Business Commons^™

Diversification In The Woolbelt, John Allen

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The productivity and diversification initiative for wool growers incorporates two leves of diversification.

Greatest emphasis is placed on industry wide increases in cropping intensity and in the range of crop types grown.

The second level involves non-traditional, alternative enterprises, each offering prospects for expansion of a limited number of wool growing businesses, suited to particular parts of the woolbelt.

The alternative enterprises include floriculture, aquaculture, export hay, farm tourism, commercial timber, horticulture and new animal industries.

Holding Our Edge In Noodle Wheat, Graham Crosbie

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

For many years, the Japanese milling and noodle industries have regarded Australian Standard White (ASW) wheat from Western Australia as the best in the world for the manufacture of white, salted Japanese noodles known as 'udon' (pronounced oo-don).

Recently, the Australian Wheat Board has also developed a significant market for this wheat type in South Korea, where it has been readily accepted for the production of Korean dried noodles.

The Wheat Board has estimated the total market demand from Japan and South Korea for this type of wheat to be 1.0-1.2 million tonnes, equivalent to about 20-25 per cent of …

Tough Times Call For A Review Of Farm Business Performance, Martin Van Bueren, John Young

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Most Australian farm businesses specialising in wool production are operating at a loss at current wool prices. After both short term operating and long term costs of capital depreciation are accounted for, only a small number of wool growers are able to make a profit with the wool market indicator below 500c/kg.

Poor prices have stimulated wool growers to review their operations and look to ways of improving cash flow in the short term, such as diversifying into cropping. The downturn should also prompt growers to address the longer term trends of declining terms of trade and historically poor productivity …

Clearing The Air, Mike Carroll

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

This edition of the Western Australian Journal of Agriculture contains an exchange of letters between 20 farmers and myself, prompted by the article by Ross Kingwell in the last issue of the Journal (Volume 34, No. 4, 1993).

The article was entitled 'Agriculture's Economic Performance', and dealt with some of the economic forces in agriculture, including the terms of trade, productivity growth and the growth of exports. However, it is evident from the following letter and from other comments that the worthwhile content of the article was negated by some unfortunate phrasing, and a too compressed treatment of a complex …

Development Of The Export Wine Industry, Tony Devitt

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

In 1936-37, Australia exported 18.6 million litres of wine, a level not achieved again for 50 years. World War II, the price, quality and style of Australian wine all contribuited to the demise of our wine export markets.

Australia's 'new' wine industry, which surfaced in the 1960s, has re-established our position as a significant exporter of high quality wines that are competitvely priced and percieved tobe 'pure and of integrity.

Western Australia is well placced to have a significant role in the expansion of Australia's wine exports.

Floriculture : A Blooming Business, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Over the past 1O years, Western Australia's ornamental plant industry has experienced significant growth in value. The industry has expanded and adopted new technologies, but some enterprises have closed There have also been major changes reflecting the economic climate and conservation pressures.

The ornamental plant industry in this State is valued at more than $70 million annually. It encompasses three areas: nursery production, exotic cutflower production, and native cutllower production. The native cutflower industry is by far the largest growth sector.

Production And Marketing Of Vegetables And Fruit, John Burt

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Vegetable and fruit production in Western Australia is a diverse, high value industry. Up to 75 different crops are grown from Kununurra in the north to Albany on the south coast.

Our horticultural industries were worth $238,127,000 in 1990-.91, which represented 18 per cent of all crops produced in Western Australia.

Markets for horticultural produce are volatile. For most lines, produce has been well supplied for the past four years, owing to an increasing area of production, higher yields, improved postharvest technology and reduced consumer demand in the recent recession.

The Export Carrot Industry, Angie Galati, Allan Mckay

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Carrots are the single most important horticultural export commodity from Western Australia.

In 1991-92, over 23,000 tonnes of carrots worth more than $12 million (fob) were exported. The State now exports about 70 per cent of its carrot production to Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Middle East (see Table 1). These exports account for more than 90 per cent of Australian carrot exports. The State's carrot exports started in the mid 1970s. In 1977-78, only 2170 tofcarrots were exported, but exports have increased steadily since then (see Figure 1).

Export Of Rockmelons From The Ord River, John Bonnardeaux

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The Ord River Irrigation Area and Carnarvon are the main production areas for cucurbits in northern Western Australia. Cucurbits are also grown in Derby, Broome and around Lagrange, south of Broome.

The area planted to rockmelons in the Ord River Irrigation Area has increased from 20 ha in 1980 to 425 ha in 1992.

Rockmelon production, the most important horticultural industry in the Ord River Irrigation Area, is worth about $9 million. It accounts for about 25 per cent of the Ord's dry season value of production

Mango Exports From Western Australia, Peter Johnson, John Gallagher, Terry Hill

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The Department of Agriculture has been at the forefront in developing a mango industry in Western Australia.

In Camarvon, the Department is concentrating on developing an export industry, while in the Ord River Irrigation Area trials have identified suitable domestic and export varieties for that environment.

The effect of planting density, hedging and pruning techniques on yield is being examined. Research has also started on identifying superior selections of the Kensington Pride variety, the most commercially important variety in Australia. The aim is to improve fruit quality, bearing reliability, and to extend the production season..

A Bright Future For Export Plums, Ric Engel, Glynn Ward

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Western Australia's stone fruit industry is relatively small by Australian and world standards owing to its small domestic market and past uncertainties with export. However, the industry is expanding to take advantage of growing markets in south-east Asia. It has adopted new production and marketing technology and is developing new varieties to meet the demand.

The future for our export plums has never been as promising as it is today. This is linked to fruit quality because markets are fickle and highly sensitive to poor quality fruit.

The introduction of a Quality Management Program in 199~91 helped the State develop …

Development Of Redglobe Table Grapes For Export, Ian Cameron

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Exports wereonce a major outlet for the Western Australian table grape industry.

Over the last 20 years however, exports have fallen from 500 to 00 tonnes per year, despite an increase in the area planted to table grapes and an increase on overseas demand for our produce.

By 1993 less than 3 per cent of the table grapes produced in the State were exported.

The introduction of Redglobe, a new table grape varietyy from California, is expected to increase the export of table grapes from Western Australia to 1000t by 1997, when the variety will represent 90 per cent of …

Production Of High-Value Wheats : One Sustainable Answer To The Cost:Price Squeeze, Wal Anderson, Alan Peggs, Doug Sawkins

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Farmers and scientists alike over the past decade have sought to address the declining terms of farm trade (the cost.price squeeze) by increasing wheat yields in ways that will ensure both their economic and ecological survival. Nevertheless, costs have continued to increase as a proportion of the value of the product.

Many farmers have increased their wheat yields substantially and the industry as a whole is more conscious of the quality of its product.

Over the past 10 years or more there has been intense interest in, and considerable adoption of. conservation farming techniques such as minimum tillage, residue retention, …

An Investigation Into Some Of The Factors Having A Bearing On Interviewer Bias In The Western Australian Market Research Industry, Daniel N. Edwards

Theses : Honours

The market research industry, like most industries operating in a highly competitive environment, is faced with a myriad of challenges. One of the foremost challenges is to deliver sound recommendations to clientele based on quality data on the market. One factor having a bearing on data quality is the problem of interviewer bias; interviewers introducing their own source of error into the survey. This dissertation uses a mass-administered, selfreport technique in a study of the interviewing staff of four Western Australian market research firms in an attempt to investigate the factors that constitute interviewer bias. The three broad areas of …

Interaction Of Budget Emphasis, Budgeting Participation And Task Characteristics : A Cross-Cultural Study, Liang C. Low

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis is an empirical examination which links two important areas of management accounting research. The first area relates to the relation between superiors' evaluative styles and the two dependent variables of job related tension and managerial performance. The second area relates to the impact of culture on management accounting system. Two of Hofstede's (1980) dimensions of culture were used in this study. They were power distance and individualism. Two studies, Brownell and Hirst (1986) and Brownell and Dunk (1991), both of which were conducted with samples from a low power distance/high individualism nation were re-examined within the framework suggested …

A Proposed Communication Strategy For The Decade Of Landcare: A Report By The Working Group For The Communication Strategy Fir The Decade Of Landcare, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Working Group For The Communication Strategy For The Decade Of Landcare (W.A.), Soil And Land Conservation Council (W.A.)

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A Better Future for Rural WA was a conference focusing on leadership and economic development in rural WA. The conference included

o Development of leaders in rural industries and communities.

o Building more vibrant rural communities through community and economic development initiatives.

o Generating innovative approaches to value adding and marketing our agricultural produce.

o Exploring how rural WA can further build on the economic strengths of agriculture

The conference was designed to help people deal with the issues facing rural communities by showcasing new and innovative projects and practices in rural development from within Australia and overseas and showing …

Measuring The Quality Of Service Within Challenge Bank, George M. Gilchrist

Theses : Honours

This research project looks at how the management and counter staff of four branches of the Challenge Bank define quality of service and asks them to judge if they deliver that quality. lt also examines the climate for service in which staff operate. The project simultaneously explores the customers' idea of what constitutes quality service, and whether or not customers consider they receive it consistently. A review of the most recent literature on customer service from Australia and overseas, has provided a theoretical framework for the interpretation of the data. It was necessary to first define quality of service then …

Consumer Attitudes Toward The Advertising Of Professional Services By Accountants, Lawyers, And Physicians, In Perth, Western Australia: An Exploratory Study, Damien W. Millen

Theses : Honours

The accounting, law and medical professions in Australia have resisted using advertising as part of a marketing strategy until the late 1980's. Unlike their colleagues in the United States, the majority of professionals in Australia have yet to explore the benefits of utilising advertising to develop and maintain a high quality reputation, as well as informing potential clientele of available services and other necessary information that customers may use to select a professional practitioner. It is the aim of this research to investigate consumer attitudes toward accountants, lawyers, and physicians with respect to professional service advertising in Perth, Western Australia. …

The Marketing Orientation Of The West Australian Wine Industry, Michael J. Stansby

Theses : Honours

Marketing academics and practitioners have been studying the effects of marketing orientation on the level business performance for many years. To date, there has been little effort to develop a valid measure of marketing orientation, and analyse its impact on business performance. Because of the lack of such a measure, companies possess no specific guidelines how they may become more marketing orientated. This study presents a valid measure of marketing orientation and analyses its effect on business performance. A conceptual model for marketing orientation is presented. This model comprises of four components: customer orientation; competitor orientation; interfunctional coordination; and long-term …

Farm Planning Workshop Manual, Brian Lloyd

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The Katanning District Office of the Department of Agriculture has been running Farm Planning Workshops since 1988. These group sessions evolved due to an ever-increasing demand for individual farm plans to be drawn up by departmental staff - a demand that eventually outstripped the ability of staff to supply the plans on a one-to-one basis.

This manual has been complied to supplement the workshop sessions. It comprises:

The Farm Planning Manual:

Notes written by various officers of the Department on factors to consider when drawing up a farm plan.

Reference Material:

Selected notes on various topics that have proven to …

Export Oaten Hay For The Japanese Market, Mick Poole, Rob Nussey

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Western Australian hay producers have a foothold in the lucrative Japanese market for forage products. The industry hopes to export about 30,000 tonnes in 1990-91.

The Effect Of Employers' Attitudes On The Implementation Of Computer Aided Manufacturing Techniques In The Furniture Industry In Western Australia, Brian Ferguson

Theses : Honours

In this study, the incorporation of computers in industry is compared with the industrial revolution. It is envisaged that computers in industry will bring about similar sweeping changes to the workforce as those that took place during the eighteenth century. However, it is noted that, thus far, Australian industry leaders in general remain ignorant of these changes (Eckersley 1988,p.3) and the Western Australian furniture industry is no exception. If Australian industry in general and the Western Australian furniture industry in particular, are to avoid a similar decline in economic competitiveness to that experienced by European countries {Marcum 1986,p.28 ), there …

North Mullewa Research Station "Daisy Downs" Field Day, Peter Nelson

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NMRS (165 ha) was leased from "Daisy Downs" (Manager Mr Ken Thompson) in 1985. NMRS was established in response to famer and local goverment demand for more research on the shallow, heavy soils in a low rainfall area. It is run along similar lines to the East Chapman Research Station (ECRS), with large rotation paddocks (42 ha) set up to study farming systems the remainder of the leased area being used for general experimental purposes.

Direct Selling Is A Plus For Cattle Producers, P G. Frapple

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The aim when marketing cattle is to maximise the net return with the minimum level of risk. To do this a producer needs an accurate description of the stock for sale and information on the likely gross returns and costs of selling through the different marketing systems.

Since producers' selling costs and processors' buying costs are lower in direct sales, it is more likely that net returns from direct delivery will be higher.

Beefin : Maximizing Profits From Feeding Beef Cattle Out Of Season, R G. Grieve, David Barker, Jim May

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

BEEFIN is a computer model that formulates profit maximising diets for finishing beef cattle to a specified carcass weight and fat thickness. It predicts cattle growth rate, feed conversion ratio, final liveweight, number of days on feed and the amount of available feedstuffs required to finish cattle to specification, The diets fulfil the animal's energy, protien, mineral and roughage requirements.

BEEFIN also calculates a profit and loss budget for the enterprise, performs a sensitivity analysis on changes in the price for both cattle and feed and determines the changes in feed prices needed before the composition of the diet is …

Livestock Statistics Western Australia Prices Of Livestock Sold At Midland Auctions, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, R. L. Taylor

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Livestock prices are shown as monthly weighted average prices calculated from saleyard auction prices, Prior to July 1989 Midland auctions were reported on by the Western Australian Department of Agriculture's Livestock Market Reporting Service, Since July 1989, prices are derived from a weekly summary of sales prepared under contract to the Department of Agriculture by Nicholls Independent Livestock Information Service ,

Livestock slaughterings and production are derived from Australian Bureau of Statistics Catalogue No. 1305.5.

Capretto : A New Meat Industry, R J. Suiter

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Capretto is the term the Italians use for the meat from a goat upto 20 weeks old. For centuries goat meat has featured on tables from the Mediterranean to asia and the Pacific Islands.

Western Australian premium quality capretto has a dressed weight of between 6 and 1kg. Its pinkish flesh is tender and leaner than sheep meat, so it's ideal for the health conscious.

This article describes a market development programme undertaken by the Department of Agriculture's Goat Industry Development Unit (GIDU) and the Australian Cashmere Growers Association's (ACGA) Meat Marketing Committee to establish a premium market for capretto …

Making The Most Of Our Floral Resources, Julie A. Pegrum

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

In the past decade, floriculture has attracted wide interest across Australia as a new and innovative export industry. Our temperate climate and southern hemisphere location gives Australia the opportunity to become a supplier of cut flowers and foliage and potted plants to world markets. Sales of single-stemmed flowers such as roses, carnations and chrysanthemums dominate international trade. However, there is a demand for flowers which are uniquely Australian, particularly those which flower when production in the northern hemisphere winter is limited

Northern Agricultural Region, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

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Western Australia has about 10 per cent of Australia's farmers and accounts for 15 per cent of the nation's gross value of rural production. In 1987/8 8, the State's gross value of rural production exceeded $3 billion, 9 per cent of the State's GDP.

The agricultural sector is an important employer in Western Australia, directly employing nearly 5 0, 000 people, and more than 100,00 p e o p l e i n associated industries. Agriculture is a major contributor to W A' s export earnings, accounting for 30 per cent of the State's overseas earnings.

The Department of Agriculture's …

Australian Co-Operation With The National Agricultural Research Project Thailand Farming Systems Research - Future Directions, B J. Gorddard

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CONTENTS

Farming Systems Research - Future Directions - Introduction by Mr B. Gorddard

The CIMMYT Approach to Farming Systems Research Dr L. Harrington

The Relationship of FSR to Discipline and Component Technology Research: Dr D. Ivory

A Cropping Systems Technology Development Process: The Basis for Improving Links Between Research and Extension Through FSR. : Mr Iain A. Craig

Extension - Research : A Natural Linkage Mr B. Gorddard

Follow-up Discussion with FSRI: - Dr L. Harrington - Mr B. Gorddard - Dr D. Ivory