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Module

NES3001 : Farm Business Consultancy

  • Offered for Year: 2024/25
  • Module Leader(s): Dr Jeremy Robert Franks
  • 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: 10
Semester 2 Credit Value: 10
ECTS Credits: 10.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

To provide knowledge and understanding of the management control systems used in crop and livestock enterprises and at the whole farm level.

The module deals with strategic planning of the business, the compilation of feasibility studies and development of business plans.

It covers the principles and practice of farm enterprise management through recording, monitoring and controlling crop and livestock enterprises, with the principal aim of identifying and implementing improvements in performance.

Outline Of Syllabus

Arable and livestock management on NUFarms.

This involves planning rotations, assessing crop and livestock enterprise profitability, staff planning and machinery inventories, depreciation and replacement schedules.
Whole-farm planning includes use of SWOT analysis to inform strategic planning decisions, and cost-benefit analysis (partial-budgets) to inform feasibility studies. The module will also cover benchmarking performance and construction of cash flow and profit and loss budgets.

Additional subjects covered include - personnel management and land and farming agreements.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture202:0040:00PiP lectures
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion150:0050:00A compulsory assessment based on developing a farm business. (S2)
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion140:0040:00Assessment based on NUFarms (S1)
Guided Independent StudySkills practice202:3050:00Each student will be asked to make a formative presentation based on material that will comprise some elements of the semester 1 summative assessment
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesFieldwork24:008:00Farm visits - one in each semester
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesFieldwork112:0012:00This includes preparation for the farm visit and travel to the farm.
Total200:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

In class lectures are used to introduce concepts of business planning at both enterprise and whole-business levels.

Student presentations in classes enable them to practise summarising complex information and presenting the key information required. The workshops will assist students to complete the module assessments.

Field work (farm) visits will assist students to integrate the theoretical principals taught in the classroom with practical considerations faced by farm managers and be used to under-pin the module assessments.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Report1M25A report on either an arable or livestock enterprise. Team work - Max 1,000 words. Students working in teams must submit their assignment and the NUFARM spreadsheet they have been instructed to use to complete the assignment.
Report2M75Whole farm business assessment involving major changes and developments to a farm business. Team work, max 2,250 words.
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
Prof skill assessmnt1MThe formative presentation will help students develop their teamwork, and their presentation skills.
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The summative assessment requires students to start work on the assessment at a early state in the semester. It also provides an opportunity to receive feedback at a time when it can materially assist with their understanding of what the assignment requires, and therefore help them to develop a more detailed and accurate report.

The formative assessments are designed to examine students knowledge of agricultural management activities in a real world situation. The formative assessments provide students with the opportunity to submit consultancy quality reports to a practical, working farm manager.

Reading Lists

Timetable