Karl Behrendt

Harper Adams University | HAUC · Food Land and Agribusiness Management

This research tackles challenges associated with employing vision systems on farms by developing a cost-effective video capture and analysis method, which facilitates the rapid deployment of new sensing technologies and the creation of affordable Automated Behavioural Analysis (ABA) systems. An automatic recording system priced at £124.53+VAT was d...

This qualitative case study investigation highlights deeply entrenched sustainability challenges within a multi‐tier supply chain of a developing country's crop agri‐food sector. Focusing on the rice supply chain, the study reveals how Agri Processing Company Limited (APCL), operating as a first‐tier intermediary, effectively launched and managed d...

The price transmission in international soybean market has been extensively examined. However, recent econometric advancements have enabled the application of dynamic connectedness methodology as outlined by Antonakakis and Gabauer (2017) [1], which is based on a Time-varying Parameter Vector Autoregressive (TVP-VAR) model. This approach captures t...

This research endeavours to guide precision conservation considering the inclusions of prairie strips in strip cropping systems, where the farm was managed by autonomous machines (swarm robots). The economics of conventional and autonomous mechanization alternatives was examined.

The complex interplay between agricultural and energy commodities has been a subject of interest in past research, gaining more relevance recently due to geopolitical events such as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. This conflict has systematically driven up the prices of both energy and agricultural commodities. Deeply understanding the dyn...

Farmers, agroecological innovators and research have suggested mixed cropping as a way to promote soil health. Mixing areas of different crops in the same field is another form of precision agriculture's spatial and temporal management. The simplest form of mixed cropping is strip cropping. In conventional mechanized farming use of mixed cropping p...

Virtual fencing is a precision livestock farming tool consisting of invisible boundaries created via Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and managed remotely and in real time by app-based technology. Grazing livestock are equipped with battery-powered collars capable of delivering audio or vibration cues and possibly electric shocks when app...

Achieving carbon net zero is a clear priority, with beef farmers under significant scrutiny from food system stakeholders. Tools are available to assess greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe), yet adoption is low, and producers are not currently financially incentivized to change management practices. This study used cattle performance data from a commerc...

This systematic review identifies the potential sustainability challenges lower-tier suppliers and buying firms face in multi-tier crop agri-food supply chains. The first stage applied systematic mapping, and based on a sample of 487 academic articles from 6 databases, identified a less-researched area through empirical analysis. Secondly, a system...

Bolus-sensors are a precision livestock farming tool measuring physiological, behavioural, and production indicators of individual animals to improve herd productivity. Bolus-sensors collect data such as animal activity, rumination, and body temperature. On dairy farms, these data may be used to assess general cattle health, detect oestrus, and mon...

Virtual fencing is an unseen boundary created using Global Navigation Satellite Systems and managed remotely to control grazing livestock without physical fences. The animals experience the virtual boundaries as audio or vibration cues and possibly as electric shocks administered through battery-powered collars. The aim of this study is to compar...

Autonomous machines have the potential to maintain food production and agroecological farming resilience. However, autonomous complex mixed cropping is proving to be an engineering challenge because of differences in plant height and growth pattern. Strip cropping is technically the simplest mixed cropping system, but widespread use is constrained...

Based on the Sustainable Grassland Model (SGM) model framework established previously, this study constructed a yak growth and development module in the SGM yak sub-model. This was conducted to provide research tools and decision-making support for the construction of a sustainable grazing production system on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The modifi...

Traditional land application of poultry litter (PL) as a fertiliser has led to numerous environmental issues, including eutrophication and soil acidification. An alternative valorisation option is, therefore, sought. Anaerobic digestion (AD) of PL is an emerging field that shows promise and benefits from both energy and fertiliser production. This...

Context: The functioning of the bovine meat market: effect of external shocks on market functioning. Under the hypothesis that beef in Uruguay is a system of interrelated markets, through a price-taking chain from abroad (high participation of exports in national production), it is relevant to understand how external shocks can or do alter market e...

Traditional land application of poultry litter (PL) as a fertiliser has led to numerous environmental issues, including eutrophication and soil acidification. An alternative valorisation option is, therefore, sought. Anaerobic digestion (AD) of PL is an emerging field that shows promise and benefits from both energy and fertiliser production. This...

Sustainability in our food and fiber agriculture systems is inherently knowledge intensive. It is more likely to be achieved by using all the knowledge, technology, and resources available , including data-driven agricultural technology and precision agriculture methods, than by relying entirely on human powers of observation, analysis, and memory...

Purpose This research explores the purchasing behavioural drivers of young Chinese consumers purchasing foreign clothing brands. The aim is to include a range of drivers identified by different investigations into a single approach, to determine direct and indirect channels by which these drivers influence purchasing behaviour, and their relative i...

Unlabelled: Field size and shape constrain spatial and temporal management of agriculture with implications for farm profitability, field biodiversity and environmental performance. Large, conventional equipment struggles to farm small, irregularly shaped fields efficiently. The study hypothesized that autonomous crop machines would make it possib...

“Helping farmers navigate the green economy: A data-driven blueprint for net zero beef”

Context: Barley grass (Hordeum spp. L.) is an annual, invasive grass weed of southern Australian crops and pastures, frequently associated with weight loss and carcass damage in sheep due to its sharp seeds. Knowledge gaps exist regarding optimal density thresholds for effective control to reduce impacts on animal production. The value of integrate...

This study analyzed the asymmetric price transmission in the international soybean market, using data from the US (Chicago Futures), European (Rotterdam), Brazilian (Paranaguá), Argentinian (Rosario Futures and Rosario Spot), and Chinese (Spot and Futures) markets. The study looked at the price transmission between these markets over a period of al...

One of the key issues in regulation of crop robots is the need for human supervision. Economic analysis indicates that autonomous farming potentially reduces agricultural production costs, but such costs may often become higher than conventional when constant on-site human supervision is required by law. However, there are cases where a higher leve...

Contributed presentation on the 05th Online Symposium on Agri-Tech Economics for Sustainable Futures, 19-20 September 2022 organized by Global Institute for Agri-Tech Economics (https://www.harper-adams.ac.uk/research/giate/), Food, Land and Agribusiness Management Department, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, TF108NB, United Kingdom....

Proceedings of the 5th Symposium on Agri-Tech Economics for Sustainable Futures. Global Institute for Agri-Tech Economics, Food, Land & Agribusiness Management Department, Harper Adams University. Newport, United Kingdom, 19-20 September 2022

This study analysed the dynamics of the international soybean market using econometric techniques and economic models to study the impacts of the US–China trade war. It considered the analysis of “spatial” (horizontal) price transmission during an approximately ten-year period from September 2009 to May 2019 using monthly time-series data. The rese...

One of the key issues in regulation of crop robots is the need for human supervision. Economic analysis indicates that autonomous farming potentially reduces agricultural production costs, but such costs may often become higher than conventional when constant on-site human supervision is required by law. However, there are cases where a higher leve...

Field size constrains spatial and temporal management of agriculture with implications for farm profitability, field biodiversity and environmental performance. Large, conventional equipment struggles to farm small, irregularly shaped fields efficiently. The study hypothesized that autonomous crop machines would make it possible to farm small non-r...

Addressing serious grassland degradation without exacerbating already low herder incomes is a major challenge for the Chinese government. In response, the Grassland Ecosystem Subsidy and Award Scheme (GESAS) was introduced in 2011 where herders receive payments if they comply with specified stocking rates set at more sustainable levels. However, co...

This paper is part of a broader study that uses AusFarm, a complex biophysical model, to model a mixed irrigation farming system in the Murray Irrigation Area and Districts (Murray Irrigation Limited (MIL) post 1995). The study is unique is that the biophysical model has been coupled to an economic module that includes an irrigation sequence model...

By collecting more data at a higher resolution and by creating the capacity to implement detailed crop management, autonomous crop equipment has the potential to revolutionise precision agriculture (PA), but unless farmers find autonomous equipment profitable it is unlikely to be widely adopted. The objective of this study was to identify the poten...

Since 1990, the number oflivestock in Mongolia has more than doubled. In large areas ofMongolia, grassland degradation is now a problem of national concern. A survey was done of 10 herders in two Soums (Altanbulag and Khashaat; heavily and moderately degraded, respectively) to measure the animals (sheep, goats, cattle and horse numbers, sex and wei...

• Animal-sourced foods make a valuable contribution to the diets of consumers from countries across the economic development spectrum. They provide essential micronutrients including iron, vitamin A, vitamin B12, iodine, and zinc, to balance diets which, apart from vitamin B12, are more bioavailable than in plantsourced foods. This is important for...

Environmental, market and political influences affect herders’ livelihoods with the expectation that they maintain biologically and economically resilient systems. To balance these external influences and the trade-offs within a grassland system it involves the consideration of interactions between grassland ecology, technology use, environmental e...

The grasslands of Mongolia and northern China are part of the vast Eurasian grasslands that extend from east Asia to eastern Europe, with many common problems. Grassland degradation and herder livelihoods in the steppe regions of China and Mongolia are widely acknowledged as major issues that need to be improved. The core problem is too many animal...

Research shows that smaller field size favours biodiversity and it is hypothesized that autonomous arable crop equipment would make it possible to farm small fields profitably. To test this hypothesis algorithms were developed for machine time over a range of field sizes. The Hands Free Hectare (HFH) linear programming model was used to assess the...

A preliminary study to explore the levels of global PLF technology adoption in the beef and sheepmeat sectors, and identify the importance of different drivers of adoption.

Proceedings of the 4th Symposium on Agri-Tech Economics for Sustainable Futures produced by the Global Institute for Agri-Tech Economics, a research centre at Harper Adams University.

Take Home Messages • Barley grass and Brome grass are increasing across Australia, causing increased seed contamination in sheep • Recent modelling has confirmed the significant on farm costs associated with unmanaged seed contamination in weaner sheep grazing barley grass-infested lucerne pasture (around $102/ha/yr). • Effective barley grass contr...

Autonomous equipment for crop production is on the verge of technical and economic feasibility, but government regulation may slow its adoption. Key regulatory issues include requirements for on-site human supervision, liability for autonomous machine error, and intellectual property in robotic learning. As an example of the impact of regulation on...

The resilience and profitability of livestock production in many countries can be impacted by shocks, such as drought and market shifts, especially under high debt levels. For farmers to remain profitable through such uncertainty, there is a need to understand and predict a farming business’s ability to withstand and recover from such shocks. This...

China is about to embark on a new round of grassland policies as part of its 14th Five-Year-Plan. Although current grassland policies have generally been perceived positively in arresting widespread grassland degradation, concerns have arisen that the current policies may not be effective in achieving the desired reduction in livestock numbers. Fur...

Overgrazing has extensively degraded Chinese grasslands. A reduction in stocking rate of 30-50% below the district averages is required to increase the profitability of livestock production and protect vital ecosystem services such as mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHG). Grazing experiments located in the desert steppe, typical steppe and alpine m...

Liming is a common management practice, but there exists uncertainty about the economic benefits. An economic analysis of the costs and profitability of liming arable crops was undertaken using data from the long‐term liming experiment at Rothamsted and Woburn. There was a strong liming effect on gross margins, but large differences in the economic...

The 400 m ha of grazing lands in China, mainly across the north and west of the country, have similar problems to those throughout the steppe of Mongolia, Central Asia and neighbouring countries. The grasslands are in drier regions (50-500 mm) across mainly Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan, often at higher altitudes on th...

Recent degradation of Chinese grasslands has contributed to declining herder productivity and profitability, increased incidence of dust storms and regionally reduced air quality. Overgrazing due to a doubling of stocking rates since the mid-1980s has been identified as a key contributing factor. Several pathways and strategies exist to improve gra...

The longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the European food supply chain may be substantially different than the short-term adaptation of farmers, food processors and retailers. The main consumer preference changes are likely to be linked to greater on-line ordering, home delivery and in-home consumption. The food industry changes will pr...

The Proceeding of the 3rd Symposium on Agri-Tech Economics for Sustainable Futures held online on the 21-22 September 2020 is now available. The Symposium was hosted by the Harper Adams University's Global Institute for Agri-Tech Economics and in partnership with the International Network for Economic Research (INFER). For further details and to vi...

A model developed as part of the ACIAR projects LPS/2008/048 Sustainable Livestock Grazing Systems on Chinese Temperate Grasslands & ADP/2012/107 Strengthening incentives for improved grassland management in China and Mongolia

Livestock production has increased in Inner Mongolia, China, despite widespread documentation of grassland degradation. To begin investigating the relationship that produces these trends, we studied farm level decisions of herder households. We estimated herders' household economic efficiency in typical steppe in Inner Mongolia in 2009 and 2014 usi...

The Proceedings of the INFER Workshop on Agri-Tech Economics are now available. There are 45 papers from 17 countries covering a wide range of topics. The workshop was jointly hosted by Harper Adams University's Land, Farm & Agribusiness Management Department, The Global Institute for Agri-Tech Economics ( harper.ac.uk/researchgiate ) and INFER ( h...

Swarm robotics has the potential to radically change the economies of size in agriculture and this will impact farm size and structure in the UK. This study uses a systematic review of the economics of agricultural robotics literature, data from the Hands Free Hectare (HFH) demonstration project which showed the technical feasibility of robotic gra...

This report uses physical and financial data on agri benchmark typical feedlots around the world to evaluate how competitive Australian beef feedlots are and how productivity differs from other countries? It should be read in conjunction with the main MLA agri benchmark beef report entitled How are global and Australian beef producers performing 20...

This report presents the agri benchmark network’s perspectives on recent global beef developments, the economics and drivers facing producers around the world, farm profitability (globally and in network countries) and views on likely future developments and challenges. It then asks, how competitive are A ustralian beef producers and what are the m...

This report presents the agri benchmark network’s perspectives on recent global sheepmeat developments, the economics and drivers facing producers around the world, farm profitability (globally and in network countries) and views on likely future developments and challenges. It then asks, how competitive are Australian sheepmeat producers and what...

The number of young farmers has decreased over recent decades in several developed countries such as the United States and European countries. A recent strategy adopted by the European Union to address the resulting age imbalance is the Young Farmer Payment which provides an additional payment on top of the average basic payment introduced in the l...

Dairying is an important component of Pakistan’s mixed crop-livestock farming systems. The national economy engages some 8.8 million small-scale producer households. The country produces more milk than any other except for the United States and India. Yet little is known about small-scale producer microeconomics to inform policy development for imp...

The agriculture sector in Pakistan, as in most developing countries, is dominated by smallholder producers. Pakistan has the world's third largest dairy industry, and milk is efficiently collected and distributed chiefly by informal value chains that market the raw product with minimal cool chain infrastructure. Formal processors have a small marke...

Seed contamination significantly affects production capacity and animal welfare in Australian sheep flocks and causes considerable financial loss to producers and processors across sheepmeat value chains. Seven grass-weed species contribute to seed contamination in Australia, with barley grass (Hordeum spp.) identified as a key perpetrator. Herbici...