NES3003 : Applied Farm Business Management
- Offered for Year: 2026/27
- Module Leader(s): Mr Simon Parker
- Owning School: Natural and Environmental Sciences
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The module aims to
1. Develop a basic understanding of the principles of business management based on planning - control - monitoring - analysis - revision.
2. Develop principles (taught in NES2002 Farm Business Management) relating to the combination of resources to achieve efficient resource-use to develop a profitable farm business.
3. Develop the tools necessary to allow students to plan, control, monitor, analyse and revise plans at the farm and enterprise level.
4. Develop an understanding of the factors which affect the efficient use of the principal fixed farm resources - land, labour, machinery and capital, and the role of entrepreneurship in creating profitable enterprise and farm businesses.
5. Allow students to undertake the use of analytical tools (cash flow budgeting, partial and full farm budgets) to prepare enterprise and whole farm management plans.
Outline Of Syllabus
1. Farm Resource Planning:
a Resource allocation
b. Resource limitation
c. Resource optimization (linear programming methodology)
d. Enterprise integration
2. Enterprise Control:
a. Monitoring physical performance indicators
b. Data management and manipulation
c. Extrapolation and Prediction strategies (Data extension)
3. Marketing of Agricultural Produce
a. Spot & Forward Markets
i. Cereals and Oilseeds
b. Contract Marketing
i. Milk
ii. Potatoes
iii. Sugar beet
c. Quality assured markets
i. Red Meat
4. Machinery planning, organisation, and acquisition
a. Machinery requirement and Purchase strategies.
b. Non purchased machinery acquisition strategies.
5. Investment appraisal techniques
a. Accounting Rate of return.
b. Net Present Value.
i. Internal Rate of return.
c. Payback Period.
6. Alternative Enterprise Planning (Farm Diversification)
7. Personnel management.
a. Labour planning.
b. Gang work planning.
c. labour legislation.
8. Financial Accounts Analysis and Interpretation (follow on from Stage 2)
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 5 | 8:00 | 40:00 | Case studies |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 5 | 2:00 | 10:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Drop in workshops to assist with learning |
| Guided Independent Study | Project work | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Fieldwork | 7 | 8:00 | 56:00 | Field visit to the host venue to look at a farm for "tender for rental" purposes |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 16 | 4:00 | 64:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures introduce the main concepts and principles of farm management (aims 1 and 2).
Lectures also introduce analytical tools used to monitor and control farm businesses and farm enterprises (aims 3 and 4).
Workshops allow students to practice the analytical tools (aims 5). These workshops undertaken as individual study and in small groups to help verbal communication of recommendations (aims 5 and 6).
The assessed coursework allows students to use their imagination to construct an original farm management plan (aims 4 and 5), to integrate enterprise husbandry knowledge within diverse farming systems (aims 2 and 6) and to understand the role of farm management and financial accounts in planning and control (aims 1, 2 and 6).
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case study | 1 | M | 40 | A Resource Efficiency Use Assessment will allow students to undertake an assessment of a defined business, resource allocation will be critically assessed, and recommendations offered to the business manager (approx. 2000 words or equivalent). |
| Case study | 1 | M | 60 | The financial impact of the recommended changes in Case Study 1 will be identified, implemented, and demonstrated through illustration of changes to profitability, business stability, Net Worth, and cash flow viability (approx. 2000 words or equivalent). |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | A precursor to the Case study undertaken in class during which students undertake the completion of exercises to construct business accounts and analyse the accounts to establish what is affecting the business (approx. 2000 words or equivalent). |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
This is an applied subject in which techniques and concepts must be practised in problem-based assignment work. The Resource Efficiency Use Assessment (Case study 1) will allow students to demonstrate understanding of the implementation of resource utilization. (Outcomes 1 & 2, 4 & 7).
The formative exercise and summative Farm Business Planning exercise (Case Study 2) develop students' understanding of resource allocation and the impact that it has on financial viability (aims 5, 6, 7 and 8).
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NES3003's Timetable