Member in the News: David Archer

David Archer, USDA-Agricultural Research Service BusinessPeople - July 16, 2017 By: Bismarck Tribune- July 16, 2017 David Archer has been appointed research leader of the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, Mandan. Archer joined the staff as an agricultural economist in 2007. Archer grew up in southeastern Montana. He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Rocky Mountain College, and a doctorate in agricultural economics from Iowa State University. (Continued...) Read the entire article on Bismarck Tribune

See other Member in the News items Know another AAEA Member who has made statewide, national, or international news? Send a link of the article to info@aaea.org or ascheetz@aaea.org  What research and topics are you working on? Want to be an expert source for journalists working on a story? We want to hear from you. Contact Jay Saunders via email, jsaunders@aaea.org.

Member Profile: Norbert Wilson

Norbert Wilson is no stranger to the AAEA Annual Meeting.

Wilson got his first chance to share his research as an undergraduate at the University of Georgia. In 1992 he took part in the student paper competition.

As a graduate student at the University of California, Davis, Wilson again went to AAEA meetings as a way to present research and make connections with colleagues. His experience at the meetings continued as a professor; and this year, at the 2017 AAEA Annual Meeting in Chicago, Wilson will become a member of the AAEA Board of Directors. He was elected by fellow members earlier this year.

“It was not always easy.” Wilson said. “As an early career professional, attending the meetings was isolating. I am grateful for my major professor, former classmates, and colleagues in COSBAE who helped me find a place in the association. I am grateful for supportive colleagues who helped me to see the importance of being engaged.”

Wilson says through the years, he has been able to develop a network of colleagues who “encouraged me in subtle and direct ways.”

As a Board member and a long-standing AAEA member, Wilson is now in a position to give advice to the students and early career professionals just as his predecessors did for him. His message to those starting a career in this profession? “Keep at it.”

“The meetings can be daunting,” Wilson says. “Part of the job of an academic is sharing your ideas with others; some will like them and others will not. Thus, learn from rejections and negative comments. Most folks want to see you grow.”

The shift to AAEA Board Member isn’t the only professional change in Wilson’s life right now. Wilson recently left his position of professor at Auburn University to take on a position as Professor of Food Policy in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

Wilson says the shift from a small college town in the south to life in Boston has been “tough, but in a good way.” He talked about how it was difficult to leave a good place like Auburn but is excited to take on this new challenge.

“I am at a school of nutrition with colleagues and students of different backgrounds and research objectives,” Wilson says. “Thus, I am learning to communicate and collaborate in new ways. I am learning more about how other fields approach and discuss their work.”

At this year’s Annual Meeting, Wilson says you can find him at the COSBAE/CWAE luncheon, many of the Plenary Sessions, and at the reunions; but only for a little while because “they go a little too late for me!”

Wilson’s final piece of advice for young career professionals at this year’s meeting and beyond? “Learn to be a mentor and lend a hand to those coming behind you.”

Get to know AAEA Members:

Norbert Wilson: “I have a wife and daughter who are simply wonderful. They challenge me, keep me honest, and seek to make me a better person.”

 If you have an idea for a news release or a member profile, please contact Jay Saunders in the AAEA Business Office (jsaunders@aaea.org)

Member in the News: Lubben, Bellemare, Swinton, Hurt, Lee, Sumner, Bond, & Weersink

Brad Lubben, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Poll: Despite Strong Ag Ties, Rural Nebraskans Take Downturn in Stride By: KTIC- June 22, 2017 “The concern about job and income security was much more widespread outside of agriculture in 2009, while the concern in 2017 seems to be largely coming from agriculture and sales, where agricultural spending on Main Street and on big-ticket items has been affected,” said Brad Lubben, assistant professor of agricultural economics with Nebraska Extension. (Continued...) Read the entire article on KTIC Marc Bellemare, University of Minnesota Food waste estimates miss the mark? By: The Packer - July 7, 2017 “The extent of food waste — in terms of quantity and value — appears overstated in many cases,” Marc Bellemare of the University of Minnesota, said in a news release. Bellemare and other researchers recently released “On the Measurement of Food Waste,” a paper published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. (Continued...) Read the entire article on The Packer Scott Swinton, Michigan State University Cellulosic biofuel contributions to a sustainable energy future: Choices and outcomes By: Science - June 22, 2017 Cellulosic crops are projected to provide a large fraction of transportation energy needs by mid-century. However, the anticipated land requirements are substantial, which creates a potential for environmental harm if trade-offs are not sufficiently well understood to create appropriately prescriptive policy. Recent empirical findings show that cellulosic bioenergy concerns related to climate mitigation, biodiversity, reactive nitrogen loss, and crop water use can be addressed with appropriate crop, placement, and management choices. In particular, growing native perennial species on marginal lands not currently farmed provides substantial potential for climate mitigation and other benefits. (Continued...) Read the entire article on Science Chris Hurt, Purdue University Reality hits the market By: AgriNews - July 11, 2017 “North and South Dakota is becoming increasingly dry and going through a drought. Markets have taken a considerable increase. Weather markets are always unpredictable,” said Chris Hurt, professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University. (Continued...) Read the entire article on AgriNews Hyunok Lee, University of California, Davis Daniel Sumner, University of California Agricultural Issues Center Jennifer Bond, USDA UC study describes ‘bee-economics’ of pollination By: Daily Democrat - July 12, 2017 Almonds and honeybees depend on each other, and pollination fees for almond orchards have stabilized after sharp increases a decade ago: Those are among conclusions of a report from the Giannini Foundation for Agricultural Economics at the University of California. “Almonds depend on honeybees and the size and economic health of the beekeeping industry depends crucially on the economic health of the almond industry,” the UC report said. Titled “Bee-conomics Revisited,” the report said prices charged for almond pollination have remained steady “because an efficient system has quickly evolved to deliver bees to the expanding almond acreage, even with fluctuations in disease pressure on the honeybee industry.” (Continued...) Read the entire article on Daily Democrat Alfons Weersink, Ontario Agriculture College Chatham-Kent not seeing a spike in new farmers despite long growing season By: Chatham Daily News - July 11, 2017 “The level of investment keeps going up and up in value and it’s difficult to acquire land or trying to find rental land,” said professor Alfons Weersink, from the Ontario Agriculture School whose research involves agricultural economics. (Continued...) Read the entire article on Chatham Daily News

See other Member in the News items Know another AAEA Member who has made statewide, national, or international news? Send a link of the article to info@aaea.org or ascheetz@aaea.org  What research and topics are you working on? Want to be an expert source for journalists working on a story? We want to hear from you. Contact Jay Saunders via email, jsaunders@aaea.org.

Members in the News: James Mjelde & Chris Hurt

James Mjelde, Texas A&M University Research group focuses on economics of transportation needs for rural elderly By: The Western Producer - June 22, 2017 "There are several reasons why the elderly proportion of the rural population is increasing, including aging in place, people retiring to rural areas and outmigration of young people," said Dr. James Mjelde, research team leader and professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University in College Station. "As people are living longer, transportation for healthcare and other needs becomes even more paramount." "There are several reasons why the elderly proportion of the rural population is increasing, including aging in place, people retiring to rural areas and outmigration of young people," said Dr. James Mjelde, research team leader and professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University in College Station. "As people are living longer, transportation for healthcare and other needs becomes even more paramount." Read more at: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-06-group-focuses-economics-rural-elderly.html#jCp (Continued...) Read the entire article on Medical Press and Eurek Alert Chris Hurt, Purdue University Ground beef prices at three-year low just in time for July 4 By: The Washington Post - July 3, 2017 “Retailers are slower than the wholesale market to raise or lower the prices,” said Chris Hurt, professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. “They want to show more stability to their consumers week to week. But as the wholesale price is going down, retailers are also in the process of lowering the retail prices of beef.” (Continued...) Read the entire article on The Washington Post

See other Member in the News items Know another AAEA Member who has made statewide, national, or international news? Send a link of the article to info@aaea.org or ascheetz@aaea.org  What research and topics are you working on? Want to be an expert source for journalists working on a story? We want to hear from you. Contact Jay Saunders via email, jsaunders@aaea.org.