Economics and management of vegetable production

Abstract

The Vegetable and Produce Growers Federation for a number of years has been encouraging collection of costs of production of process crops. While this is valuable in maintaining a watching brief on processor payouts, it is only one factor in assessing the relative profitability of competing crops. The full science or art, of management must be brought to bear on the problems before any solution can be suggested. With farmers diversifying into vegetable production and others likely to follow as processing expands into export it is opportune that a course such as this was held at this time. Some of the discussions show the pertinence of papers to problems facing the industry right now. Others show the way to the future. The course offered a new look in education to vegetable growers. We have maintained that our greatest contribution to the established grower is to bring recent information to his notice - preferably after he has been in the industry for some time. With a recession in fresh vegetable prices, "economic" management is probably the most serious omission from growers' education. Fortunately in this department and others in the College we can present an expertise in this modern subject. The papers do not attempt to answer all specific questions but are designed to give a base on which the individual grower can build for himself from his own experience. They also may serve to demonstrate to the grower that in horticulture we have a long way to go to fill the gaps in our "management" knowledge. It behoves all growers to help us and consequently themselves to acquire this knowledge. Finally I must thank all lecturers at this course for they provided a stimulating four days and all growers who attended, for without a receptive audience no course can succeed.