Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Vratislava Janovska Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Department of Land Use and Improvement, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Petra Simova Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Department of Applied Geoinformatics and Spatial Planning, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Josef Vlasak Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Department of Land Use and Improvement, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Petr Sklenicka Author-Workplace-Name: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Department of Land Use and Improvement, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Factors affecting farm size on the European level and the national level of the Czech Republic Abstract: Extreme differences in agricultural holding size, existing not only among the countries within the EU as a whole but also within the farm structures of the individual countries, create a considerable uncertainty for establishing the optimal political and economic instruments to support sustainable rural development. The study explores the determinants influencing the spatial volatility of agricultural holding size at both the EU scale and the national scale of the Czech Republic, the latter of which has the largest mean agricultural holding size in the EU. While some factors are identical for both the EU and the Czech Republic, other effects can only be evaluated at the European or international scale, and still others can be evaluated only at the national scale. The only factor found in this study to be significantly associated with the agricultural holding size on the European scale was the wheat production. On the Czech national scale, land consolidation, unemployment rate, and soil fertility were significantly associated with the agricultural holding size. The study found that in the Czech Republic, the number of farms was increasing, while at the same time the agricultural holding sizes were decreasing. This is an opposite trend in comparison to the EU as a whole, where the number of farms is diminishing and the sizes increasing. Keywords: agricultural holding size, farm structure, land consolidation, land management, rural development Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 1-12 Volume: 63 Issue: 1 Year: 2017 DOI: 10.17221/317/2015-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/317/2015-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201701-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:63:y:2017:i:1:id:317-2015-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jacek STROJNY Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Mathematical Statistics, Agricultural University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland Author-Name: Jakub PIECUCH Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Economic and Social Sciences, Unit of Economy and Economic Policy, Agricultural University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland Title: The land use structure of agricultural holdings in the Central and East European Countries and its evolution Abstract: The taxonomy of agricultural holdings' land use structure of the CEEC countries that are the EU members aims to investigate the diversity of this phenomenon and its evolution in 2005-2010. In order to establish homogenous clusters of land use, a structural taxonomy technique called the vectors elimination method was employed. The research outcome was the split of the entire data set into 5 subgroups characterizing more homogenous land use structures. Migrations of countries between the taxonomic subgroups over time were determined by the character of the transformation of the land use structure. Keywords: agricultural land, vectors elimination method, CEEC countries Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 13-23 Volume: 63 Issue: 1 Year: 2017 DOI: 10.17221/237/2015-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/237/2015-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201701-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:63:y:2017:i:1:id:237-2015-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lenka KALUSOVA Author-Name: Peter BADURA Author-Workplace-Name: University of Economics in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Title: Factors determining the financial structure of Czech and Slovak agricultural enterprises Abstract: The financial structure of enterprises is constantly a subject of research of many academics. Despite the fact that many scientific studies deal with this area of financial management, the research is mostly focused on industrial companies. In our opinion, there is a wide scope for research into the segment of agricultural enterprises and their financial structure, as well. The aim of the paper is, therefore, to analyse the direction and intensity of action of the selected internal corporate factors and external factors of the macro-environment on the financial structure of Czech and Slovak agricultural enterprises and to identify differences in the action of these factors between the Czech and Slovak companies. The methods of multiple regression and correlation analysis have been used as the main research methods. The achieved results pointed at the fact that in addition to the internal corporate factors, the external factors of the macro-environment were also statistically highly significant for certain groups of agricultural enterprises. The paper also points to some differences in the direction and intensity of action of the chosen factors on the examined level of debt - the total indebtedness and the credit indebtedness of the studied agricultural enterprises. Keywords: comparison, external factors of macro-environment, indebtedness of agricultural enterprises, internal corporate factors Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 24-33 Volume: 63 Issue: 1 Year: 2017 DOI: 10.17221/325/2015-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/325/2015-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201701-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:63:y:2017:i:1:id:325-2015-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jan SYRUCEK Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Cattle Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jindrich KVAPILIK Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Cattle Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Ludek BARTON Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Cattle Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Mojmir VACEK Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Ludek STADNIK Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Economic efficiency of suckler cow herds in the Czech Republic Abstract: The objective of the study was to assess the profitability of suckler cow herds located in different regions of the Czech Republic. Data on 2164 suckler cows were collected for 2013 from 20 beef farms using a questionnaire and the covered production, reproduction, and economic traits. Model calculations were used to determine the level of profitability with support payments either included (2.15%) or excluded (-45.5%). Break-even points defined as the points when the operation reaches zero profitability were estimated for the number of calves weaned and sold (81 calves/100 cows) and for the selling price of calves (54.6 CZK/kg). Fixed cost as a proportion of the total costs was reduced with the increasing herd size. Based on the results of a sensitivity analysis, the selling price for calves, the number of calves weaned the calving interval, and the amount of support payments were identified as the factors with the highest impact on the overall herd profitability. Keywords: break-even point, costs, price, profitability, sensitivity analysis, suckler cows Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 34-43 Volume: 63 Issue: 1 Year: 2017 DOI: 10.17221/263/2015-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/263/2015-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201701-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:63:y:2017:i:1:id:263-2015-AGRICECON Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jozsef TOTH Author-Workplace-Name: Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary Author-Name: Imre FERTO Author-Workplace-Name: Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary Title: Innovation in the Hungarian food economy Abstract: The paper investigates the innovation process in the Hungarian agri-food sector using the concept of open innovation. The empirical analysis is based on the data from a 2011 survey of more than 200 small and medium size agricultural producers, food processors and retailers. There is determined the impact of open innovation and a company's absorptive capacity on the innovation performance employing two stage approaches. First, a cluster analysis is applied to categorise companies based on their open innovation absorptive capacity, firm and managerial characteristics. Second, using semi-non parametric probit models, there is found that open innovation positively influences the innovation performance for the product and market innovation. Estimations indicate that the absorptive capacity has positive impacts on the technological- and organisational innovation and on innovation propensity. The results suggest that there exists a considerable heterogeneity both within and between the supply chain segments regarding to the innovation performance. Keywords: absorptive capacity, food chain, open innovation, SMEs Journal: Agricultural Economics Pages: 43-51 Volume: 63 Issue: 1 Year: 2017 DOI: 10.17221/196/2015-AGRICECON File-URL: http://agricecon.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/196/2015-AGRICECON.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/age-201701-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:63:y:2017:i:1:id:196-2015-AGRICECON