crop production are not always conflicting variables. Results of the case study farms are discussed and compared with environmental sustainability thresholds reported from EU Directives on nitrate and pesticides in groundwater and the literature.

A model to estimate the financial consequences of classical swine fever outbreaks: principles and outcomes.

A model is presented aimed at a financial analysis of a Classical Swine Fever outbreak. Financial consequences are calculated for affected parties, including governments (EU and national), farms, and related industries in the production chain. The model can be used to calculate the losses of a real outbreak as well as of a simulated one. In this article, the model is applied to the 1997/1998 outbreak of Classical Swine Fever in the Netherlands. Results show that total financial consequences of the outbreak are US

How to define and study farmers' management capacity: theory and use in agricultural economics

2.3 billion. Consequential losses for farmers and related industries are US

Risk and risk management : an empirical analysis of Dutch livestock farmers

423 million and US

Economic analysis of animal diseases and their control

596 million respectively. Budgetary consequences for governments include less than 50% of the total losses calculated by the model. The model can be adapted easily to suit other diseases and countries.

Vertical cooperation in agricultural production-marketing chains, with special reference to product differentiation in pork

Textbooks and articles on farm management stress the importance of the management capacity of the fanner with respect to his farm results. However, explicit definitions together with an elaboration of this concept are hard to find. In this article, aspects of management capacity are grouped into: (1) personal aspects, consisting of fanners drives and motivations, fanners abilities and capabilities and his biographical facts such as age and education; and (2) aspects of the decision-making process, consisting of practices and procedures with respect to planning, implementation and control of decisions at the farm. Empirical studies on the role of management capacity in relation to farm results are reviewed. Frontier production functions are widely used in recent literature to estimate technical and economic efficiency of farms. However, in explaining differences in efficiency most studies do not go further than adding a biographical variable (e.g., level of education). This study concludes that a next step would be to include aspects of the decision-making process. Longitudinal on-farm observations, which give possibilities for studying the dynamic aspects of the decision-making, are suggested to further analyze the concept of management capacity.

Identification of farmer characteristics and farm strategies explaining changes in environmental management and environmental and economic performance of dairy farms

Abstract The risk environment of farmers is changing and new risk management strategies are being introduced. This paper studies survey data relating to farmers’ perceptions of risk and risk management, and analyses whether characteristics of a farm and/or farmer can be identified that relate to these perceptions. The data originate from a large sample of livestock farmers ( n =612) in the Netherlands and were gathered by a questionnaire survey. Results show that, in general, price and production risks were perceived as important sources of risk. Insurance schemes were perceived as relevant strategies to manage risks. More detailed analyses of the perceptions show that dairy farmers generally saw price risks as very important, while pig and mixed farmers were more likely to rank production risks as very important. We found that insurance was perceived relatively less important by mixed farmers than by other farmers. Although our results indicate that perceptions of risk and risk management are very personal, i.e. farmer-specific, findings have implications for policymakers, advisers, and developers and sellers of (new) risk management strategies.

A state-transition simulation model for the spread of Salmonella in the pork supply chain

Abstract Animal Health Economics is a relatively new discipline, which is progressively developing a solid framework of concepts, procedures, and data to support the decision-making process in optimizing animal health management. Research in this field primarily deals with three interrelated aspects: (1) quantifying the financial effects of animal disease, (2) developing methods for optimizing decisions when individual animals, herds or populations are affected, and (3) determining the costs and benefits of disease control measures. In the paper the four most common economic modelling techniques (i.e. partial budgeting, cost-benefit analysis, decision analysis, and systems simulation) are described and applied on three levels of veterinary decision making: the animal, herd, and national level. Outcomes so far are summarized, and shortcomings indicated and discussed. The importance of a close link between economics and epidemiology is stressed for future development, as well as the need and possibilities for an international exchange of models and procedures.

The Influence of Cow Factors on the Incidence of Clinical Mastitis in Dairy Cows

Optimization of individual stages within a production-marketing chain (PMCh) may cause a suboptimal result of the PMCh as a whole. Market imperfections and conflicting interest may be the causal factors. Although vertical integration is often mentioned as the conventional solution, certain disadvantages and the large scale differences in agricultural PMChs make vertical cooperation a more appropriate alternative. Moreover, specific characteristics of agricultural food chains and changing market circumstances, including increased interest in the quality of products and production processes, justify renewed attention to vertical cooperation and product differentiation in agriculture. Current developments in the Dutch pork PMCh and implications on future research are described.

Cost-benefit analysis of vaccination against paratuberculosis in dairy cattle

Abstract In 1998, the Mineral Accounting System (MINAS) was introduced in The Netherlands. MINAS penalises farms with a levy if the farm nutrient surpluses exceed a certain threshold. The threshold is strict, meaning that most farmers need to change their environmental management and performance to avoid high levies. Since MINAS is designed to leave ample room for farmers to follow the course of change of their choice, it is crucial to know whether or not different farmers and different farm strategies lead to different environmental results. A strategic management framework is used to model changes in implementation and performance on specialised dairy farms. Financial and nutrient bookkeeping data of 114 farms, collected over the period 1997–1999 are combined with survey data on farmer characteristics and farm strategies. Results of Linear Structural Equation Analysis (LISREL) showed that the main farmer characteristic explaining change in environmental management was education. Better-educated farmers chose to increase the intensity of the farming system, and cope with the corresponding increase in environmental pressure by improving the production capacity of the herd and improving operational management. Farm strategies explain the differences in the changes in nutrient management. A strategy of process control focuses on optimising tactical management, whereas a growth strategy and a diversification strategy are strongly related to changes in farm structure. Changes in technical and environmental performance in addition to changes resulting from implementation changes are positively affected by education, but show no strong relationship with any strategy, indicating that environmental improvements can be achieved regardless of the way a farmer chooses to develop his farm. Finally, an improvement of financial performance was shown to be significantly related to an improvement of environmental performance.