In this paper it is argued that solving problems in farm management involves applying an appropriate balance of disciplinary knowledge. More specifically, farm management decision-making is about making choices, and the discipline of choice is economics. Thus economics is the core discipline of farm management analysis and decision-making. Modelling farm systems using the whole farm approach, with emphasis on the risky elements, can be very useful. Also enlightening is using real farm case studies to test research output. The conclusion is that bringing to bear on farm management questions a few disciplines, a few perspectives and a few figurings to explore a few futures is a useful way to go.