Issues for Farm Management in the 21st Century: A view from the West

Against a backdrop of descriptive snapshots of the years 1975, 2000 and 2025, this paper explores challenges for broadacre farm managers. Issues of particular relevance to Western Australian farm managers are emphasized. Key market, environmental, technical, structural and social challenges and their implications for farm managers are discussed. Established and emerging trends, along with commentaries of a range of futurists, are used to develop forecasts for farm management. The paper concludes by examining the question of change in farm management: How might the farm manager in 2025 be different from one in 2000 and what are the implications for farm management training, farm management advisory services and farm management researchers