ABSTRACT
In the United States (US), the development of farm bureaus was a means through which comparative analysis spread in the twentieth century. There was another development outside the US, though, where smaller groups of farmers got together to compare their ideas and data with each other. These discussion groups - sometimes known as business improvement groups or benchmarking clubs - have been the result in some cases of government or levy board sponsorship, in other cases of consultants offering additional services, and in some cases have been driven by individual farmers. However, the use of benchmarking in agriculture is distinctive. Firstly, it is a collaborative activity centred on groups and has a social dimension. Secondly, benchmarking in this fashion has led to significant changes in operational practice and the identification of new revenues as well as cost savings. A mass participation benchmarking scheme might be more successful than peer group experience because of the ability of the participant's to remain anonymous.
