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      ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION IN AGRICULTURE

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      research-article
      Prometheus
      Pluto Journals
      electronic technology, management information systems, agriculture, diffusion, policy measures
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            Abstract

            Recent developments in electronic technology offer possibilities for management information systems in agriculture, which differ radically from traditional information sources. This paper illustrates how all the elements are now available for an integrated farm office workstation, allowing financial planning and control, livestock and paddock database management, access to large commercial databases, and electronic selling of produce, banking and communications. Although the outlay required for this new technology is small relative to plant and equipment items, adoption by the Australian farming community has been slow. It is argued that the rate of diffusion has been limited more by educational and psychological factors than by the adequacy and cost effectiveness of the new technology. Government and industry initiatives to promote adoption are reviewed.

            Content

            Author and article information

            Journal
            cpro20
            CPRO
            Prometheus
            Critical Studies in Innovation
            Pluto Journals
            0810-9028
            1470-1030
            December 1986
            : 4
            : 2
            : 344-365
            Affiliations
            Article
            8629024 Prometheus, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1986: pp. 344–365
            10.1080/08109028608629024
            ae3db4dc-4462-4bf7-855f-5f4baea9144a
            Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

            All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

            History
            Page count
            Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 75, Pages: 22
            Categories
            Original Articles

            Computer science,Arts,Social & Behavioral Sciences,Law,History,Economics
            policy measures,management information systems,electronic technology,agriculture,diffusion

            NOTES AND REFERENCES

            1. Toft H. I.. 1964. . ‘The use of the computer in analysing data from farm management accounting groups’. . Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics . , Vol. 8((2)) December;: 195––199. .

            2. Young M.. 1981/82. . ‘Computer bureau services — the alternative solution’. . Farm Management . , Vol. 4((8)) Winter;

            3. Gilligan P. and Long J.. 1984. . ‘Videotex technology’. . Behaviour and Information Technology . , Vol. 3((1)): 41––72. .

            4. Agricultural Development Advisory Unit, ‘Computing in the Farm Office’, Nos. 1 to 4, UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 1983 and 1984.

            5. For example, S. J. Mill, Inventory of Agriculturally Oriented Software in Australia and New Zealand, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, 1982; H.M. Russell and S.L. Hartwell, Guide to Australian Agricultural Information Sources and Systems, revised edn, 1983; G.P. Mickan, A Primary Producers Guide to Microcomputing, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, 1984; and computer products section, Farm magazine.

            6. Centre of Management in Agriculture, The Computer as a Farm Management Tool, report prepared by Produce Studies Ltd., Newbury, 1984.

            7. Harrison S. R. and Course C. P.. 1985. . ‘Wordprocessing in the farm office’. . Farm Management . , Vol. 5((9)): 385––393. .

            8. For example, see U.K. Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS) ‘Computing in the Farm Office: 1. Introduction’, 1983; B. Wilson, and G. Macpherson, Computers in Farm Management, Norwood, London, 1982.

            9. K.D. Brook, and A.B. Hearn, ‘Development and implementation of Siratac: a computer based cotton management system’, in Computers in Agriculture, University of Western Australia, 1983, pp. 222–240.

            10. For example, see J.P.G. Webster, ‘LP-WYE: a linear programming package for microcomputers’, F.B.U. Occasional Paper No. 12, Wye College, University of London, 1985.

            11. This definition follows Videotex in Australia: Interactive Information Services, a Report to the Prime Minister by ASTEC Prepared by the Technological Change Committee, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1983.

            12. Johnston G. F.. 1981/82. . ‘What is Videotex’. . Farm Management . , Vol. 4((8)) Winter;

            13. Private Videotex Systems: their Selection, Use and Future Prospects, Videotex Report Series, 1983, Butler, Cox and Partners Ltd., London.

            14. For example, see P. L. Nuthall, ‘Viewdata evaluation in Kentucky, USA’, Kellogg Farm Management Newsletter, October, 1984; J. McKinlay and K. Collard, ‘Videotex for beef producers’, in Computers in Agriculture, University of Western Australia, 1984a.

            15. I. Blair, Agridata Ltd., address to the Australian Agricultural Economics Society conference, Armidale, 1984.

            16. N. E. Delaney, ‘Interactive electronic media in rural Queensland: graziers views and experiences, and relevance to agricultural extension’, M.Agr.Extension thesis, University of Queensland, 1985.

            17. J. H. Richardson, ‘Computer information systems for agriculture’, in Computers in Agriculture, University of Western Australia, 1983, pp. 10–19.

            18. K. Collard, X. Duff, P. Morey, J. Rogerson and M. Irvine, ‘Evaluation of a trial videotex service for the beef industry’, Research Project Series No. 161, Victorian Department of Agriculture, 1983.

            19. J. Stoate, ‘Computerised livestock auctioning in Western Australia’, in Computers in Agriculture, University of Western Australia, 1983, pp. 20–24.

            20. K. R. Wilcock, ‘QUEST progress report’, Research Report No. 17, Livestock and Meat Authority of Queensland, 1985.

            21. S. Neales, ‘Computer marketing for cattle, sheep and pigs by March’, Farm Computer News, No. 45, October 1985, pp. 1–2.

            22. For example, see Rogers, E.M., Diffusion of Innovations, 3rd edn., Free Press, New York, 1983.

            23. B. Gold, ‘On the adoption of technological innovation in industry: superficial models and complex decision processes’, in S. Macdonald, D.M. Lamberton and T. Manderville, The Trouble with Technology, Frances Pinter, London, 1983, pp. 104–121.

            24. J.B. Hardaker and J.R. Anderson, ‘Why farm recording systems are doomed to failure’, Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics, 49, 3, December 1981, pp. 199–202.

            25. J. H. Richardson, ‘Why farm recording systems are doomed to failure: a comment, Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics, 50, 2, August 1982, pp. 211–213.

            26. P. L. Nuthall, ‘A response to the forecast of doom’, Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics, 50, 3, December 1982, pp. 297–300.

            27. Q.N. Harrington and H.P. Schapper, ‘Management information systems for the commercial family farm’, in M.J. Blackie and J.B. Dent (eds), Information Systems in Agriculture, Applied Science, London, 1979, pp. 57–74.

            28. S.J. Banfield and H.P. Cory, ‘A study of the use of on-farm computers in the United Kingdom’, Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, 1980.

            29. ADAS, 1983, op. cit., p. 22.

            30. Wilson and Macpherson, op. cit., Ch. 2.

            31. Centre of Management in Agriculture, The Computer as a Farm Management Tool, report prepared by Produce Studies Ltd., Newbury, 1984.

            32. Delaney, loc. cit.

            33. A. L. Offer, ‘Computing on the farm: a report of farmers’ experiences’, Farm Management, 5, 11, Autumn 1985, pp. 459–464.

            34. For example, see S.R. Harrison and H.U. Tamaschke Applied Statistical Analysis, Prentice-Hall, Melbourne, 1984, Ch. 15.

            35. For example, see Gold, op. cit., p. 109.

            36. CMA, loc. cit.

            37. H. J. Westlake, ‘Computers in the farm office’, Farm Management, 4, 4, Winter 1980/81, pp. 163–170.

            38. ibid, p. 168.

            39. H. J. Westlake, ‘The use of on-farm computers, Proceedings of the 1984 CMA Farm Management Conference, Harrogate.

            40. J.P.G. Webster, personal communication, 1986.

            41. ADAS, 1983, op. cit., p. 22.

            42. Z. Griliches, ‘Hybrid corn revisited: a reply’, Econometrica, 48, 6, September 1980, pp. 1463–1465.

            43. Kellogg Farm Management Unit and Shannon Robertson Ltd., personal communications, 1986.

            44. Mickan, loc. cit.

            45. P. Scudamore, ‘The development of on-farm computer systems’, Farm Management, 5, 9, Spring 1985, pp. 357–362.

            46. D. Bennett, Q. Harrington, I. Moncrieff, M. Stevens, R. Collins, and P. Seaman, ‘Foreword’, Computers in Agriculture, University of Western Australia, 1983.

            47. P.H. Hall, J.J. Nightingale and T.G. MacAulay, ‘A survey of microcomputer ownership and usage’, Prometheus, 3, 1, June 1985, pp. 156–173.

            48. J. Rogerson, Victorian Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, personal communication, 1986.

            49. R. Conran, Information Express, personal communication, 1986.

            50. Delaney, loc. cit.

            51. Scudamore, loc. cit.

            52. The claim that software has been written by farmers for farmers is a powerful selling point, and the British firms enjoying most success in agricultural software sales were launched by farmers such as P. Scudamore of Farmplan, M. Mackie or Farmdata, G. Patterson of Farmfax and S. Webster of Amplan.

            53. CMA, loc. cit.

            54. CMA, loc. cit.

            55. McKinlay and Collard, op. cit.

            56. Delaney, loc. cit.

            57. Wilcock, loc. cit.

            58. Wilcock, op. cit.

            59. Delaney, loc. cit.; Hall et al., loc. cit.

            60. CMA, loc. cit.; Offer, loc. cit.

            61. P. Oliver, ‘An evaluation of the benefits of on-farm information systems’, unpublished M. Appl. Sci. thesis, Lincoln College, 1986.

            62. D.J.R. Macrae, ‘The 1984 CMA computer survey’, Farm Management, 5, 8, Winter 1984/85, pp. 339–343.

            63. P. L. Nuthall, ‘The development and evaluation of farm business software’, in Computers in Agriculture, University of Western Australia, 1984b, pp. 122–135.

            64. Scudamore, loc. cit.

            65. For example, it has been claimed that the time needed to develop an SQL program is between five and 20 times shorter in 90 per cent of applications, compared with conventional third generation database software, G.M. Nijssen and E.D. Falkenberg, Introduction to IBM SQL, Release 2, Nijssen Data Bases Pty. Ltd., 1984.

            66. D. Foy, ‘A sign of the times’, Farm Computer News, February 1986.

            67. Nuthall, 1984a, loc. cit.

            68. Neales, loc. cit.

            69. S. R. Harrison, ‘Impacts of microcomputers on the farm management profession’, address to the Queensland Branch of the Australian Agricultural Economics Society, Brisbane, 1985.

            70. N.E. Delaney and S. Chamala, ‘Electronic information technology relevant to agricultural extension in Australia’, Department of Agriculture, University of Queensland, 1985.

            71. P.L. Stoneham and P.A. David, ‘Adoption subsidies Vs information provision as instruments of technology policy’, Supplement to Economic Journal, Vol. 96, 1986, pp. 141–150.

            72. Stoneham and David, loc. cit.

            73. The sales tax rate on software is unchanged at 20 per cent, but is to be levied on the value of the contents rather than the value of the medium on which the software is contained. Exemptions are available where software is used for ‘manufacturing’, which includes dairy shed production recording systems.

            74. Anon., Goods and Services Tax’, Kellogg Farm Management Unit Newsletter, June 1986, p. 4.

            75. For example, see G.M. Nijssen and A.J. O'Rourke, SQL: a Textbook for Queensland Secondary Schools, Faith International, 1986.

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