Brian Whitacre, Oklahoma State University “'Wads of Money': Oklahoma Marijuana Industry Causing Property Values to Skyrocket” By: The Oklahoman – June 1, 2025 “We thought most of the comments were gonna be negative and that was not the case at all. A lot of people saw the positive impacts of the dispensaries, they were pretty well thought of. Dispensary owners actually came to our meeting, and people had pretty high opinions of them, so it wasn’t as negative as we thought it would be.” (Continued...) Steven Deller, University of Wisconsin-Madison "Rising Housing Costs Are Forcing Some Wisconsinites to Delay Medical Care, New Report Says" By: WPR – June 4, 2025 “The More Perspectives Talking About Housing Issues and How They Connect to Other Quality of Life Concerns, the Better. The decision-makers will get a better insight into kind of the nuances of what’s going on. As communities are thinking about this stuff, they need to be having a broader community conversation.” (Continued...) Brittney Goodrich, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign “Bee Truck Crashes Pose Steep Economic Losses for Beekeepers, Says Illinois Expert” By: News Wise – June 3, 2025 “When a semi-truck carrying hundreds of honey bee colonies crashed and overturned in Washington state last week, it wasn’t just a roadside mess — it was a potentially devastating economic blow to the beekeeping operation behind it.” (Continued...) David Ortega, Michigan State University “How Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Could Show Up on Your Grocery Bill” By: Marketplace – June 3, 2025 “Tariffs on inputs like steel and aluminum may not seem that connected to food, but they are critical for packaging. To think about all those canned goods you buy: canned tuna, soda, beer, pet food. They’re all packaged in steel or aluminum.” (Continued...) Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology “How Air Pollution Affects Mental Health” By: Basis Point - June 7, 2025 “Given the rising concern about air quality in urban and industrialized areas, this research rightly contends that mental health outcomes should be factored into cost-benefit analyses of environmental regulations. This is particularly salient because most air pollution studies focus primarily on physical health outcomes like respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, but the research I am discussing clearly highlights the less visible, yet equally serious, psychological toll that people in polluted environments confront.” (Continued...) Christopher Wolf, Cornell University “US Senate Advised on Aging Population of American Farmers” By: Morning Ag Clips – June 6, 2025 “There are also financial considerations that contribute to the aging workforce. Modern agriculture tends to be quite capital intensive, and that accumulation occurs over the manager’s lifetime, the result being that the average farm age is getting older. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a “farm” as producing and selling $1,000 or more annually, so statistics include many hobby and part-time farms that in some instances serve as a retirement pastime.” (Continued...) Marin Skidmore, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign “Heat Disaster: How Climate Change Is Bankrupting Small Dairy Farms While Big Ag Profits” By: The Bullvine – June 8, 2025 “Cows are mammals like us, and they experience heat stress just like we do. When cows are exposed to extreme heat, it can have a range of negative physical effects. There is an increased risk of infection, restlessness, and decreased appetite, which leads to a decline in milk yield. For dairy producers, the heat impact directly impacts their revenue.” (Continued...) |
Monday, June 9, 2025
Members in the News: June 9, 2025
Monday, June 2, 2025
Members in the News: June 2, 2025
Shuoli Zhao, University of Kentucky
“American Breakfast Cereals Are Becoming Less Healthy, Study Finds”
By: NYT – May 31, 2025
“The findings were especially notable given evolving consumer awareness about the links between excess consumption of sugar, salt and saturated fat and chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and cancer. What’s most surprising to me is that the healthy claims made on the front of these products and the nutritional facts on the back are actually going in the opposite direction.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: NYT
Sawssan Boufous, New Mexico State University
“Climate Extremes Slash Crop Yields, Threaten Local Agriculture”
By: WRAL – May 26, 2025
“To be really, really efficient, we need to hear from producers and involve them in the decision-making process. High-tech yield monitors and artificial intelligence tools have helped push U.S. corn production to record highs over the past four decades. By mapping every acre in real time, farmers can adjust fertilizer, irrigation and pesticide applications with unprecedented precision.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: WRAL
Ana Claudia, West Virginia University
Munkaila Lambongang, West Virginia University
“Marion County Hydrogen Hub Leaders Travel to Ohio for Inspiration”
By: Yahoo! News – May 16, 2025
“Before they can build the future, the planners of Fairmont’s proposed Hydrogen Hub had to see it. Last week, members of the Hydrogen Hub project team, including Brian Redmond, traveled to Canton, Ohio to view what hydrogen as a fuel source looks like in practice. The Stark Area Regional Transit has 22 hydrogen powered buses.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Yahoo! News
Richard Sexton, University of California, Davis
“California Avocado Growers Say Mexican Imports Have Helped Their Sales”
By: ABC News – May 28, 2025
“It’s been really wildly successful. It generates way more money than most of these other industry boards do. When you look at the growth rate in avocado consumption relative to all fruits, the difference in growth rate is dramatic.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: ABC News
Allen Featherstone, Kansas State University
“Trade Policy, Getting a Farm Bill Passed Are Top of Mind for Kansas Rancher, K-State Professor”
By: Successful Farming – May 28, 2025
“Everything there has an effect on Kansas agriculture, Featherstone said, rattling off a quick list: trade policy, energy policy, interest rates, passage of a farm bill, crop and livestock insurance, and tax policies. There’s just so much uncertainty in the air until Congress and the president begin to resolve some of those policy differences. You compound that with the fact that most of Kansas agriculture did not have good years in 2023, 2024 — most of the income, at least on crop operations, came through government payments. I would suspect once the Kansas Farm Management numbers are released that roughly 50% or more of income came from [government payments].”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Successful Farming
David Ortega, Michigan State University
“Largest Egg Producer in Southwest Partially Shutdown: What to Know”
By: Newsweek – June 6, 2025
"This is a very unfortunate situation and a stark reminder that the bird flu outbreak is still wreaking havoc on the poultry industry. The closure of Hickman's Family Farms...will have an outsized impact on egg prices and availability in the region... While national impacts may be more limited in the near term, this adds pressure to an already stressed egg supply chain.
(Continued...)
Read more on: Newsweek
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Members in the News: May 27, 2025
Hunter Biram, University
of Arkansas “STAX and PLC: Know the Differences” By: Farm Progress – May 22, 225 “On the surface, STAX and PLC may appear to be similar programs authorized under different pieces of legislation. However, a closer look reveals stark differences.” (Continued...) Wendong Zhang, Cornell University “Agriculture Continues to Navigate Tariffs” By: Ag Update – May 22, 2025 “Not only is there a tariff hike, but there is tariff volatility. It is uncertain on which countries a tariff will be applied, and how much, which is bad for farmers trying to plan.” (Continued...) Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology “Global South Needs to Lower Its Guard On GM Crops” By: Basis Point Insight - May 23, 2025 “The regulatory landscape around genetically modified crops has largely been shaped by public opinion and historical context. Not by economics. European resistance to GM crops, for example, was influenced by the contemporaneous mad cow disease crisis and slow regulatory procedures that allowed public opposition to build.” (Continued...) David Anderson, Texas A&M University “An Early Look at Tariff Impacts on Beef Exports” By: The Cattle Range – May 21, 2025 “It’s been about six weeks since U.S. tariffs and retaliatory tariffs were announced, impacting beef. One of the reasons the beef trade market is so interesting is that the U.S. imports and exports beef. The mix of products varies by country, including muscle cuts, trimmings, variety meats and hides.” (Continued...) Alejandro Plastina, University
of Missouri-Columbia “Nebraska Farm Income Projected to Increase 55% in 2025” By: The Norfolk Daily News – May 25, 2025 “Positive profit margins in livestock production and one-time government payments will support farm liquidity in calendar year 2025. Managing liquidity smartly will be key to protect farm operations from headwinds in 2026.” “Crop economics and livestock economics seem to be going in different directions at the moment, with the cattle industry helping hold up the state’s farm income prospects. But it’s one-time government assistance payments that dominate the current financial projections, even as the outlook for what is ahead with markets and policy may be more uncertain than ever.” (Continued...) |
Monday, May 19, 2025
Members in the News: May 19, 2025
Zhengfei Guan, University of Florida
|
“New Tariff Sparks Tomato War Between Importers and Florida Growers” By: The Washington Post - May 2, 2025 “Unlike corn or soybeans, tomatoes can’t be socked away and stored if the market is saturated, which makes them particularly susceptible to dumping. Sell it or smell it. If you don’t sell it, it’s worthless.” (Continued...) Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology
David Ortega, Michigan State University
Colin Andre Carter, University of California, Davis “California Farmers, Hit Hard by Trump’s Trade War, Haven’t Turned Against Him Yet” By: KQED – May 9, 2025 “He’s hurting the people who voted for him… Prior to the early Trump trade war, China was the number one market for U.S. agriculture exports. The trade war that was initiated by Trump ruined that relationship, and China is no longer number one. And if we look at California, some California products were highly dependent on China.” (Continued...) Kristiina Ala-Kokko, University of Arkansas “Production Economist Aims to Boost Farm Efficiency Amid Evolving Technology, Weather Risks” By: Stuttgart Daily Leader – May 9, 2025 “Too often students are tasked with merely memorizing information. She aims instead to challenge her students to interact with material more closely through interactive projects that harness their creativity. It helps students figure out exactly what they’re interested in. I really want to be a teacher that inspires students to get excited about ag because there are a lot of challenges facing this sector but also a lot of career opportunities in agriculture.” (Continued...) Thomas Hertel, Purdue University “Scientists Shielding Farming From Climate Change Need More Public Funding” By: Agripub News – May 13, 2025 “More people on the Earth, you need more productivity to prevent food prices going crazy. Even if nothing changes right away. 10 years from now, 20 years from now, our yield growth will surely be stunted” by cuts to research on agricultural productivity. (Continued...) Joseph Balagtas, Purdue University “Majority of Shoppers Understand Seed Oils as Secure, However Well Being Issues Upward Push” By: Health 365 – May 15, 2025 “Seed oils have long been a common cooking oil in American homes, because they’re relatively inexpensive, have desirable cooking properties and are a source of unsaturated fat. But they’ve come under scrutiny lately, especially in social media, with a message that they are unhealthy.” (Continued...) William Maples, Mississippi State University “This Planting Season, Farmers Say Federal Assistance is Too Little, Too Late” By: Mississippi Today – May 16, 2025 “While the state is nowhere near the conditions that led to the notorious farm failures of the 1980s, the concern is, can we get there? If we stay in this environment, 2025 is looking tough, and 2026 is another tough year. That’s when talk about Can it get as bad as the 80s? will really pick up.” (Continued...) Rigoberto Lopez, University of Connecticut “CT is Popular With Grocery Stores, Having More Per Capita Than Other U.S. States. Here's Why” By: Darien Times – May 17, 2025 “One of the main attractions Connecticut holds for grocery stores is that the state presents supermarket chains, large and small, with access to heterogeneous populations… It's not one size fits all. You're going to have different types of grocery stores in different towns. But everybody has to eat." (Continued...) |
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
2025 AEM- GSS CASE STUDY COMPETITION
The Agribusiness Economics and Management (AEM) – Graduate Student Section (GSS) Case Study Competition allows graduate students to test their communication skills and their ability to apply their knowledge of agricultural economics and agribusiness to practical situations.
Competition Rules and Timeline: Each team must complete the 2025 AEM-GSS Case Study Registration Form by June 13, 2025. Teams can be comprised of up to three graduate students. Students may either compete as a team from the same university or partner with students from other universities. If there is only one student from a university that wants to participate, the student can compete on their own; or they can be matched with other students. In the case of teams that are matched with individuals from different universities, competitors will be notified of their teammates as soon as possible, and no later than the same day the case is announced.
The case will be sent to teams in mid-July, and teams will be given approximately two weeks to prepare a 15-minute oral summary of their solution to the case. The competition will take place on Sunday, July 27, 2025 coinciding with the AAEA Annual Meeting set to take place in Denver, CO. Teams will present their case to a panel of judges with expertise in agribusiness management. Judges will then be allotted time to ask questions, and teams will be judged based on a grading rubric that will be provided to teams when the case is sent in July. There will be two rounds to the competition. In the first round, judges will hear from all teams and select the top three teams as finalists. After this announcement, the finalists will present their case to a new panel of judges.
A summary of the competition’s preliminary timeline is presented below.
- Registration form due: Friday, June 13 by 5:00 pm EDT
- Case sent to team: Friday, July 13 by 5:00 pm EDT
- Case Study Competition: Sunday, July 27, 8:00 am – 1:30 pm EDT*
- Case Study Finals: Sunday, July 27, 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm EDT*
* Mountain Time is used for the competition as the 2025 Annual Meeting will take place in Denver, CO.
Competition Prizes: The top three teams will receive plaques, cash prizes, and will be recognized at the AAEA Award Ceremony. The cash prizes are as follows:
- First Place: $500
- Second place: $400
- Third place: $300
This is an AEM and GSS co-sponsored competition. As early career professionals, students are highly encouraged to be AAEA members as well as GSS and/or the AEM members. Eligible teams must meet the following criteria:
1. At least one team member should have an active AAEA membership for 2025 and be a member of AEM or GSS.
2. Each team must complete the Case Study Registration Form (by continuing this survey: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_db65HkI8jaTjV54) identifying their teammates and the universities they represent. The survey registration form must be completed no later than June 13, 2025 (5:00pm EDT).
Please direct any questions regarding the 2025 AEM-GSS Case Study Competition to Meri Hambaryan (m.hambaryan@ufl.edu) or Dr. Iuliia Tetteh (iproto1@ilstu.edu).
