Dr Jeremy Robert Franks
Senior Lecturer

  • Email: j.r.franks@ncl.ac.uk
  • Telephone: +44 (0) 191 222 7428
  • Fax: +44 (0) 191 222 7811
  • Address: Room 4.16
    SAFRD
    Agriculture Building
    University of Newcastle
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE1 7RU

Introduction

After graduating with a BSc in Agriculture, I retrained as an agricultural economist at the Universities of Reading and Manchester. I now teach on core farm business management modules and contribute to marketing. My principle UK research interests are environmental policy and all aspects of the economics of milk production. My principle non-UK research interests are the economics of transition and the reform of the farming sector in Russia.

Background

I have a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Reading. After several years gaining practical experience, I retrained as an agricultural economics at the universities of Reading and Manchester, where I completed my PhD into predicting financial stress in farm businesses.

Roles and Responsibilities

I am the Admission Tutor for postgraduate research students into the SAFRD.

Qualifications

BSc Agriculture (Reading), Diploma Ag Ec (Reading), MSc Ag Economics (Reading), PhD (Manchester).

Previous Positions

Research Assistant at the University of Manchester

Memberships

Member of the Institute of Agricultural Management.

Informal Interests

Reading, walking, ornithology, and surfing. I also enjoy watching cricket and rugby.

Research Interests

Farm business and enterprise financial analysis.

Agriculture-environmental policy.

Farm structure, and business form, particularly in relation to co-operative working.
The analysis of milk production: the economics of producing and marketing of milk in the UK.
Estimating relative enterprise efficiency (applied to milk production).
Analysis of farmers' attitudes towards the use of new technologies.
Farming in Russia: business and marketing structures post-reform

Other Expertise

Conducting large-scale postal surveys.
Conducting small-scale, face-to-face on-farm interviews.
Analysing survey data: analytical methodologies include cross section and time series analysis.

Current Work

I have recently completed research into:
Dutch Environmental Co-operatives;
Win-win solutions and the Voluntary Approach to regulation;
Farming reform in Russia: survey data from Novosibirsk Oblast.

Future Research

Agri-environmental policy.
Farm business structure.
The development of Russian farming systems.
The development of food chains in Russia.

Research Roles

Currently writing-up papers from the Dutch Environmental Co-operative research.

Esteem Indicators

2004 - .. Editor Journal of Farm Management.
2002 Invited to present The Middleton Public Lecture.
2003 Invited to present a paper at the annual Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF).
2003 Invited to present a paper at the Irish National Dairy Conference in Kilkenny Ireland.
         Member of the panel of "international experts" to reflect upon the papers presented at the 14th                 International Farm Management Congress in Perth, Australia.
2005 - .. Associate Editor, Journal of Agricultural Economics.
2006 Invited to present a plenary paper to the Nordic Association of Agricultural Scientists, Oslo.

Funding

The Farmers Fund.
Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU).
Yorkshire Agricultural Society.
Water UK.

Industrial Relevance

Much of my work is applied and so has substantial relevance to the agricultural industry. For example, I have worked on an analysis of the economics of milk quota and on estimating structural change in UK milk producers. The work on sexed semen use in suckler cow herds was based on a survey of suckler beef farmers. My current research is focuses on innovative methods of delivering an improved agricultural environment.

Patents

None

Undergraduate Teaching

ACE2020   Introduction to Farm Management.
ACE3036   Farm Management.
ACE3024   Farm Business Planning and Control.
ACE2010   Agricultural Marketing.

ACE3067   Climate Change and Land Use.
ACE3098   Agriculture Dissertations.

Postgraduate Teaching

ACE8049 Climate Change: Science, Policy and Action