John Hollick, P.Eng, is the President of Conserval Engineering, a private company in Toronto with subsidiaries in Buffalo NY and Paris France. John is a Professional Engineer, an inventor, and a business person. His technology, SolarWall (SW) is one of the top 2% solar technology firms world-wide, as assessed by the US Government. It captures and makes conveniently available a very high proportion of solar radiation, over 90%, dwarfing the efficiency of photo voltaic panels (PV). The original technology is extremely sustainable requiring almost no maintenance, offering long term production with a life expectancy of several decades. Over the years, John has obtained several patents for his inventions, the last one awarded in December 2014. These patents reflect the continuous development of new technologies, new solutions built around the SW. Today SW offers solutions combining PV and thermal energy capture, or systems that may work to provide heating in the cold season and cooling in the warm season. All of the technologies are very cost effective. The case concerns possible agribusiness applications of one or more of the technology solutions developed by Conserval Engineering: the case users have been retained by John – thanks to their knowledge of agribusiness in their own country – to suggest possible applications of these technologies to local agribusiness industry. Mr Hollick has agreed to share a recent proposal (2010) to apply one of these technologies to solve the energy requirements of Food in Italy, while providing a significant carbon footprint reduction. He thinks that the analysis of this proposal and the material presented in the appendices will provide an opportunity to reflect on the potential of his technology and on the complex nature of the decision making process, and on some distortions resulting from public subsidies to some but not all sustainable technologies. That notwithstanding, the reflection on the first part of the case should reflect on the multiple gains that can be achieved with the adoption of these technologies in the specific local context. So, the case users armed with their reflections, their knowledge of agribusiness in their own country, and the short and essential description of the different technologies offered by Conserval Engineering, are asked to provide an illustration of what they consider the most promising applications to their own country’s agribusiness industry. Yes, the case does not provide actual costs of the different technologies, other than for the proposal to Food in Italy. At the same time the case users can certainly provide a qualitative perspective, based on the fact that these are the most advanced and cost effective technologies in the solar thermal industry. Part 1 of the case will primarily be structured around the discussion of these practical application to the local agribusiness.* Part 2 will focus on business sdevelopment. In using the case in teaching, parts 1 and part 2 could be linked to two different days.

This teaching case, appropriate for senior undergraduate and MBA students as well as for mid-career managers, challenges students to appreciate different facets of agribusiness sustainability, and to reflect on the potential consequences on all players in the global supply chain, from farmers to retailers, of the different methodological and philosophical approaches, definitions, and practices that are developed and adopted by the different constituencies, from independent industry organizations, to food processors and retailers. The case ‘story’ is structured around a strategic decision on what further development activity should be adopted by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform. SAI has just turned 10, its activities have proven quite successful, and the Platform is considering the next strategic move. The case frames the challenges facing SAI in a broader context, illustrating what SAI as well as an independent organization, the world largest food processor and largest retailer are doing about defining and measuring sustainability. The broad question is: what is the best way forward for SAI and what are the key implications of what SAI may decide, given the ongoing development of what is the reasonably new sector of defining, measuring and promoting sustainability in agribusiness? The reading materials provide context and methodological underpinnings to the case, which is designed to be discussed over two classes, ideally on separate days. The coach should withhold Part Two until the discussion of Part One has been completed. The Teaching Note, available to verified instructors considering the use of the case, provides additional suggestions on the classroom use of this material.

Novus International is committed to supporting animal agriculture in Africa with a multi-step strategy: the delivery of reliable nutritional solutions, attending to the needs of small farmers, and providing technical instruction and educational opportunities. NENO Information Communication Technology (ICT) was first introduced into East Africa in 2012 to enable mobile phone communications with customers for the purpose of training and awareness. Farmers using NENO get knowledge and advice in practical, user-friendly ways that are accessible to them at all times. After a successful pilot project launch in East Africa, Novus plans to extend the pilot to Nigeria

This Case was used at the First Sustainability in Agribusiness Case Competition held by the College of Management and Economics, at the University of Guelph on March 16‐17, 2012. Other than for the 2012 competition the case has remained confidential. Part 1 was used in the eliminatory round; Part 1 and Part 2 were used for the final round of the competition.

Top Agro (TA - not its real name) is a small crop protection start-up operating in the European Union. In a relatively short period of time TA has been able to secure a reasonable profit margin and build a solid niche in the Italian crop protection market. The driving force in their success is the professional expertise of the two owners, their knowledge of the domestic market, and the highly flexible business model they've developed. Chemicals are sourced either in the Far East via a Hong Kong based commercial partner or purchased directly from other European domestic suppliers. TA is responsible for the formulation and packaging of the finished product, which is then distributed in the domestic Italian market. Although TA is now profitable, further sales growth is unlikely. One of the owners is convinced that significant benefits may be obtained by identifying and controlling the key risks that TA is exposed to, in particular by reducing the price risk in their international supply chain.This case has been classroom tested at the senior undergraduate and MBA level with good results. It works well as opening case for an eMBA course on managing price risk, as it provides an opportunity to map the risk "opportunity set" via the ERM challenging students to reason and set intervention priorities by focusing on currency exchange rates and risk management as the most immediate and promising action.

The case focuses on the proposed development of the Parma Agrifood Research Management Knowledge Network (PARMa KN). The PARMa KN is intended to be a global network of leading professionals drawn from academia, industry, and the public sector. The proposal is for the group to be funded by the City of Parma and corporate, foundation, and individual donors. Its main objective would be to build value for society through the development of cutting-edge research, educational programs, and service activities for firms in the food and agribusiness sector. It is hoped that the new foundation will bring international expertise to food and agribusiness firms in Parma to help them to expand and remain globally competitive.

Amadori is one of three large commercial producers of chickens in Italy and the only commercial producer of free-range chickens. The threat of the avian flu virus poses a challenge to Amadori because of the possibility that authorities may order all birds to be kept indoors. The crux of the case is to identify and analyze alternatives that Amadori should consider for its line of free-range Il Campese chickens in response to an avian flu virus outbreak.

Veggies 4U is a young and dynamic family-run greenhouse: Lucy and her husband run the business with the help of a small group of friends and colleagues who serve on the company's Board of Directors. Lucy is preparing a report to the Board to recommend a natural gas supply contract for the next three years. The company has received four different contract offers, ranging from a simple forward contract, to a maximum cost contract with a price floor. The case focuses on the pricing and risk management opportunities offered by an integrated North American natural gas market. Lucy has to assess the different supply contract offers received by the company and to reverse engineer them in order to benchmark their cost with that of potential synthetic alternatives Veggies 4U could build. Once Lucy has decided what to recommend, she has to sell it to the Board.

Sustainability must be adopted as a key principle in global markets. Numerous

Sustainability must be adopted as a key principle in global markets. Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the degree of sustainability on a national and local level. However, only little information for single farm assessment is currently available. The present paper introduces a tool, the Response-Inducing Sustainability Evaluation (RISE), which allows an easy assessment at the farm level. It is system-oriented and offers a holistic approach for advice, education and planning. The model covers ecological, economical and social aspects by defining 12 indicators for Energy, Water, Soil, Biodiversity, Emission Potential, Plant Protection, Waste and Residues, Cash Flow, Farm Income, Investments, Local Economy and Social Situation. For each indicator a State (S) and a Driving force (D) are determined from direct measures of a number of parameters. The State indicates the current condition of the specific indicator, higher values are more desirable, and the Driving force is a measure of the estimated pressure the farming system places on the specific indicator; in this case lower values are desirable. D and S are standardized on a 0 to 100 scale; a perfect indicator would be identified by S=100 and D=0, whereas significant challenges would be captured by a combination of a low S and a high D. The degree of sustainability (DS) of each indicator is defined as DS= (S-D), bound by construction to the -100 to +100 range. The overall results are summarized and displayed in a sustainability polygon. In addition to this polygon a strength/weakness profile is determined for 1) the stability of the social, economic and ecological framework, 2) farmer's risk awareness and risk management measures, 3) grey energy in machines, buildings and external inputs, 4) animal health and welfare. RISE has been tested and used to evaluate very different farms in Brazil, Canada, China and Switzerland. Results are considered relevant with regard to the objective stated. Further testing, adaptation and fine-tuning is under way. A similar model covering the supply chain to the factory gate is also under development.

This paper focusses on the 1996ruling regarding the two largest dairy producer organizations, the Consorzio delParmigiano Reggiano (CPR) and the Consorzio del Grana Padano (CGP); both werefound guilty of uncompetitive behaviour by the Italian Antitrust Authority (IAA).The case has been quite controversial, wih suggestions that the anti trustlegislation, developed to address the needs of advanced industrial and servicesectors, may be poorly suited to interface with traditional and established practicesof the agricultural sector.Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano are the two most important cheeses inItaly by value of production and are considered true icons of Italy’s emphasis ontypical products of highest quality.The IAA started the case following the significant increase of the retail price of thetwo cheeses during 1994-95, which is illustrated in Figure 1. The main concern ofthe IAA was with the market coordination mechanism used by CPR and CGP to co-manage each other’s market share, through strict production quotas placed on eachdairy.

The paper documents price leadership and the speed of price adjustment between each pair of cash corn and soybeans markets in Ontario, Toledo and the CBOT nearby futures, and deter-mines whether potential price distortions may offer trading opportunities. The approach developed is applicable to the study of price transmission within a supply chain. Price integration of Ontario corn cash markets with the delivery point of Toledo and with the Chicago futures decreases in the Eastern part of the province. Corn elevators appear to be able to control the value of posted unadjusted basis over short periods of time, hence distorting the process of instantaneous price transmission. Limited trading opportunities are noted. The concentration of soybeans end-users, with only two crushers acting as end-buyers in the province, is forcing a sharper pricing by local elevators, and a more complete price integration process is observed. There is an almost instantaneous adjustment between the Chatham, London, Hensall and Norfolk markets, as well as with Chicago futures and Toledo cash markets. No trading opportunities are apparent.

Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomieVolume 44, Issue 4 p. 369-374 Over-the-counter Derivatives and Price Risk Management in a Post-tripartite Environment: The Case of Cattle and Hogs Francesco Braga, Francesco Braga Department of Agricultural Economics and Business, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1.Search for more papers by this author Francesco Braga, Francesco Braga Department of Agricultural Economics and Business, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1.Search for more papers by this author First published: December 1996 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7976.1996.tb04432.xCitations: 3AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume44, Issue4December 1996Pages 369-374 RelatedInformation

AgribusinessVolume 11, Issue 5 p. 463-472 Article Implications of a changing commodity quality definition: The case of Canadian durum wheat exports to Italy Dr. Francesco Braga, Corresponding Author Dr. Francesco Braga Associate Professor Dept. of Agricultural Economics and Business, University of GuelphDept. of Agricultural Economics and Business, University of Guelph, Guleph, Ontario, Canada N1G2W1Search for more papers by this authorRoberta Raffaelli, Roberta Raffaelli Assistant Professor University of TrentoSearch for more papers by this author Dr. Francesco Braga, Corresponding Author Dr. Francesco Braga Associate Professor Dept. of Agricultural Economics and Business, University of GuelphDept. of Agricultural Economics and Business, University of Guelph, Guleph, Ontario, Canada N1G2W1Search for more papers by this authorRoberta Raffaelli, Roberta Raffaelli Assistant Professor University of TrentoSearch for more papers by this author First published: September/October 1995 https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6297(199509/10)11:5<463::AID-AGR2720110509>3.0.CO;2-9AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume11, Issue5September/October 1995Pages 463-472 RelatedInformation

The purpose of the RISE project in Canada was to introduce the Response-Inducing Sustainability Evaluation, RISE to the North American farming system and improve or fine-tune the model for a more production-oriented environment. RISE provides all kinds of farm and agrifood manager (reaching across regions, sectors & production types), with a simple, inexpensive but nevertheless holistic management tool based on a sustainability evaluation. The model is an instrument for comparative evaluation, advice and planning for sustainable production and development of farms (or farm sectors). This will allow to detect and analyse sustainability issues so that agrifood manager can act early against serious sustainability weaknesses and risks. In the process of this project RISE was applied to a sample of 16 dairy farms and four other agricultural operations (one each of a beef, pork, chicken, and a mixed farm). This case study allowed fine-tuning and detecting problems related to the RISE model's application to Canadian dairy operations. The findings suggest that changes are required in the questionnaire; adjustments should be considered for the formulas calculating the Water indicator, Emission Potential indicator, and Cash Flow indicator, as well as the "sales pitch" towards the farmers, who do not appreciate the value of a sustainability evaluation tool before hand. Suggestions are made for each of these. Furthermore, smaller adjustments were recommended for the Income and Investment indicators. Finally, the case study indicates that Ontario's dairy farms experience the highest sustainability pressure from parameters measured in the Cash Flow and Emission Potential indicators. This appears to be in line with some of the most intensely discussed topics in the Ontario agrifood sector: the high dairy quota prices and the Nutrient Management Act.