AARES
News and Views
Volume 14, Number 1, April 2002
http://www.general.uwa.edu.au/u/aares/n-v0201.htm
AARES
News and Views
Contents
PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
Ron Duncan
I am very pleased to be taking over as AARES President from Julian Alston, and to be working with the great team on the Council. The Society appears to be in generally good shape, not least because of the efforts of Council members in recent years. The AARES approach to the role of President is one that spreads out the duties in a manageable way; with the President-Elect responsible for organising the Annual Conference; then in the Presidential year the main responsibilities concern the management of Council activities, while having a whole year to worry about what to say in the presidential address. In the third year as past-President on the Council, one can make all the accumulated institutional memory available for the benefit of the Society.
From all the reports that I have seen and heard, the Annual Conference in Canberra was greatly enjoyed by members and visitors. The Local Organising Committee of Paul Morris, Michelle Scoccimarro, Liz Petersen, Martin van Bueren, Ray Trewin, and Jeff Bennett, and chaired by Max Lawrence, did a wonderful job. Max was tireless in his efforts to keep things moving along. Jeff and Liz also did a great job with the never-easy task of organising the Contributed Papers sessions. Thanks are also due to Paul Morris, Ray Trewin and Donna Brennan who made the arrangements for the Pre-Conference workshop on “WTO: issues for developing countries”. Mal Wegener single-handedly organised the other Pre-Conference workshop on “Rural livelihoods and adjustment: a challenge for agricultural economists”. The numbers attending the Pre-Conference workshops were not large, but the discussions were most productive and it was good to see the wide range of people drawn to these workshops. Particular thanks go to the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and the Australian Agency for International Development for their funding support of the WTO workshop, which allowed trade experts from developing countries in the Asia Pacific region to attend the workshop and the Conference. The US Farm Foundation kindly gave support to the rural adjustment workshop.
An innovation introduced at this Annual Conference was the sponsorship of Contributed Paper sessions by interested organisations. The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) sponsored a session at which papers prepared by researchers working on RIRDC-funded research projects were presented. The Productivity Commission sponsored two sessions on environmental topics.
Other sponsors of the Conference were the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry-Australia, the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and the National Centre for Development Studies at the Australian National University. The funds provided by these sponsors made it possible to pay for the attendance of several invited speakers from overseas - an increasingly important aspect of our Annual Conference. I am very pleased to report that several of these sponsors have already indicated their support for the next Conference.
It was a particular disappointment for me that Yair Mundlak was unable to present the annual Alan Lloyd Address due to ill health. Scott Rozelle very kindly and capably gave the address. I am pleased to let you know that Yair Mundlak is out of hospital and recovering well.
At the Conference, the Society honoured four members as Distinguished Fellows: Kym Anderson, Geoff Edwards, John Freebairn, and Al Watson. Peter Druce, one of the initiators of the Society, was honoured as a Distinguished Life Member. Our congratulations to all for their long and distinguished contributions to the Society and to agricultural and resource economics.
The AARES 2003 Conference will be held in Fremantle, WA, and already the Local Organising Committee has made good progress. The feedback that was provided from the Canberra conference will be very helpful in making this a great event.
Council will have a few new faces this year, with Dave Pannell stepping down after his year as past-President. Our many thanks to Dave for his tireless efforts, and in particular for the work that he has put into the development of the Society’s website. Dave also gave a great deal of time to putting together a compilation of all the Council’s policy decisions that he could find. Michelle Scoccimarro has stood down as Secretary and deserves a huge vote of thanks for her contributions to the Society in recent years, both at branch level as well as national level. Liz Petersen has stepped forward to take over the position of Secretary, continuing her contributions to the Society at branch level in WA and the ACT. Council also welcomes the President-Elect, Bill Malcolm, and looks forward to his energetic participation. Congratulations on your election, Bill. Our thanks go to the other office bearers who are continuing in their positions (Mal Wegener, Treasurer; Lisa Brennan, Manager: Promotion and Development; AJARE Editors Chris O’Donnell and John Mullen; and Tracy Henderson, Editor, AARES News and Views), and to the branch councillors.
I hope that we
can continue to build on the good work of recent Councils, and make the
Society even stronger and more relevant. We will be looking for new ways
to do this and I would appreciate any suggestions from members. Very best
wishes for 2002.
WORKSHOP REPORT
RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND ADJUSTMENT – A CHALLENGE FOR AGRICULTURAL ECONOMISTS
A workshop to address the key issues affecting rural livelihoods and to develop policy initiatives was held at Rydges Lakeside Hotel in Canberra prior to the AARES 2002 Conference.
As a result of the Workshop, convenor Mal Wegener believes that AARES should encourage members of the agricultural and resource economics profession to reach out and work more closely with policy specialists from other disciplinary backgrounds in regional science, transport and communications, and rural development, to ensure that sensible policy guidelines for rural and regional development are available to the Australian state and federal governments.
Such policies are required to achieve three objectives:
Keynote speaker at the workshop was Mark Drabenstott who is the Director of the Centre for the study of Rural America within the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He was introduced by the US Farm Foundation President, Walter Armbruster, who has encouraged the conduct of similar workshops in the US in the past couple of years. Dr Drabenstott pointed out that the challenges facing policy-makers dealing with the problems of rural and regional Australia are not unique. Many countries such as the United States, Ireland, and parts of Europe have similar problems and are developing policies to deal with the relevant issues.
Other speakers at the workshop were:
It is proposed
that summaries of each of the workshop presentations and key points from
the discussions will appear in the Policy Forum section of the Journal
in the near future. In addition, a succinct statement about policy objectives
to address adjustment problems in rural and regional Australia is being
prepared for distribution among interested parties. Contact Mal Wegener
for further details (malcolm.wegener@mailbox.uq.edu.au).
NOTICEBOARD
AARES AWARDS for 2001
Prize for PhD research: Thilak Mallawaarachchi
The title of his PhD is "Economic-Environmental Trade-offs in the Australian Sugar Industry: Issues of Efficiency and Equity in Land Allocation". He studied at James Cook University and his supervisors’ were Professor John Quiggin, Dr Mal Wegener and Dr Owen Stanley.
Prize for Master’s research: Nicholas J Berger
The title of His Master’s thesis is "Modelling structural and policy changes in the world wine market into the 21st century". He studied at the University of Adelaide and his supervisor was Kym Anderson.
Undergraduate prize winners:
John Quiggin, for the article "Environmental economics and the Murray-Darling river system", published in Volume 45, No. 1 (March 2001).AARES /AAEA Young Professionals Exchange Travel Award - Heading South:
Dan Phaneuf, North Carolina State UniversityAARES /AAEA Young Professionals Exchange Travel Award - Heading North:
Liz Petersen, The Australian National UniversityAARES Annual Conference First Time Presenter Prize:
Awarded to Chris Fleming for the presentation on "The Economic Implications of a Multiple Species Approach to Bioeconomic Modelling".2002 Distinguished Fellows:
Alistair S. Watson2002 Distinguished Life Member:
Peter C. DrucePast winners of AARES awards are shown at http://www.general.uwa.edu.au/u/aares/prizes.htm
NOMINATIONS FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT AND DISTINGUISHED FELLOWSHIPS
The Nominations Committee, consisting of Julian Alston (Chair), John Mullen, David Pannell, and Alistair Watson, calls for nominations for President-Elect and Distinguished Fellowships for the year 2003. Formal nominations should be submitted to Julian by Sunday, June 30, 2002 (Fax: +1 530 752-3283, Email: julian@primal.ucdavis.edu, Mail: Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California-Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis CA 95616, USA). Nominations for President-Elect should be dated and signed by the nominator, a seconder, and the candidate.
Distinguished
Fellowships are awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution
to agricultural and resource economics and/or the activities of AARES.
Past winners of this prestigious award are shown at
http://www.general.uwa.edu.au/u/aares/prizes.htm.
Nominations should include a brief biography (see the December 2001 issue
of AJARE for some examples).
AARES-AAEA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS EXCHANGE TRAVEL AWARDS
In 2001 AARES and the American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA) offered two travel awards, and the awards will be offered again in 2002. These awards are intended for agricultural and resource economists in the early stages of their careers, in order to provide them with an opportunity for professional and personal development and international professional and cultural exchange. Each award has a value of US$2,000 to be used to assist the winner to participate in the annual conference of either the AARES or the AAEA. Applicants for these awards must be members of both the AARES and the AAEA, and preference will be given to more-junior applicants. Award recipients will be determined by a committee, based on a submitted paper, a one-page biographical statement, and a one-page statement in support of their application. Recipients will be expected to present the paper at the conference.
The first award, "Heading South," was awarded to Daniel Phaneuf of North Carolina State University to support his participation in the AARES 2002 conference. Dan presented a paper in Canberra entitled "Kuhn-Tucker recreation demand models with large choice sets: an application to beach recreation". The second award, "Heading North," was awarded to Liz Peterson of the Australian National University to support her participation at the AAEA 2002 conference to be held at Long Beach, California in August. Liz will present a paper at this conference entitled "Economic policy, institutions and fisheries development in the Pacific".
North American residents are invited to apply for the "Heading South" award, which will support participation in the February 2003 Annual Conference of the AARES to be held in Fremantle, Western Australia. The award will include US$1,500 cash, and registration and lodging at the conference. A complete application will include the following items: (1) an original and unpublished paper for presentation at the conference, (2) a one-page biographical statement, and (3) a one-page statement in support of the application, indicating what the applicant would hope to accomplish through the award, and why they would be deserving of the award. The winner of the award will be determined by a committee, based on the submitted materials, with some emphasis on the quality of the paper. Applicants must be members of both the AARES and the AAEA. Electronic submissions (in PDF format) should be e-mailed to Nick Piggott (nick_piggott@ncsu.edu). Applications must be received by June 28, 2002, and the winner will be announced at the Reception of the North American Branch of the AARES, to be held at the AAEA meeting in Long Beach. Please address any questions about the application process to Nick Piggott (nick_piggott@ncsu.edu).
The "Heading North" award will include US$2,000 cash to cover attendance at the AAEA 2003 conference. Check future issues of News & Views for application details. Applications will be due toward the end of the year.
So all you young
professionals should note these awards in your diaries and start planning
to submit an application. Please address any questions about the application
process to either Jenni James (Jjames@psu.edu)
or Garry Griffith (garry.griffith@agric.nsw.gov.au).
CONNECTIONS: FARM, FOOD AND RESOURCE ISSUES
Feedback about our first issue has been very positive, thank you. Don't forget if you have some good vibrations or some latent hostility about any of the articles let it loose. Please pick up the phone or shoot an email in to Bill or myself. It's your publication and we would like to hear from you!
It is not going to be possible to get the Autumn 2002 issue out this month because we do not have the contributions to hand that scribes have promised. Also, the editors have been slow in the transition area post national conference and have not hit the keyboard and phones hard enough! An aim of the pilot period is that we get a feel for what is possible and what is not, so we are doing what we can without panicking.
One issue that has been brought to our attention is that some researchers find it difficult to contemplate doing an extension article; an extra commitment to their research work. Perhaps we need to think of rewards for writers - ideas and sponsors welcome! Perhaps researchers need to think of the potential benefits of 'research and extension'. The world needs both and some of our inaugural issue authors have observed the complementarity of the stable of AARES and AAA publications now that AARES AJARE, AARES News and Views, AAA Review, AAA Perspectives and AARES/AAA Connections are all available on-line.
Do not feel that
you have to be invited to submit an article to Connections. We would
like AARES and AAA members to own the publication and contribute when you
think that you see the opportunity to write an extension article about
your research work. If you would like to float your topic with us, or scout
someone else with a topic (member or non-member), again phone or email
to discuss.
| Glenn
Ronan
Co-Editor Connections: Farm, Food and Resource Issues Phone: (08) 8207 7903 Email: ronan.glenn@saugov.sa.gov.au |
Bill
Malcolm
Co-Editor Connections: Farm, Food and Resource Issues Phone: (03) 8344 5015 Email: b.malcolm@landfood.unimelb.edu.au |
See Connections:
Farm, Food and Resource Issues on the web at
http://www.agrifood.info/Connections/index.htm
CALL FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR IAAE 2006
The 26th
International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) Conference
is to be held in Brisbane, Australia in August 2006. It will be organised
by a committee of enthusiastic individuals from around Australia and internationally.
The AARES Queensland Branch, which has accepted responsibility for making
initial arrangements to stage the conference, calls for expressions of
interest from individuals to become members of the IAAE 2006 Organising
Committee. If interested, please forward your contact details to Tracy
Henderson (phone (07) 3365 1860; email s400640@student.uq.edu.au)
by 24 May 2002. We invite all AARES members to consider nominating to be
part of the Organising Committee – regardless of location and international
conference experience. We need your input and assistance.
5th ANNUAL AARES SYMPOSIUM AND JOHN DILLON COMMEMORATIVE DAY
The 5th Annual
AARES Symposium will be held at the University of New England, Armidale,
NSW on Thursday 19 September, 2002. The theme will be the new US Farm Bill
and implications for international agricultural trade. A number of international
visitors are expected to attend including keynote speaker Professor Dan
Sumner from the University of California- Davis (formerly USDA Assistant
Secretary for Economics and Senior Staff Economist, US President's Council
of Economic Advisers). The Symposium day will be followed by a day commemorating
the work of the late John Dillon on Friday 20 September. Further details
about these events will be made available in due course. Alternatively,
please contact Roley Piggott (phone (02) 6773 2313; email rpiggott@metz.une.edu.au).
Please mark your diaries.
BLACKWELL PUBLISHING MOVES AARES OPERATIONS TO MELBOURNE
Blackwell Publishing
has recently moved the management of AARES membership and AJARE subscriptions
from the UK to Melbourne. The Blackwell team responsible for managing AARES
operations is led by Jennifer McDonald, Journal Publishing Manager, Blackwell
Publishing Asia. Jennifer's contact details are: phone (03) 9347 0300 x827;
fax (03) 9347 5001; email jennifer.mcdonald@blackwellpublishingasia.com;
postal PO Box 378, 54 University St, Carlton South VIC 3053 Australia.
25TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMISTS
The 25th
International Conference of Agricultural Economists will be held 16-22
August 2003, International Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa. The
theme for the 2003 Conference is "Reshaping agriculture’s contributions
to society". The four sub-themes are (1) poverty reduction and economic
development, (2) environmental stewardship, (3) efficiency in food and
farming systems, and (4) consumer safety and food security. The due date
for submission of papers is 31 October 2002. Further details are available
on the conference web site http://www.iaae2003durban.co.za
or the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) web
site
http://www.iaae-agecon.org
11TH AUSTRALIAN AGRONOMY CONFERENCE
The 11th
Australian Agronomy Conference with the theme "Solutions for a better environment"
will be held 2-6 February 2003 at Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria.
For further details see
http://www.cdesign.com.au/agro2003
AAEA MEETINGS
The annual meeting
of the American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA) will be held
in Long Beach, California from 28 to 31 July 2002. The North American Branch
of the AARES will be holding a reception at the AAEA meetings, and all
members of the AARES who plan to attend the meetings are invited. North
American Branch members will receive details via e-mail, but if you are
not a member of the North American Branch, please contact Jenni James (JJames@psu.edu)
and she will send you the necessary details.
4TH ASIAN SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMISTS CONFERENCE
The 4th Asian Society of Agricultural Economists (ASAE) Conference will be held on 20-22 August 2002 in Alor Setar Kedah, Malaysia, with the theme "New challenges facing Asian agriculture under globalization". The conference is jointly organized by the Institute for Economic Research (INSPEK) of Universiti Utara Malaysia and the Malaysian Agricultural Economics Association (PETA); and will focus on the following topics:
ECONOMICS OF WATER AND AGRICULTURE - INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP
The Department
of Agricultural Economics and Management of the Hebrew University will
host an international workshop on "The economics of water and agriculture"
in honor of Professor Yoav Kislev who is retiring after more than 35 years
of teaching. The workshop will take place on the campus of the Faculty
of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences in Rehovot,
Israel, during December 18-20, 2002. The program of the workshop will include
both invited and selected presentations. We solicit papers in all areas
of agricultural and resource economics, and particularly encourage papers
in one of the following themes: water resources and irrigation; research
and development; growth and technological progress; agricultural and trade
policy; farm households in developed and developing countries. Shouldyou
be interested in presenting a paper at this workshop, please submit a one-page
abstract by May 31, 2002 to the following address: Dr Ayal Kimhi, Program
Co-Chair, The Economics of Water and Agriculture, Department of Agricultural
Economics and Management, Faculty of Agriculture, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot
76100, Israel. We expect to have some funds available to subsidise the
travel expenses of young participants. If you wish to be considered for
a travel subsidy, please enclose a one-page CV and a list of publications
with your submission. Graduate students and post-docs should also enclose
a letter of support from their supervisor. Further information may be obtained
at the workshop’s web site: http://departments.agri.huji.ac.il/economics/kenes-yoav4.html,
or directly from the program co-chairs: Dr Israel Finkelshtain (finkelsh@isdn.net.il);
Dr Ayal Kimhi (kimhi@agri.huji.ac.il).
SECOND WORLD CONGRESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMISTS
The Second World
Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists will be held at the Marriott
Hotel in Monterey, California from June 24-27, 2002. The Congress is sponsored
by the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE) and
the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE).
The four-day program will consist of plenary sessions with key-note speakers,
parallel sessions with contributed papers, and some sessions with invited
papers and panels on special topics in environmental and resource economics.
Further details of the Congress are available at http://www.aere.org
or http://www.eaere.org.
Reports to the 2002 Annual General Meeting
AARES
News and Views
PRESIDENT’S REPORT to the 2002 Annual General Meeting
Julian Alston
It has been a busy year for the AARES Federal Council. This President’s Report on the "State of the Society" encapsulates some main points about the things that have occupied our attention. Many of these topics are covered in more detail in other places: in other office bearers’ reports at this meeting or in recent issues of AARES News & Views.
General Picture
The main general message is that the Society is in good shape in terms of its membership and finances (as can be seen in the reports of the Manager: Promotion and Development and the Treasurer) but that we cannot take this for granted. The recent positive trends in both AARES membership and its financial picture are at odds with what has been happening in the American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA), for instance. Bucking the global trends has taken significant effort, and it will take continuing effort to sustain the gains we have made, let alone add to them. Importantly, we have had to face up to the reality that we can no longer rely on the implicit subsidy of substantial institutional support. Everything we do in future - including the publication of the Journal, the provision of Central Office services, and the organisation of our annual Conferences and Symposia - will have to be done on a more-nearly fully commercial basis. These somewhat sobering sentiments are important background for some decisions taken in the past 12 months.
Blackwell Contract
Our original contract with Blackwell was for a five-year period, ending in 2001. This contract specifies the terms under which Blackwell manages our subscriptions, maintains lists of our members, and publishes AJARE. In October 2001 we finally concluded a long process of review and negotiation, and signed a new contract, for a three-year term. Under the new contract AARES will receive 8 percent of the revenue from institutional subscriptions, in addition to its (unchanged) share of revenue from member subscriptions. In addition, the revised contract allows for the collection of page charges from authors, with the revenue to be shared such that 8 percent goes to Blackwell and 92 percent goes to AARES, and we have introduced page charges of $20 per printed page for the 2002 volume of AJARE. These are the main changes, and we expect them to generate additional revenue of about $15,000 per year for AARES.
AARES Conferences and Symposia
Our other main source of income is Conferences and Symposia. Over the past few years we have done increasingly well at making our Conferences and Symposia financial successes as well as successes in the other ways that matter to us. The AARES 2001 Conference and the associated workshops is a good example. The 2001 AARES Symposium also generated good publicity and new memberships, as well as a very good surplus. Thanks are due especially to Mark Eigenraam, Deb Peterson, and Charlotte Duke, as well as other members of the Victorian Branch of AARES, for organising this event. Preliminary estimates for the AARES 2002 Conference indicate that it, too, has been a financial success while providing excellent opportunities for cultural, social, professional, and intellectual exchange.
Initiatives
Several initiatives that also have financial implications were introduced, aiming to economise where possible, while promoting the Society and enhancing services to the membership.
2001 marked the end of Geoff Edwards’ term as editor of AJARE. We owe Geoff a large debt of thanks for his excellent service as editor for three years, during which the Journal flourished. His contributions to AJARE include the innovation of a Millennium Issue, and his efforts to publish the first of these in March 2001. This also marks the end of a much longer period during which Geoff has served as a voice of reason, as well as a source of wisdom and at times a conscience, for the Council. John Mullen and Chris O’Donnell have taken over as co-editors of AJARE, with the support of four Associate Editors (Jeff Bennett, Garry Griffith, Ray Trewin, and Paul Winters), as well as a Book Review Editor (Graham Marshall), and an Editorial Board. Editing the Journal is a very big job, and a great service to the Society, and we were very happy to be able to find such an able team willing to take on the task. With the change of editors, the AARES Central Office has also moved to the University of New England, with some limited but very welcome institutional support provided by the Department of Economics. Honey Greenwood has replaced Julie Rowe to provide editorial assistance and manage the Central Office.
Personnel Changes
In addition to changes in the Journal editors and Central Office staff, there have been some other personnel changes. Bill Malcolm and Glenn Ronan have taken on the editorship of Connections. On the Federal Council, at the end of last year, Glenn Anderson and Fredoun Ahmadi-Esfahani concluded their terms as Treasurer and Manager, Promotion and Development, respectively. Given the issues facing the Society, these positions are critical for managing our finances and promoting membership, and both Mal Wegener and Lisa Brennan have got off to a great start in their first year in these roles, and have contributed a lot already. I welcome, in particular Lisa’s initiatives in setting out to create value for members (discussed in her report) and I would encourage the membership to do what they can to support Lisa in this effort. In addition to his duties as Treasurer, I want to thank Mal for his efforts with others in developing the proposal to hold the 2006 International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) Conference in Brisbane, which he and Roley Piggott presented to the IAAE Council in Chicago. In addition, Tracy Henderson has done a fine job in the role of Editor of News & Views, which she took over from Fredoun. Given the normal rotation of Presidents, the only position on the executive that has not changed this year has been that of Secretary, which has been very ably filled by Michelle Scoccimarro. I am sorry to have to report that Michelle has advised us that she will not be able to continue to serve, and I take this opportunity to thank Michelle for her hard work and good service to the Society as Secretary.
Absent Friends
A sad duty that befalls me is to note the passing of four of our members during 2001. John Dillon, John Quilkey, Russ Reynolds, and Ross Parish were all well known to me and collectively had significant influence on my life and career, as they did for many of our members. We will not see their like again. They will be missed.
Thanks
On a happier
note, I wish to conclude by thanking the members of Council, particularly
the Executive, and several past Presidents, for their hard work, support,
and friendship during a busy and challenging year. We began the year, all
fairly new to the task, and had to learn quickly given the issues before
us. These included the need to review and revise the contact with Blackwell,
to find and appoint new editors for the Journal, and to relocate
the Central Office, as well as the usual business of the Society. But we
also took some initiatives. As I noted earlier, this year also marked the
introduction of Connections and the Young Professionals Exchange
Travel Award, the implementation of our merger with Farm Management
Society-Central South Australia, and the formal agreement that Australia
would host the 2006 IAAE conference. I hope you will join me in congratulating
and thanking the Council for their effort in getting this all done.
SECRETARY’S REPORT to the 2002 Annual General Meeting
Michelle Scoccimarro
Council of the Society
The 2001 Annual General Meeting was held on 24 January 2001 at the Stamford Plaza, Adelaide.
At the meeting, the following office bearers were elected:
President: Julian AlstonDavid Pannell automatically assumed membership of Council on becoming Immediate Past President. Max Lawrence attended as Chair of the Local Organising Committee for the 2002 conference.
President-Elect: Ron Duncan
Secretary: Michelle Scoccimarro
Treasurer: Mal Wegener
Manager: Promotion and Development: Lisa Brennan
Editor, AARES News and Views: Tracy Henderson
During 2001, the following members represented their Branches at Council meetings:
New South Wales: John Mullen, Jason Crean, Nick MilhamBusiness of Council
Australian Capital Territory: Michelle Scoccimarro, Jeff Bennett, Paul Morris
Victoria: Geoff Edwards, Bill Malcolm
Queensland: Mal Wegener
Western Australia: David Pannell, Laura McCann, Ross Kingwell
New England: Garry Griffith, Chris O’Donnell
South Australia: Doug Young, Randy Stringer, Glenn Ronan
North America: Julian Alston, Nick Piggott, Michelle Marra
New Zealand: Robyn Johnson, Rod Forbes
Council has met four times since the last AGM on 24 January 2001: 25 January 2001, 6 June 2001, 4 October 2001 and 12 February 2002. Some of the more important matters considered by Council in 2001 were:
The following members were appointed to committees of the Society in 2001:
Branch office bearers listed are those as at 31 December 2001.
New England
President: Geoff
Kaine
Treasurer: Garry
Griffith
Secretary: Garry
Griffith
Councillor:
Garry Griffith
Western Australia
President: Steven
Schilizzi
Treasurer: Michael
Burton
Secretary: Tennille
Winter
Councillor:
Ross Kingwell
Australian Capital Territory
President: Paul
Morris
Secretary: Michelle
Scoccimarro
Treasurer: Martin
Van Bueren
Councillor:
Jeff Bennett
South Australia
President: Randy
Stringer
Secretary: Philip
Taylor
Treasurer: Julian
Morison
Queensland
President: Mary-Ann
Franco-Dixon
Treasurer: Dinesha
Emmery
Secretary: Tracy
Henderson
Councillor:
George Antony
New South Wales
President: Nick
Milham
Treasurer: Phillip
Pagan
Secretary: Jillian
Hartley
Councillor:
Jason Crean
Victoria
President: Mark
Eigenraam
Treasurer: Arthur
Ha
Secretary: Charlotte
Duke
North American Branch
President: Nick
Piggott
Treasurer: Jenni
James
Secretary: Jenni
James
Councillors:
Julian Alston and Phil Pardey
This is my final
report as Secretary, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the
Executive for all their help during my term of office. All the best to
Liz Petersen who will be taking over as the new Secretary.
TREASURER’S REPORT to the 2002 Annual General Meeting
Mal Wegener
Financial position - Cheque account
The balance in the Society’s main cheque account on 31 December 2001, after reconciliation for unpresented cheques, was $21,035. However, the advance payment of 2001 members and institutional subscriptions from Blackwell Publishers was not received by the end of last year and that has subsequently boosted the bank balance considerably.
The healthy financial position of the Society is largely due to the exceptionally high surplus from the Adelaide conference ($42,564), a good surplus from the Melbourne symposium (about $7,000), and a one-off payment from the Farm Management Society – Central South Australia ($11,134) which was wound up during 2001 and which transferred the residue of its funds to the Society.
There were sufficient operating funds in the cheque account to place another $30,000 on term deposit in November 2001.
Financial Position - Fixed deposits
The Society’s
existing fixed deposits matured over the period 13-17 January 2002 and
were consolidated into a single investment so that the Society currently
has $110,000 invested in a security with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
This security will mature on 24 January 2003 with a value of $114,620,
an effective interest rate of 4.20%. Interest rates and other conditions
are more favourable for investments over $100,000 and it is more convenient
to have a single investment located at one bank than several fixed deposits
at different locations. Interest income from the fixed deposits amounted
to $1,590 in 2001 although another $1,480 was credited to the Society’s
account when the investments matured in mid-January 2002. Details are shown
in the following table.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| CBA
50147997
$48,287 University of NSW |
21
March 2001-
17 August 2001 17 August 2001- 17 January 2002 |
149
days
149 days |
4.80%
4.70% |
Interest
paid on maturity $927.99
Interest paid
on maturity
|
| CBA
50027722
$30,000 CBA 50034447 $30,644 Barton, ACT |
22
July 2000-
17 May 2001 17 May 2001- 13 October 2001 13 October 2001- 13 January 2002 |
299
days
149 days
90 days |
6.15%
3.60%
4.15% |
$2 069.87 (Interest since 1 July 2000) Interest paid
on maturity
Interest paid
on maturity
|
| CBA
50134704
$30,000 University of Qld |
15
Nov 2001-
15 January 2002 |
60 days | 3.95% |
Interest paid on maturity $198.04
|
An investment of the size that the Society now has represents a prudent approach to financial risk management for the Society. The Society is now dependent on the financial surpluses from its annual conference and the symposium to meet a significant proportion of its operating costs each year since membership fees and institutional subscriptions cover just over half of our annual operating costs. In the unlikely event of a failed conference, we need to have sufficient funds available to enable the Society to continue operating for at least one year. The Society has also entered into a number of long-term commitments for which funding needs to be secure.
Statement of income and expenditure
The Society had a financially successful year in 2001 with an estimated surplus over operating costs of approximately $39,000. The unaudited statement of income and expenditure for 2001 is presented in the next table. Much of the success is due to the excellent results from both the Adelaide conference and the symposium held in Melbourne in early October. We were also fortunate in receiving a substantial one-off cash payment of $11,134 which represented the residue of funds of the Farm Management Society – Central South Australia which ceased to operate during the year. Members of that society were given the option of joining AARES on the condition that their membership fees for two years would be paid or committing an equivalent amount of funds to a project to write the history of the Farm Management Society. Without these exceptional payments making such a positive contribution to our income position, we would not be in such good financial shape.
Statement
of cash income and expenditure, 2001
| 2001 Budget | 1 January - 31 December 2001 | 2001 Outcome | 2002 Budget |
|
42
432
2 300 0 5 000 1 500 700 |
Operating
income
Subscriptions (net of concessions) Interest Conference income (net of direct costs) Symposium (net of direst costs) AARES News & Views – Advertising Other income |
32
736
6 984 44 352 7 262 0 1 232 |
43
200
6 100 18 000 4 000 1 000 4 500 |
|
51
932
|
Total Operating income |
92
566
|
76
800
|
|
23
298
6 000 3 000 6 700 6 100 5 500 1 500 6 600
56 925 |
Less
Operating expenses
AJARE editorial office Administration AARES News & Views and Connections Branch grants Honoraria Awards and prizes Alan Lloyd Fellowship Government taxes and bank charges Sundries |
18
769
3 933 9 267 10 527 4 500 3 175 5 523 1 037 738 57 469 |
33
000
5 000 7 000 8 000 4 500 7 250 5 000 1 000 1 250 72 000 |
|
(4
993)
|
Operating surplus (Deficit) |
35
097
|
4
800
|
|
8
000
3 000 |
Add
extraordinary income
Less extraordinary expenses |
11
134
7 196 |
0
800 |
|
7
|
Cash surplus (Deficit) |
39
035
|
4
000
|
Notes and explanations:
1. Non-members registering for the annual conference and symposium are granted membership, the cost of which is met from council funds.
2. Other income includes editorial royalties and sundry items. Page charges will be introduced for articles accepted for publication in AJARE from 2002.
3. Extraordinary income includes a transfer of funds from the Farm Management Society-Central South Australia which ceased operations during the year.
4. Branch grants include both 2000 and 2001 payments to the North American Branch.
5. Expenses connected with the Alan Lloyd fellowship were paid by the Adelaide conference Local Organising Committee out of conference income.
6. Extraordinary expenses include the cost of transferring the editorial office from La Trobe University to University of New England and the initial payment to Agribusiness Association of Australia to establish Connections.
7. AARES News and Views will be distributed electronically in 2002. The cost of Connections in 2002 is included in this category.
8. Revenue of $945 for advertising in AARES News and Views was received after the balance date.
Statement
of Assets and Liabilities
|
31
December 2000
|
31
December 2001
|
|
|
101
099
461 1 256 19 524 |
Balance
brought forward
Equipment North American Branch account Cash Surplus (Deficit) |
122
340
770 0 39 035 |
|
122
340
|
Total |
162
145
|
|
32
628
12 355 75 000 1 256 1 1 100 |
AARES
General
GASP Fund (Alan Lloyd fund) Commonwealth Bank Fixed Deposits North American Branch Journal and Review stocks Equipment |
40
732
12 355 108 287 0 1 770 |
|
122
340
|
Total assets |
162
145
|
Note: The assets included in this statement include the foreshadowed payment of $32,063 in membership subscriptions not received from Blackwell by the balance date.
Branch grants
A transfer of funds totalling $9,245 was made to branches in November-December which included the share of profits on the symposium held by the Victorian branch in October ($1,500) and a payment to the North American branch according to the policy approved at the October 2001 Council Meeting. With the $1,256 formerly held by Council on behalf of the North American branch, there was over $10,500 distributed to branches in the past year in proportion to their current membership numbers and growth during the year. Details of membership numbers and branch payments are provided in the following table.
The standard practice is for branches to receive a base grant of $300 in addition to $7.50 per ordinary member or equivalent plus a $40 bonus for each unit increase in total ordinary equivalent membership over the year. Ordinary equivalent members are calculated as the sum of total financial ordinary members and one half of the total of student and other concessional members. Since 1999, the bonus has been reduced to $24 to allow for the 20 percent discount for new members.
Branch
membership and branch grants, 1999 – 2001
| Membership | Branch grants $ | |||
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2001 | |
| New
South Wales
Victoria Queensland ACT New England South Australia Western Australia NZARES North America Other overseas |
108
98 69.5 87.5 33.5 28 85.5 41.5 35.5 |
99
78 73.5 74 21.5 36 50 31 39 |
107
63 59 65 22 66 42 36 89 42 |
1
462.00
772.00 778.50 955.50 465.00 1 035.00 723.00 678.00 2 376.00 |
| Total | 587 | 502 | 591 | $9 245.00 |
Following a number of revisions to the membership lists in 1999, the branch grants that year were revised upwards based on numbers that subsequently turned out to be over-estimates of the membership for that year. The previous Treasurer recommended that this over-payment be recovered from branches or that the branch payments this year be reduced but that recommendation was not implemented.
During the past year, several branches recruited new members and increased membership but the North American Branch needs to be congratulated on their success in recruiting at least 24 new ordinary and 2 student members during the past year. Other branches with significant numbers of new members included New South Wales (15), South Australia (10), ACT (6 new ordinary members and 2 student members), Western Australia and New Zealand (4 ordinary members and 1 new student member each), while Queensland added 3 new student members.
In response to a request from the North American Branch for a special additional allocation of funds this year to meet the costs involved in staging a function at the American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Conference in Chicago, the basis for payment to the North American branch was changed to reflect the difference in subscriptions paid by North American members and the exchange rate between $US and AUD.
Adelaide conference
The Adelaide conference generated a significant surplus for the Society ($44,086) which was distributed as follows:
The 2001 Symposium organised by the Victorian Branch was professionally and financially successful. With 69 registrations, the income from the symposium was nearly $18,000 and expenses $10,637. Council determined that the policy of sharing the surpluses from these events with branches, as occurs with the annual conference, be extended to the symposia. Surpluses up to $3,000 from symposia organised by branches on behalf of council will be shared with the branch concerned. Above that figure, all of the profits go to Council.
Of the 69 registrations for the 2001 symposium, 44 (including one student) were from non-members who paid the higher fee to cover the cost of AARES membership for one year. The retention of these new members for more than one year represents a challenge to the Society.
Contract with Blackwell
Some amendments
to the contract that the Society has with Blackwell Publishing Ltd to produce
the AJARE and to maintain the membership database were negotiated
during the past year. In reviewing performance of the Journal contract
over the past five years (see table below), it is worth noting that memberships,
subscription income, and payments to the Society have all increased steadily
over the period.
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
2001
|
|
| Members
subscriptions
Institutional subscriptions Shortfall on institutional subs.1 Other income |
38
158
51 596 9 415 594 |
39
595
57 849 7 742 4 492 |
44
699
69 916 - 5 920 |
46
188
82 466 - 5 679 |
|
| Total income for volume |
99
763
|
108
678
|
120
539
|
134
263
|
|
| Payments to Society |
25
694
|
27
852
|
38
158
|
43
636
|
44
704 2
|
1 In 1997 and 1998, the Society had to make large penalty payments to Blackwell because the numbers of institutional subscribers were less than the minimum specified in the original contract.
2 Advance payment received to date.
In re-negotiating the contract, AARES sought to receive a share of the subscription revenue from libraries and institutions but recommended that individual member subscription rates should remain unchanged for now. We also sought the right to impose page charges on published articles and agreed that some costly practices, such as the provision of reprints to authors, should cease.
These initiatives are expected to add another $15,000 to AARES annual income ($7-8,000 from the share of revenue from subscriptions and a similar amount from page charges) in future years when the policy is fully implemented.
Outlook for 2002
As we move into
2002 and beyond, the Society has been increasing its commitments through
a number of new agreements, with the Agribusiness Association of Australia
for the electronic publication Connections, with the American Agricultural
Economics Association through the Travel Awards, and with the University
of New England for the editorial office. The Council has endeavoured to
expand our sources of income while at the same time cutting costs where
possible. Member subscriptions were retained at the same level for 2002
so it is important to retain as many as possible of the new members who
join the Society each year. The renewed contract with Blackwell will add
significantly to our income when the share of subscription income from
institutions starts to flow and the policy to impose page charges for articles
published in the Journal is fully implemented. However, the Society
remains dependent on the financial success of the annual conference and
symposium for a significant part of our income.
AJARE EDITORS' REPORT to the 2002 Annual General Meeting
Chris O'Donnell and John Mullen
Editors - For the first six months of 2001 the editor was Geoff Edwards from La Trobe University. We took over the editorship in July 2001. We thank Geoff for leaving the Journal in good shape.
Relocation of Editorial Office and appointment of Administrative Assistant - The transfer of the AJARE/AARES Office from La Trobe to UNE took place in July. Honey Greenwood has been appointed to the position of Administrative Assistant and is contracted to work for AARES and AJARE for 2.5 days per week.
Submissions - The number of new and revised submissions in 2001 was similar to that in previous years. Although the flow of papers is satisfactory, we are still actively seeking high quality articles in any area of agricultural and resource economics. We are particularly interested in articles that focus on the relationship between resource industries and the community (eg. through environmental outcomes).
Acceptance rate down - In 2001, approximately 25% of papers were accepted, 25% were sent back for revision, and 50% were rejected (in the three years to 2000 the acceptance rate was approximately 33%).
Blackwell Publishers - The Journal is now produced out of Blackwell's Melbourne office. We continue to enjoy a good working relationship with Jennifer McDonald (Journal Publishing Co-ordinator), Elly Babic (Production Editor) and their staff.
Acknowledgments - We would like to thank the Associate Editors (Jeff Bennett, Garry Griffith, Ray Trewin, Paul Winters), the Book Review Editor (Graham Marshall), members of the Editorial Board, authors and reviewers for their contributions to AJARE over the last twelve months. Special thanks also go to the AARES/AJARE administrative staff, Julie Rowe and Honey Greenwood.
Summary
Information 1998-2001
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | |
| Published Volumes | ||||
| Volume number | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 |
| Number of issues | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Page budget | 480 | 544 | 672 | 672 |
| Pages a | 488 | 568 | 680 | 662 |
| Articles | 12 | 16 | 19 | 23 |
| Surveys | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Notes/comments | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Policy forum papers | 6 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| Book reviews | 11 | 14 | 13 | 22 |
| Obituaries | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Papers Receivedb | ||||
| New | 65 | 67 | 72 | 66 |
| Revised | 12 | 17 | 16 | 21 |
| Total | 77 | 84 | 88 | 87 |
| Decisions Taken | ||||
| Accept | 35 | 24 | 26 | 17 |
| Revise and resubmit | 19 | 27 | 39 | 21 |
| Reject | 24 | 33 | 38 | 36 |
| Withdrawn | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total c | 78 | 84 | 104 | 75 |
| Papers under review at 31 Dec. | 27 | 27 | 11 | 23 |
a Includes editorial text and Blackwell advertising as per agreement with Blackwell.
b Book reviews and obituaries are not included; each resubmission of the same paper is counted separately.
c Total
decisions does not always equal papers received because some decisions
are made in respect of papers received in the previous year(s).
MANAGER: PROMOTION AND DEVELOPMENTS’ REPORT to the 2002 Annual General Meeting
Lisa Brennan
My first year as Manager – Promotion and Development has been filled with the challenges of familiarising myself with the functions of the Executive Committee and the scope of the position, attempting a seamless transition from where Fredoun left off, and, most importantly, learning how to help serve the Society in two key areas:
a) growing and maintaining a viable membership base to support the products and services provided by the Society to members, andThis report addresses issues in these two areas. Note that many people have contributed to the new initiatives mentioned in this report.b) ensuring that membership of AARES continues to create value for members.
1. Membership
At end of 2001 there were:
- 305 institutional subscribers
- 639 individual members, up from last year’s count of 624.
Large increases
in member numbers occurred in South Australia, which hosted the 45th
Annual Conference of AARES, and in North America, reflecting interest in
the "Heading South" award and some energetic recruiting activity.
| Branch | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
| ACT | 84 | 81 | 88 | 85 | 73 |
| New England | 29 | 37 | 26 | 28 | 24 |
| North America | 17 | 24 | 48 | 60 | 94 |
| NSW | 108 | 105 | 109 | 114 | 110 |
| NZ | 25 | 28 | 38 | 35 | 38 |
| Overseas | 30 | 34 | 33 | 46 | 47 |
| QLD | 69 | 67 | 67 | 80 | 63 |
| SA | 20 | 22 | 28 | 37 | 66 |
| VIC | 100 | 88 | 86 | 85 | 76 |
| WA | 32 | 41 | 83 | 54 | 48 |
| Total | 514 |