Learning objectives
The aims of the course are to enable students to acquire basic knowledge of the functioning of the market, to draw up an economic balance sheet for farms as well as the other accounting instruments necessary for analysing stock farming management. In-depth studies will then be carried out on the various forms of organisation of agricultural producers and the relationships with instruments of agricultural policy.
Prerequisites
No
Course unit content
The Italian and European zootechnical framework. Review of economic theory. Agricultural products market. Farming and business. The farm economic balance sheet. Production economics. Organisation of producers. Tax reform in agriculture. Collecting economic data on breeding farms. Analysis of zootechnical business management.
Full programme
1. Agriculture and the economic system.
Introduction to the contents and methods of farm economics.
Differentiating the features of agriculture from other economic sectors.
Economic systems: free market economies, planned economies and mixed economies.
2. Types of economy.
The concepts of micro-economics and macro-economics.
From a subsistence economy to a market economy.
3. The zootechnical framework.
From European to national level.
Analysis of the current situation and the dynamics of the past.
From the production to consumption of animal-based food products.
Importance of the organisation of the zootechnical supply chain.
4. Introduction to economy theory.
From the principle of hedonism to the birth of the economy.
Objectives of economic activities.
The concepts of goods, needs and utilities.
Consumer behaviour and balance.
Supply, demand and price formation.
Equilibrium price, spider's web theorem.
5. Agricultural product market.
Market functions, various types of market.
The conditions of the perfect competition market.
Monopolies and the search for economic excellence.
Production and processing.
Sale and consumption.
Distribution channels and the cost of distribution.
6. Company and business.
Meaning of company and business, objective and subjective components.
The members of a farming company: production factors.
Various types of business and business choices.
Word calendar.
7. Production economics.
The production cycle.
The production function.
Production costs.
Economies of scale.
Optimum combination of production factors and means.
8. The economics balance sheet in farm businesses.
Objectives and types of balance sheet.
Total gross production and saleable production.
Calculating meat production and gross “stable” profit.
The costs of reintegrating business capital.
Net product and distribution.
Remuneration of production factors.
Net farm profit and business types.
The general equation of profit.
Estimated budgets and final balance sheets.
Partial balance sheets: production cost, crop accounts, gross stable profit and processing value.
Civil law balance sheets.
EU balance sheets: profit and loss account, assets and liabilities statement and notes to the accounts.
Reclassification of the economic balance sheet in farms.
9. Farm economics.
Food chain economics.
Animal selection economics.
Health and hygiene economics.
10. Farming organizations.
Animal farm business integration, integration models.
Forms of cooperative.
Agricultural and zootechnical cooperation with particular reference of dairies and community stables.
Producer organisations.
11. Agricultural taxation.
Tax reform and accounts.
Introduction to the main tax regulations governing agriculture.
Tax relief in agriculture.
12. Sources of statistical information in agriculture.
Importance of information sources in a global market.
Main sources of information and the type of data provided.
The EU Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN).
13. Farm surveying.
Accounting methods.
Structural measurements and inventories.
Economic accounting.
14. Data processing.
Double entry accounting.
Encryption and registration of data for electronic processing.
Processing with AGRICONT software.
Processing with ANAGEA software.
15. Zootechnical business management analysis
Drawing up economic balance sheets for farms.
Drawing up structural, economic and financial indices.
16. Farm efficiency analysis.
Inter-time and inter-business comparisons.
Calculating production costs in farms.
Calculating processing values.
Zootechnical variables in milk production.
Budget planning.
17. Farm financial analysis.
Limits and possibilities for agricultural and zootechnical businesses.
Bibliography
BREGOLI A. - Bilancio e contabilità dell'azienda agraria. Liviana Editrice, Padova, 1987.
PANATTONI A., CAMPUS F. - Economia dell'azienda agraria. UTET, Torino, 1974.
SALGHETTI A. - Analisi di gestione delle aziende zootecniche. Banca Popolare di Verona, Verona, 1988.
ZUCCHI G. - Zooeconomia. Economia del sistema delle produzioni animali. Edizioni Avenue media, Bologna, 2006.
Teaching methods
Frontal teaching.
Assessment methods and criteria
Oral examination.
Other information
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