Newcastle University

Introduction

Philip Cain is a farm economist teaching honours year courses in farm business planning and control.
His main research interest is computer modelling to assess the effects on farm viability of changes in farming systems including the introduction of new technology and new regulations such as animal welfare protocols.
He is also the Farms Director of the University farms which comprise 800ha on two sites in Northumberland, with 400 dairy cows, 200 beef cattle, 200 breeding sows, 400ha of combinable crops and 160 ha of organically farmed land producing organic milk, potatoes and vegetables.

Research Interests

Systems Modelling - Computer Modelling of farming systems to assess the effects of changes in the technical and economic environment of Agriculture including:-
Low-input farming systems
Precision farming techniques
Livestock systems in developing countries
Impact of genetic improvement
Decision Support Systems (DSS) - Computer based DSS tools for commercial application in the analysis of farm business performance.
Eastern European Agriculture - Analysis of the process of transition in Eastern Europe, particularly Hungary, Bulgaria and Estonia.
Computer Aided Learning (CAL) - Development of CAL software for use in teaching and training in farm business management. Development of Web-based teaching materials with case studies in European Agriculture.

Projects

• PigSAFE: Re-designing the farrowing environment from first principles to optimise animal welfare and economic performance
  This was a 3 year project at Newcastle University and SAC sponsored by Defra and involving steering group input from BPEX, QMS and RSPCA. Design and construction assistance

Undergraduate Teaching

ACE3024 Farm business planning and control
ACE3036 Farm management
ACE2020 Introduction to Farm Management
ACE1014 Agriculture and Farm Mechanisation
ACE1016 British Agriculture

• Cain P, Anwar M, Rowlinson P. Assessing the critical factors affecting the viability of small-scale dairy farms in the Punjab region of Pakistan to inform agricultural extension programmes. Agricultural Systems 2007, 94(2), 320-330.
• Cain PJ, Guy JH. Counting the cost of improved welfare for breeding sows in the UK. Farm Management 2006, 12, 427-442.
• Cain PJ, Guy JH, Bornett HLI. The cost of increased animal welfare standards in UK pig production systems. Farm Management 2003, 11(7), 433-444.
• Franks JR, Cain PJ, Farrar J. Economic efficiency in milk production: Scale and non-scale effects. Farm Management 2002, 11(4), 243-267.
• Bornett HLI, Guy JH, Cain PJ. Impact of animal welfare on costs and viability of pig production in the UK. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 2003, 16(2), 163-186.
• Cain PJ, Venus CA. Appraisal of farm business performance. Farm Management 2000, 10(8), 475-485.
• Guy JH, Cain PJ, Seddon YM, Baxter EM, Edwards SA. Economic evaluation of high welfare indoor farrowing systems for pigs. Animal Welfare 2012, 21(s1), 19-24.
• Montagne L, Bosi P, Boudry C, Cain PJ, Couvreur S, Guy JR, Lundeheim N. Sustainable Pig Production in the EU; an example of Erasmus intensive teaching programme. In: Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production. 2010, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
• Anwar M, Cain PJ, Rowlinson P, Kahn MS, Abdullah M, Babar ME. Factors affecting the shape of the lactation curve in Nili-Ravi buffaloes in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, Supplementary series 2009, 9, 201-207.
• Mehmood A, Cain PJ. Poverty Targeting in Rural Sialkot-Pakistan; Application of Modified Participatory Wealth Ranking technique. In: Livelihoods and well-being in developing countries: Multidisciplinary approaches. 2007, Oxford, UK: Global Poverty Research Group.
• Guy JH, Bornett HLI, Cain PJ. The comparative cost of higher welfare in UK pig finishing systems. What price cheap food. In: Occasional Meeting of the British Society of Animal Science. 2002, York.
• Guy JH, Bornett HLI, Cain PJ. The comparative costs of higher welfare in UK pig finishing systems: What Price Cheap Food. In: Occasional Meeting of the British Society of Animal Science. 2002, Edinburgh, Scotland.
• Franks JR, Farrar J, Cain PJ. The Economic Efficiency in the Use of Inputs: Milk. London: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 2001.