Papers
Occasional, briefing and discussion papers released by the Australian Farm Institute are available for free download.
Published 26 Feb 2021
Broadacre irrigation in the southern Murray-Darling Basin is set to change dramatically: is this the creative destruction we want? In discussions about the Basin Plan and re-balancing extractive water rights in favour of environmental needs, one key reform has been consistently underestimated in its significant and permanent effect on irrigation…
Published 30 Nov 2020
The Federal Government has announced that part of Australia’s strategy to deal with the economic impacts of COVID-19 will be a ‘gas-led recovery’. However, increasing gas production in Australia creates obstacles to the agriculture sector’s economic viability, social cohesion, environmental stewardship and ability to meet sustainability goals.
Published 26 Nov 2020
The production of dairy products is associated with environmental impacts, and these impacts have resulted in calls within the popular media to reduce dairy consumption for the benefit of the environment (e.g. Carrington, 2018; Eating Better, 2020). Impacts of current production are estimated by environmental footprints; the use of environmental…
Published 1 Sep 2020
AFI Submission to the ACCC inquiry on bargaining power in agriculture. Bargaining and market power imbalances have long been a source of angst for participants in Australian agricultural supply chains and an ongoing concern for policy-makers. The exercise (and often misuse) of power by leading firms who are able to…
Published 22 May 2020
Regenerative agriculture describes a set of practices and principles which aim to increase biodiversity, enrich soils, improve watersheds, and enhance ecosystem services. These are goals which are obviously desirable and are understandably generating significant interest in regenerative agriculture methods amongst farmers and the wider community more generally.
Published 4 May 2020
Australian agriculture is a highly globalised industry, with 71% of all production being exported. This global exposure means that economic, trade and political factors in other countries can have significant impacts on the operations and profitability of Australian farmers and the industry. These impacts are exacerbated as Australian farmers receive…
Published 7 Oct 2019
A submission to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources from the Australian Farm Institute. The business of agriculture in Australia has historically been beset with risk. While production practices are constantly improving, the challenges of climate change, energy prices, poor data collection, inadequate digital adoption and immaturity of…
Published 21 Feb 2019
Almost 20 years after deregulation of the Australian dairy industry, Labor has flagged a potential return to government intervention in the market. If elected in May, a Labor Government will task the ACCC to assess and test the efficacy of a Minimum Farm Gate Milk Price and to make recommendations…
Published 16 Jan 2018
Destinations of agriculture graduates from Australian universities and Marcus Oldham College were considered using the database of the GradLink program operated by Rimfire Resources for the period 2004-2014. This accounted for around 1000 graduates or one in six graduates for the period and comprised a gender balance similar to that…
Published 16 May 2013
Too often we see ‘economic projections’ or ‘forecasts’ used unwarily. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) failing to estimate the consequences of European austerity measures on the European Union (EU) growth rates is a prime example. A core assumption of the IMF model in 2010 was that a 1% decrease of…
Published 23 Feb 2012
The agricultural industry is at the crossroads in terms of workforce capacity. Evidence is present that there is a sizeable job market i agriculture and more than 4000 jobs per year are consistently being advertised seeking agricultural professionals. Conversely the number of graduates being supplied by Australian universities continues to…
Published 31 Jan 2011
Australia’s river systems, particularly the Murray-Darling Basin, are under considerable stress. The condition of the basin’s rivers has been well documented, such as through the Sustainable Rivers Audit, which found that twenty of the twenty-three river valleys are in poor or very poor health.
Some of the papers included above were previously published as the Primary Report, a monthly publication from the NSW Farmers’ Association. Authored by Mick Keogh, former Executive Director of the Australian Farm Institute, these occasional papers are included on the Institute’s website for your information.