Discussion: Operations Research Techniques in Farm Management: Survey and Appraisal

Abstract

PROFESSOR Hutton has chosen an ambitious, timely task-to review recent applications (by academic farm-management workers) of certain operations research techniques to ordinary farm-management problems at farm level. He finds number of applications of OR techniques to operating farm problems insufficient to warrant serious discussion and chooses not to consider applications of OR techniques to farmmanagement problems at regional and national levels. His decision to emphasize technique development in his paper is based primarily on his conception of changing character of OR literature, which is and more given to technique development and to solutions of problems of general interest. Having stated his purpose, Hutton specifies his basis for classifying alternative OR techniques. The techniques will be ranked by extent to which formal analysis is substituted for intuitive judgment in solution of management problems, or by extent to which farmer's decision environment is simulated. Why does he choose this classificatory scheme? Because the manager without formal analysis is forced to use intuitive judgment in all his problem-solving activity. Hutton tells us that such a manager has a low capacity to solve problems, ignores many defined problems and obtains low-quality solutions to his problems-an unhappy situation indeed. Imagine now same manager using formal analysis. He attacks a larger number of problems, obtains better solutions, and, in limiting case, can extend his use of formal analyses until he obtains what he considers to be perfect answers to all his problems-Nirvana! Having selected his classificatory scheme, Hutton devotes remainder of his treatment to a thorough survey of OR techniques and selected applications to farm management, as he defines field. He concludes with (a) some humorous remarks at expense of president of Operations Research Society of America, Alexander M. Mood, and (b) an admonition to all farm-management research workers to apply OR techniques vigorously to their field before it is usurped by members of Operations Research Society. I find it difficult to add anything substantive to sections in which Hutton surveys OR techniques and applications thereof. I wish to confine