Time series data on farm profitability for Australia and South Australia from ABARE’s farm surveys, shows a minority of businesses consistently profitable and a majority not. The paper finds evidence of prevalent and persistent negative farm profit in both available long-run data (1990-2007)...

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...

The quest to shape Australian agriculture for improved and sustainable profitability is leading Research and Development Corporations, agri-service consultants and government to devote substantial effort into development of new farm business analysis and benchmarking programs. ‘Biz Check’,...

The paper outlines the trading options that pertain to the Australian viticulture industry, some of the challenges for stakeholders that have surfaced in recent vintages and need to be managed differently in the changing market environment of intensifying competitiveness in the international...

The mutual interest of industry and government to improve the competitiveness of agri-food industries presents an information management challenge for leaders and policy makers. The paper examines the case for a template for benchmarking economic, environmental and social indicators along...

Released in September 2009, Sustainable Food and Wine Value Chains is the final report of a 12 month residency in South Australia by Adelaide’s 14th Thinker in Residence, Professor Andrew Fearne. The paper overviews the residency journey and its outcomes, including a value chain research...

The Australian chicken meat industry is part of a worldwide marketing phenomenon where chickens are 'crossing the road' in record numbers in response to consumer demand and efficient 'farm to food' systems. Processor vertical integration is at the heart of system efficiency, with farmer growing...

Andrew Fearne, Professor of Food Marketing and Supply Chain Management and a Director of the dunnhumby Academy of Consumer Research at Kent University, UK, is a current Thinker in the Adelaide Thinkers in Residence (ATIR) program. Professor Fearne is the 14th person to undertake a Thinkers...

After more than a decade in opposition, the win by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) at the 2007 Federal Election focuses attention on their pre-election policies. The paper summarises ALP pre-election policies for primary industries, including the resources and seafood sectors; indicates program...