Members in the News: Staples, Malone, Schnitkey, Paulson, Liu, Roderick, Connor, Roe, Qi, Penn, Li, Hu, Penn, Lusk, Munisamy, Adjemian, & Stevens

Aaron Staples, Michigan State University
Trey Malone, Michigan State University

Regulatory restrictions are making food supply chain disruptions worse

By: The Hill - November 30, 2021

The holiday season is upon us, and supply chain disruptions have become dinner table conversation. Higher food prices abound as beef, pork and chicken prices are up 26 percent, 19 percent and 15 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels. Why the price spike? As the pandemic drags on, labor shortages and jammed up ports are a focal point of media coverage, but reports have largely overlooked the impact of cumbersome, overlapping regulatory restrictions on food supply chain disruptions.

(Continued...)
Watch video on: The Hill

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Gary Schnitkey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Nick Paulson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Factors expected to drive the 2022 corn market

By: Successful Farming - November 29, 2021

In a white paper that appeared first on farmdocdaily.illinois.edu this fall titled “2022 Planting Decisions, Nitrogen Fertilizer Prices, and Corn and Soybean Prices,” Gary Schnitkey, Krista Swanson, and Nick Paulson, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, wrote that budgeting prices of $4.50 per bushel for corn and $12.00 per bushel for soybeans causes soybeans to be more profitable than corn across Illinois.

(Continued...)
Watch video on: Successful Farming

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Yangxuan Liu, University of Georgia

A Year Of Good Yields And Prices

By: Cotton Farming - December 1, 2021

Every year in October and November, harvest approached across the Cotton Belt. This year was no exception, as cotton producers worked to wrap up this busy time and enjoy the payoff of their hard labor. The 2021 cotton harvest combined both good yields and good prices, which is rare for cotton producers.

(Continued...)
Read more on: Cotton Farming

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Rejesus Roderick, North Carolina State University
Lawson Connor, Louisiana State University

Study suggests crop insurance plays small role in discouraging cover crop use in Indiana

By: Phys.org - December 1, 2021

Rod Rejesus, professor of agricultural and resource economics at NC State and the corresponding author of the research study, says he and coauthors wanted to understand the relationship between crop insurance participation and cover crop use by farmers.

Lawson Connor of Louisiana State University and Mahmut Yasar of the University of Texas Arlington coauthored the paper, which appears in Applied Economics Perspectives and Policy.

(Continued...)
Read more on: Phys.org

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Brian Roe, The Ohio State University
Danyi Qi, Louisiana State University
Jerrod Penn, Louisiana State University
Ran Li, The Ohio State University

Giving ugly food a chance

By: Phys.org & Mirage - December 2, 2021

Explaining the value of misshapen vegetables – that they are as healthful as their picture-perfect counterparts and buying them helps reduce food waste – could help improve sales of “ugly” produce, new research suggests.

(Continued...)
Read more on: Phys.org & Mirage

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Wuyang Hu, The Ohio State University
Jerrod Penn, Louisiana State University

Giving shoppers a nudge to forgo plastic bags

By: Phys.org - November 29, 2021

"We had seen that a few stores had used donation incentives, which still let customers use a plastic bag. It was a perfect scenario for a nudge," said Wuyang Hu, co-author of the study and a professor of agricultural, environmental and development economics at The Ohio State University.

Hu conducted the study with his former graduate student, Jerrod Penn, now an assistant professor, and Penn's current graduate student Sapana Bastola, both at Louisiana State University. The research is published in the journal Land Economics.

(Continued...)
Read more on: Phys.org

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Jayson Lusk, Purdue University

USDA invests in strengthening meat supply chain

By: Beef Magazine - November 24, 2021

This summer, while testifying before the House Agriculture Committee, Jayson Lusk, Purdue University professor and head of agricultural economics, shared his research showed that even if there would have been a more distributed packing sector consisting of more small and medium-sized plants instead of a small number of large plants, the price spread dynamics and beef supply disruptions would likely not have been appreciably different than what was witnessed in 2020.

(Continued...)
Read more on: Beef Magazine

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Gopinath Munisamy, University of Georgia
Michael Adjemian, University of Georgia

With uncertain supply chain, experts say shop early

By: Albany Herald - November 20, 2021

Gopinath Munisamy, Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Marketing: As a New York Times article notes, there aren’t likely to be pandemic-type stock outs, but some spots might have availability issues. The bigger issue is price inflation — the consumer price index for food is up 4.6%, and meat prices are up about 10% according to September data. So whether low-income households can afford to pay such high prices to have that family get-together in November is of concern. Goods imported and produced domestically have been affected by inflation. The port-delay story on one side, coupled with the rising price of fuel on the other side, have created huge price pressures for holiday goods and services.

Michael Adjemian, associate professor of agricultural and applied economics: Expect to pay more due to a tight labor market, transportation bottlenecks, rises in the price of raw inputs and packaging shortages — all of these impact the food supply chain, generating shortages and raising prices. Moreover, turkey production in the U.S. is down a bit (1.4%) this year compared to 2020, so it may be a little harder to find the exact-sized (or type of) bird that you are after. Inflation is observed across the economy right now, and the per-pound price of turkey (and other food) is no exception. Cranberries, too.

(Continued...)
Read more on: Albany Herald

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Andrew Stevens, University of Wisconsin

Agricultural economist tackles potential food shortage

By: The Country Today - November 29, 2021

“There’s a very real possibility that it has an impact on productivity. That’s a very real concern,” said Andrew Stevens, an agricultural economist and lecturer at UW-Madison. “If we don’t change what we do, if we just keep planting on the same dates and don’t change our crops. If we don’t adapt, certainly, there will be some pretty negative consequences.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: The Country Today

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 Know another AAEA Member who has made statewide, national, or international news? Send a link of the article to Jessica Weister at jweister@aaea.org.

What research and topics are you working on? Want to be an expert source for journalists working on a story? Contact Allison Ware at aware@aaea.org.

*Disclaimer - This email is to acknowledge citations of current AAEA members and/or their research in any public media channel. AAEA does not agree nor disagree with the views or attitudes of cited outside publications.

(WEBINAR) Listening to the Diverse Voices AAEA: Part 4

"Where you started in life should not define where you will end up. The way we deal with obstacles often shape who we become and who we are through challenges. The key is to overcome the barriers and learn from the experiences."
-Anonymous, Listening to the Diverse Voices of AAEA: Part 1

Do you ever feel like your life story is different from everybody else’s? Are you searching for somebody you can relate to? Have you been looking for advice in a certain area but unsure of whom to ask? Join the Mentoring Committee and our four newly invited panelists as we walk down memory lane with each individual panelist. Panelists will share their achievements and life’s journey within and beyond their resumes. Here you’ll have the opportunity to get to know these four professional individuals on a more personal level and chat with them! You may find that some of their struggles and life experiences may relate to situations you are currently facing and this is your chance to seek to them for advice. You’ll learn how our panelists have grown in their profession life and how they manage a healthy work/life balance; all while discovering their personal hobbies and interests and/or other obstacles and hardships they have had to overcome in order to get to where they are now. Questions and comments are highly encouraged from the audience. We hope you will join us for this engaging conversation as we connect with our four panelists at our Listening to the Diverse Voices of AAEA: Part 4 event!

If you or somebody you know would be willing to participate as a panelist in the future or you would like to nominate an individual of who’s story you would like to hear and connect with—the Mentoring Committee is always searching for new panelists! Please email all recommendations to info@aaea.org; providing their name(s) and email(s) for us to reach out to and see if they are interested.

When: Friday, December 3, 12:00 – 1:00 pm (Eastern Time)
Format: Zoom
Agenda: Each panelist will be given approximately 8 minutes to share their story with additional time for the audience to engage with the panelists
Facilitator: Kathleen Liang, North Carolina A&T State University
Panelists:

• Mary Ahearn, Economic Consultant
• Kenrett Jefferson Moore, North Carolina A&T State University
• Michael Gunderson, MetLife Investment Management
• Luba Kurkalova, North Carolina A&T State University

Register here today!

Note that space is limited. If at anytime you find out that you can longer attend the webinar, please email us at info@aaea.org to cancel so we may better accommodate pending registrations. Any pending registrants will be reviewed during the time of the webinar in the event there is room.

NAPA: 3rd NAPA BIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE 2022

Association of Nepalese Agricultural Professionals of Americas (NAPA)

May 27-29, 2022 (Memorial Weekend)

Sonesta Atlanta Airport North, Atlanta, GA

The Association of Nepalese Agricultural Professionals of Americas (NAPA) is a organizing an international scientific conference from May 27-29, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia with the theme is  ‘Advancing Agriculture in a Changing World’. The conference provides a scientific forum for students, researchers, academicians, and professionals who are engaged in but not limited to teaching, research, extension, rural development, and entrepreneurial activities in the field of agricultural and allied sciences across America and beyond. Participants will have an opportunity to present research findings, share experiences, exchange ideas, explore professional collaborations, and engage in networking activities that foster impactful collaboration. You can find more information about this conference in the following links:

• Call for abstracts (professionals and students) 
• Call for essays-student writing contest
• Click here for more details about the NAPA conference

Webinar: Farm Income and Financial Forecasts, December 2021 Update

 Date: Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Time: 1:00 PM ET 

Duration: 1 hour

Host: Carrie Litkowski

Description:

USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) releases farm income statement and balance sheet estimates and forecasts three times a year. These core statistical indicators provide guidance to policymakers, lenders, commodity organizations, farmers, and others interested in the financial status of the farm economy. ERS' farm income statistics also inform the computation of agriculture's contribution to the U.S. economy's gross domestic product.

During this webinar, ERS Senior Economist Carrie Litkowski will provide updated farm sector income and wealth forecasts for calendar year 2021.

Register here: https://www.ers.usda.gov/conferences/webinar-farm-income-and-financial-forecasts-december-2021-update/

 

Members in the News: Taylor, Kolodinsky, Glauber, Vos, Anderson, Schnitkey, Ortega, Lusk, Conroy, Frisvold, Beghin, & AEPP

J. Edward Taylor, University of California, Davis For poor farmworkers, there is no escape from heat, high prices of California By: Los Angeles Times - November 22, 2021 Edward Taylor, distinguished professor at UC Davis’ Agriculture and Resource Economics department, said to his knowledge there isn’t a study that statistically links harvest migration to extreme heat in the Pacific Northwest. But he found it interesting and worth studying because whatever makes migration less attractive makes people migrate less. (Continued...) Watch video on: Los Angeles Times Jane Kolodinsky, University of Vermont The infrastructure bill is on the president’s desk. What’s in it for rural America? By: Marketplace - November 15, 2021 For some local governments, Kolodinsky said the infrastructure bill will provide the first opportunity to carry out big infrastructure projects like broadband expansion.  “Some of these projects are going to be very successful, and probably others might flounder,” she said. “It’s up to the communities to really step up to this opportunity.” (Continued...) Watch video on: Marketplace Joseph Glauber, IFPRI Pandemic and surge in food prices deepens global hunger By: World Socialist Web Site & Counter Currents - September 22, 2021 Food Systems Summit: 'Supports to farmers keeping the world away from SDGs and the Paris Agreement' By: Daily Hunt & Down To Earth - September 14, 2021 China's Race for Better-Performing Seed By: Germination - September 8, 2021 Rob Vos, IFPRI Could Elon Musk really solve world hunger? By: NPR Wisconsin Public Radio - November 3, 2021 How do we look at hunger? One way is people who don't have enough food (chronic hunger). Elon Musk has about 300 billion dollars. If he's willing to give it all away is great, but how do you take it to the right places. "There is a balancing act of government, regulatory frameworks, and social protections." You can't pay off world hunger because there are a lot of systems. Vos said, "We have to change behavior--what we eat, what we consume; producers--what we invest in; governments--where we put our money." (Continued...) Read more on: NPR Wisconsin Public Radio John Anderson, University of Arkansas Strengthening the food supply chain in response to the COVID-19 pandemic By: Phys.org - November 23, 2021 The meat processing sector also experienced "a significant increase in production and price risks and a dramatic widening of marketing margins," according to Anderson. These insecurities encouraged building the resilience of the food supply chain. The authors pointed out that larger commercial firms have the advantage of increasing resilience through improved efficiency, adoption of technology, and global marketing. (Continued...) Read more on: Phys.org Gary Schnitkey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Expensive inputs and strong demand send fertilizer prices through the roof By: Chemical & Engineering News - November 17, 2021 On the other side of the equation, prices for major crops like corn and soybeans are also very high right now. Gary Schnitkey, an economist at the University of Illinois who analyzes farming costs, says farmers are eager to take advantage of those prices, which is increasing demand for fertilizer to be used this fall and next spring. (Continued...) Read more on: Chemical & Engineering News David Ortega, Michigan State University Jayson Lusk, Purdue University Americans are spending 14% more on their Thanksgiving feasts as the nation continues to battle supply chain disruptions and runaway inflation By: Tech-Gate & Station Gossip - November 20, 2021 'Consumer behavior is changing and demand is increasing as consumers are starting to re-re-emerge from this latest surge of Covid cases,' Ortega said at the time. 'There are some serious supply chain logistic issues which are affecting shipping and transportation times that are adding to rising costs. Labor shortages and rising wages are also partly to blame.' ‘If you look at turkey, for example, feed has been more expensive,’ Lusk told DailyMail.com in late October. ‘Corn and soybean is more expensive than they were a year or so ago. And so it’s more costly to produce meat, and particularly in the meat sector labor costs have increased.’ (Continued...) Read more on: Tech-Gate & Station Gossip Tessa Conroy, University of Wisconsin The pandemic created a boom of small businesses, but the road to success is filled with obstacles By: Wisconsin Public Radio via NPR & Urban Milwaukee - November 19, 2021 "I will definitely be keeping an eye out to see, you know, do those turn into real operational businesses?" said Conroy. "Is it the case that if the economy, you know, expands, and there are opportunities for people to go back to their old positions, might some of this entrepreneurial activity fade if people go back to what they were doing before?" (Continued...) Read more on: Wisconsin Public Radio via NPR & Urban Milwaukee George Frisvold, University of Arizona The economics and community of food By: Arizona Public Radio - November 19, 2021 While demand for food at restaurants and schools plummeted, it rose at grocery stores, said George Frisvold, an economist at the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “Huge shocks in prices in commodity markets for the raw commodities isn’t that unusual. What’s unusual now is it’s filtering down to the retail level,” he said. (Continued...) Read more on: Arizona Public Radio John Beghin, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy Can foods produced with new plant engineering techniques succeed in the marketplace? By: Fox 28 - November 23, 2021 In the new article "Can foods produced with new plant engineering techniques succeed in the marketplace? A case study of apples" published in AEPP, Stéphan Marette, John C. Beghin, , Anne-Célia Disdier, and Eliza Mojduszka, identify the conditions under which markets for New Plant Engineering Techniques (NPETs) food derive from. (Continued...) Read more on: Fox 28

Know another AAEA Member who has made statewide, national, or international news? Send a link of the article to Jessica Weister at jweister@aaea.org. What research and topics are you working on? Want to be an expert source for journalists working on a story? Contact Allison Ware at aware@aaea.org. *Disclaimer - This email is to acknowledge citations of current AAEA members and/or their research in any public media channel. AAEA does not agree nor disagree with the views or attitudes of cited outside publications.

Members in the News: Glauber, Vos, Kolodinsky, Lusk, Dall’Erba, Lim, Luitel, Mintert, Bir, & Carpenter

Joseph Glauber, IFPRI India's food security demands loom over upcoming WTO meeting By: Politico Pro - November 5, 2021 Time for new trade strategy By: Farm Futures - October 14, 2021 US supported agriculture to tune of almost 50% in 2020 By: Irish Farmers Journal - October 6, 2021 Jane Kolodinsky, University of Vermont The infrastructure bill is on the president’s desk. What’s in it for rural America? By: NPR Marketplace - November 15, 2021 For some local governments, Kolodinski said the infrastructure bill will provide the first opportunity to carry out big infrastructure projects like broadband expansion.  “Some of these projects are going to be very successful, and probably others might flounder,” she said. “It’s up to the communities to really step up to this opportunity.” (Continued...) Watch video on: NPR Marketplace Rob Vos, IFPRI Could Elon Musk really solve world hunger? By: NPR Wisconsin Public Radio - November 3, 2021 How do we look at hunger? One way is people who don't have enough food (chronic hunger). Elon Musk has about 300 billion dollars. If he's willing to give it all away is great, but how do you take it to the right places. "There is a balancing act of government, regulatory frameworks, and social protections." You can't pay off world hunger because there are a lot of systems. Vos said, "We have to change behavior--what we eat, what we consume; producers--what we invest in; governments--where we put our money." (Continued...) Read more on: NPR Wisconsin Public Radio Jayson Lusk, Purdue University Supply chain issues may muck up Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations with higher meat prices and a Christmas tree shortage By: Insider - November 16, 2021 "The meat price increases were initially caused by disruptions in supply when packing plants shuttered after workers contracted COVID19," Lusk explained in the post. "Packing has fully resumed, but there remain extra costs from socially distanced workers and the addition of personal protective equipment." (Continued...) Read more on: Insider Sandy Dall’Erba, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign New ways to estimate climate change effects on agriculture By: The Western Producer - November 10, 2021 “Statistical methods have been used to measure the impact of climate change on various economic outcomes, primarily on agriculture, since the early 1980s,” said Sandy Dall’Erba, professor in the U.S. Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics and director of the Center for Climate, Regional, Environmental and Trade Economics. (Continued...) Read more on: The Western Producer Sunghun Lim, Texas Tech University Structural transformation in the era of global agricultural value chains By: VoxEU-CEPR - November 6, 2021 Today, the food we eat is increasingly delivered by global production systems that cross multiple borders. Wheat harvested in Argentina and Ukraine, for example, is processed into flour in Kazakhstan and Turkey, and then exported to make pasta in Italy and instant noodles in China in order to feed people across the world. Trade in agriculture and food has more than doubled in real terms since the early 1990s. Emerging and developing countries have become active participants in global markets, and they now account for about one-third of global agricultural trade. (Continued...) Read more on: VoxEU-CEPR Kishor Luitel, Middle Tennessee State University MTSU Researching Soil Solutions By: WGNS Radio - November 17, 2021 Beyond tasting cheese, the economic impacts of implementing sustainable land management practices on crop productivity, milk quality and the producers will be analyzed by Kishor Luitel, assistant professor of agricultural economics. “Milk quality depends on animal feed and feed quality depends upon soil health,” Luitel said. (Continued...) Read more on: WGNS Radio James Mintert, Purdue University Shift from corn to soy acreage eyed as fertilizer costs skyrocket By: High Plains Journal - November 12, 2021 There’s no question that the costs of all farm inputs, especially fertilizer, have skyrocketed. In a recent webinar, James Mintert, director of the Center for Commercial Agriculture at Purdue University, said that according to the latest figures in the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, input costs for corn production had increased by $1 per bushel in one year; he called that increase “unprecedented.” Mintert cited a recently quoted price for anhydrous ammonia of $1,350 per ton. Phosphorus, potash and nitrogen prices have also increased. (Continued...) Read more on: High Plains Journal Courtney Bir, Oklahoma State University Everyday Home Blog: Turkey tension? Keep supply chain disruption from ruining holiday By: The Shawnee-News Star - November 15, 2021 Family cooks are justified to worry about holiday menus, said Courtney Bir, an Oklahoma State University Extension specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics. (Continued...) Read more on: The Shawnee-News Star Craig Carpenter, Michigan State University MSU Extension develops online resource on the history of redlining By: Fox 47 News - October 13, 2021 "They developed maps, where they drew colors around neighborhoods, and part of the criteria for determining those colors was race," said MSU Extension Specialist Craig Carpenter. (Continued...) Read more on: Fox 47 News

Know another AAEA Member who has made statewide, national, or international news? Send a link of the article to Jessica Weister at jweister@aaea.org. What research and topics are you working on? Want to be an expert source for journalists working on a story? Contact Allison Ware at aware@aaea.org. *Disclaimer - This email is to acknowledge citations of current AAEA members and/or their research in any public media channel. AAEA does not agree nor disagree with the views or attitudes of cited outside publications.

Western Economics Forum (WEF)

Call for Pre-Submission Abstracts by November 30, 2021
Accepted Papers to be published by November 15, 2022

Topical Focus of Special WEF Issue: Value-At-Risk in Agricultural Supply Chains
The Western Economics Forum (WEF) focuses on interdisciplinary issues relevant to the Western United States. For its Fall 2022 issue, the WEF welcomes authors to submit papers for peer review addressing matters/areas related to “Value-At-Risk in Agricultural Supply Chains”. As editors for this issue, we are seeking papers relating to any of at least three (3) focus areas associated with this topic.

The areas of focus are:

1

1. Naturally occurring factors impacting Agricultural Supply Chains
   Examples of such naturally occurring factors include: diseases (COVID-19), extreme weather (drought, flood, other weather perils), climate change & carbon markets, and/or other domestic U.S. or foreign naturally occurring events. 
2. Global factors impacting Agricultural Supply Chains
   Examples of global factors impacting Ag Supply Chains include: ocean freight rates, exchange rate variations, logistical issues in key exporting countries or transportation routes (i.e., such as the recent Suez Canal ship blockage), shortages in international fertilizer & crop input markets, agricultural labor availability shortages, and other international market factors. 
3. Political / legal factors impacting Agricultural Supply Chains
   Examples of political and/or legal factors include: international geopolitical conflicts and tensions, changes in world scale or bi-lateral trade agreements, comparative U.S. and foreign country renewable energy policies, pending development of renewable diesel following from previous expansion of U.S. ethanol production, regulation of agricultural production and/or manufacturing processes, and other political/legal factors.
   

Request for Proposal Abstracts – Due November 30, 2021 – Notification by 12/17/2021:

The editors are requesting abstracts of 250 words maximum be turned in for review by November 3, 2021 to dobrien@ksu.edu . Authors will be informed of Abstract acceptance or denial by 12/17/2021.

Submission, Review and Publishing Timeline:

• Public call for abstracts (250 words): Starting Wednesday, November 3, 2021
• Abstracts due for review: On Tuesday, November 30, 2021
• Authors informed of Abstract Acceptance/Denial: By Friday, December 17, 2021
• Papers Due for Review: Friday, April 15, 2022
• Publishing Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Submission Guidelines:
Authors are required to provide WEF editors with suggestions of at least 2-3 reviewers for each article submitted. See complete submission guidelines for Fall 2022 WEF issue on the Western Economics Forum website, part of the Western Agricultural Economics Association, i.e., WAEA, http://www.waeaonline.org/

All submissions, including both submitted papers and case studies, will be peer reviewed. These papers are intended in general to be 10-12 pages or 2,500 words in final form, with up to 15-20 pages and 3,500 words maximum.

About the Western Economics Forum
The Western Economics Forum organizes peer-reviewed economic research and cutting-edge thinking and ideas about contemporary issues affecting the Western United States. The papers in this special issue for fall 2022 are meant to inform academics with applied interests in “Value-at-risk in Agricultural Supply Chain Management”. Agency personnel, policy makers, community practitioners, and/or technical assistance providers may also benefit from information in the Fall 2022 issue.

The Western Economics Forum is sponsored by the Western Agricultural Economics Association. For past issues of the Western Economics Forum, visit the following web address: http://www.waeaonline.org/publications/western-economics-forum

Editors for the Fall 2022 issue of the Western Economics Forum:

Matthew Elliott, South Dakota State University
David Ripplinger, North Dakota State University
Alex Shanoyan, Kansas State University
Hernan Tejeda, University of Idaho
Daniel O’Brien, Kansas State University, dobrien@ksu.edu (address for abstract submissions)