Agribusiness refers to the large-scale production, processing, and marketing of food and nonfood farm commodities and products. It is a major commercial industry sector.
A comprehensive understanding of agriculture is paramount for recognizing the broader economic, environmental, and social impacts of this primary sector. This knowledge extends to managing biological assets and farming practices.
Biological assets are living plants or animals, such as trees in a plantation or orchard, cultivated plants, sheep, and cattle. The term was introduced in International Accounting Standard (IAS) 41, Agriculture, which became operative from January 1, 2003. The rules for the accounting treatment of biological assets are set out in Section 34 of the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
A buffer stock is used in agriculture to stabilize the price of commodities. The government purchases excess production for storage and sells that storage stock in years of low production. In general, the use of buffer stocks stabilizes commodity market price swings.
A crop that is grown primarily for sale to return a profit rather than for consumption by the farmer. Common examples include coffee, cocoa, and sugar in tropical regions, and grains and vegetables in temperate zones.
Decreasing returns to scale is a characteristic of the production of a good that requires proportionally higher amounts of inputs to produce each unit of output as the amount of output increases.
A 'FARM' can refer to both an agricultural operation and a sales technique. For federal tax purposes, it includes a variety of agricultural pursuits, structures, and animal husbandry operations.
Unsold agricultural goods. The government will often purchase certain farm surplus products in order to maintain a profitable price level for the farmers. The storage and use of farm surplus products is a controversial political problem.
A hectare is a metric unit of area measurement widely used in land planning and agriculture, equivalent to 2.471 acres or approximately 107,637 square feet.
A physical commodity refers to an actual, tangible commodity that is delivered to the buyer upon the completion of a commodity contract, whether it be in the spot market or futures market. Examples include agricultural products like corn and soybeans, and natural resources like gold and oil.
The term 'produce' refers to both the act of creating or manufacturing goods and the classification of agricultural products like fruits and vegetables.
A sharecropper is a tenant farmer who works the land for the owner of the property. Sharecroppers traditionally receive seed, tools, and other necessities, often including housing, from the landlord. Sharecroppers are usually paid a portion of the proceeds from the harvested crop.
The Soil Bank program involves land held out of agricultural production to stabilize commodity prices and promote soil conservation. Subsidies to participating farmers are provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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