ScotFarm - a farm level optimising model

This manual provides a description of ScotFarm. ScotFarm is a dynamic linear programming (LP) model which optimises farm margins within a number of limiting farm resources. The model was developed at SRUC in 2012 in view to conduct impact assessment of CAP reforms on Scottish farms. Earlier versions of the model have been used in a number of farm level analyses of English dairy farms (Shrestha, 2004) and Irish livestock and crop farms (Shrestha 2006, 2007, 2008; Hennessy et al., 2008). The model is based on farming system analysis where all existing farm activities are inter linked (both in physical and financial aspects) and contribute to the optimal objective function that is maximising farm profit. The farm profit comprised of the accumulated revenues collected from the final product of the farm activities (i.e. crops, animals and milk) plus farm payments minus costs incurred for inputs under those activities. The input costs were replacement costs for livestock, variable costs including labour, feed (excluding grazing) and veterinary costs and overhead costs1 on farms. The model assumes that all farmers are profit oriented.