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INTRODUCTION
sustainablyretainitsfinancialvalueandfertility,butevenincreasethem.Thisison
accountofproducer’sefforts,iftheyadheretotheprinciplesofcroprotationandcur-
rentagriculturalandtechnicaldevelopments.Moreover,theamountofcroplandis
steadilydiminishing,primarilyduetonewconstructions.Thisformsyetanotherfactor
increasingitsvalueandprices.Goingfurther,onecouldalsolinkthistoyetanother
distinguishingtraitofagriculturalproduction:theenvironmentalrisk.
Anagriculturalbusinessmanwishingtoreducethisriskshouldintensifytheirpro-
ductioninacomprehensivemanner.Byprovidingallthatisrequiredbymoderntech-
nology,thedirectcostsincludingfixedassetsincrease,butatthesametimethe
environmentalrisksdecrease.Ingeneral,theenvironmentalrisktendstohavealarger
impactforextensiveorecologicalproduction.Havingsaidthat,theenvironmentalrisk
usuallydecreasesalongwithincreasedproductivityofagribusiness,yetrisesalongwith
anincreasedscaleofproductiondespitethefactthatlargescaleproductionarises
fromhavingincreasingamountsofvaluablefixedassetsandthereforetendstobring
heavyfinancialconsequences.Thismakesthecostsoffinancingfixedassetsakeyissue
foragribusiness.
Oneshouldrememberyetanotherdistinctivetraitofagribusiness:theseasonality
andrelativelyshortuseperiodsofspecializedmachineryandequipmentwithinasingle
year.Thisleadstoawidespreadusageofphysicallyold,buttechnicallysoundequipment
anagriculturalbusinessmandoesnotincludeintheirfixedcosts.However,bycaringfor
theseassetsthecostsofagriculturalproductioncanbelowered,thusbecomingafactor
helpinganagriculturalholdingsurvivetheperiodsoffinanciallydisadvantageousexter-
nalconditionsandallowingto,forexample,continuetheproductionofgoodsselling
atagiventimeforlowprices,whichwouldindicateunprofitabilityofsuchproduction.
Fromacommonsensestandpoint,suchasituationissomewhatparadoxical,asthe
agriculturalholdingkeepsproducingunprofitablegoods.However,thisdoesnottake
intoaccountthefixedcostsandeventhecostsofownlaborasmaintainingthepro-
ductionmightbevaluableinitself,asthecostsofrestartingitafterastopmightexceed
thesefixedcosts.
Agribusinessfinanceissuesarecoveredsomewhatextensivelyinsubjectliterature,
butatthesametimeinaratherfragmentedmanner.Uptothispoint,therehasbeen
nomajorworkapplyingfinancialsciencestothesphereofagribusiness.Thistextbook
isthereforeamodestandpioneeringattempttofillthistheoretical,educationaland
practicalvoid.
Atthesametime,Iwouldliketothankallmywonderfulfriendswhohavechosen
toco-authorthisbook.
SławomirJuszczyk
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