Members in the News: Belton, Liverpool-Tasie, Rosson, Kimle, Zhang, Schnitkey, Doherty, Plastina, Gundersen, Jablonski, Moeltner, Joshi, and Beintema

Ben Belton, Michigan State University Saweda Liverpool-Tasie, Michigan State University How the growth of cities changes farming By: The Economist- February 15, 2018 Their research on the economics of the rapid development of the aquaculture value chain in Bangladesh and poultry value chains in Nigeria has drawn international attention. Following are the URLs for the Economist article on the work, and links to publications with further details on the findings. (Continued...) Read more on: The Economist C. Parr Rosson, Texas A&M University Valdez: 4 overlooked jobs most impacted by an immigrant labor shortage By: AZ Central- February 16, 2018 Immigrants make up more than 60 percent of the milk production workers in this country, according C. Parr Rosson, head of the department of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University. (Continued...) Read more on: AZ Central Kevin Kimle, Iowa State University The Future of Ag Tech in the Midwest By: Farm Journal AgTech - February 20, 2018 In order to continue improving rural communities, Kevin Kimle, director of the agricultural entrepreneurship initiative at Iowa State University, says there is still work to be done. Kimle says improvements can continue through exposing more young people to the concept of entrepreneurship in high school and college and helping them find mentors who have done similar things. (Continued...) Read more on: Farm Journal AgTech Wendong Zhang, Iowa State University Gary Schnitkey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign A Bad Year for Grain Farmers? All it Takes Is Average Yields By: Successful Farming - February 22, 2018 At current prices, grain farmers are unlikely to make money if the record-high yields of 2017 retreat to average levels, said University of Illinois economist Gary Schnitkey during a farm income discussion at USDA's annual Outlook Forum. (Continued...) Read more on: Successful Farming Mike Doherty, Illinois Farm Bureau US opens up to pork imports from whole of Mexico By: UkrAgroConsult- February 6, 2018 Previous to the recent announcement that Mexico was clear of the highly contagious swine disease, only nine Mexican states were permitted to export pork to the US. Mike Doherty, senior economist and policy analyst at the Illinois Farm Bureau, spoke to Illinois News Network this week where he explains how the USDA reached this conclusion. (Continued...) Read more on: UkrAgroConsult USDA: All Mexican states can now ship pork to USA By: Macomb Local News- February 2, 2018 Until that decision was reached, only nine Mexican states were able to export pork to the U.S., Mike Doherty, senior economist and policy analyst at the Illinois Farm Bureau, said. “The U.S. agency Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in charge of these kinds of things went down to Mexico and actually inspected down there," Doherty said. (Continued...) Read more on: Macomb Local News Anticipation: Farmers hoping for repeat of 2017 By: The Pantagraph- February 6, 2018 It’s not surprising that a combined 92 percent of our members expect the overall financial health of their farms to decline or merely remain the same,” said Mike Doherty, senior economist with the IFB. “Unfortunately, today’s commodity prices, input costs and overall farm economy have become commonplace for our members. (Continued...) Read more on: The Pantagraph Farmers face tough decisions as yields increase but prices drop By: Illinois News Network - February 6, 2018 Mike Doherty, senior economist at the Illinois Farm Bureau, said the financial setbacks could force farmers to make tough decisions, including seed choice. “They may not choose the optimal seed,” Doherty said. “They may choose a cheaper seed, hoping that the benefits of the more expensive seed will not have been necessary after all.” (Continued...) Read more on: Illinois News Network Alejandro Plastina, Iowa State University Current Iowa Ag economics and rarm succession planning to be highlighted at the ISU Northeast Research Farm on March 6 By: Waverly Newspaper - February 22, 2018 Alejandro Plastina, Extension Ag Economist and Melissa O’Rourke, Attorney/Farm Management Specialist will speak at the annual meeting of the Northeast Iowa Agricultural Experimental Association (NEIAEA) at the Borlaug Learning Center, ISU Northeast Research Farm, Nashua. (Continued...) Read more on: Waverly Newspaper Craig Gunderson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign STEVE SPELLMAN: Federal welfare needs modernization By: Missourian- February 21, 2018 One vocal detractor, Craig Gunderson, an agricultural economics professor in Illinois, expressed concern about limiting recipient food choices in a recent Associated Press story, writing, “(a)ll of a sudden you’re saying, ‘we don’t trust you to make the right decision for your family.’ It’s demeaning and demoralizing.” (Continued...) Read more on: Missourian Becca Jablonski, Colorado State University Positive impacts can come from Denver food hubs By: The Monte Vista Journal - February 16, 2018 Emerging Denver food hubs can potentially have a positive impact on the San Luis Valley’s economy. This is the message brought by Dr. Becca Jablonski, professor of agricultural economics from Colorado State University to the 2018 Southern Rocky Mountain Agricultural Conference. (Continued...) Read more on: The Monte Vista Journal Klaus Moeltner, Virginia Tech Dr. Klaus Moeltner, Virginia Tech, on the Economics of Electricity By: JR Hoeft Show - February 16, 2018 This week, my guest is Dr. Klaus Moeltner of Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech University. He has been researching the effects of power outages and consumers’ willingness to pay for grid improvements and uninterrupted electricity supply. (Continued...) Read more on: JR Hoeft Show PK Joshi, International Food Policy Research Institute Budget 2018: Higher MSPs are welcome, bring cheers to farmers Written By PK Joshi: Financial Express - February 10, 2018 Budget 2018: On expected lines, the Budget 2018-19 aimed at strengthening agriculture and rural economy. Agriculture deserves serious attention as roughly half of the population is dependent on it for food security and livelihood opportunities. During the last few months, we have witnessed farmers’ agitation silently spreading across all the states. Budget 2018 has very well packaged various provisions for making agriculture more efficient, sustainable and resilient. The key pillars to strengthen the agri sector—improved technologies, appropriate policies, effective institutions and required infra—are well reflected in Budget 2018. (Continued...) Read more on: Financial Express Nienke Beintema, International Food Policy Research Institute Opinion: We need to involve more women in the agricultural sciences. Here's how. By: Devex - February 13, 2018 A recent study by the International Food Policy Research Institute shows that in 2014, only 24 percent of researchers working in the agricultural sciences were women, and only 17 percent of those in leadership positions were women in a sample of 40 sub-Saharan African countries.  This matters because the evidence shows that better jobs for women in agriculture leads to higher wages and greater decision making — which ultimately has a positive impact on the ways households spend money on children’s nutrition, health, and education. Having more women in agricultural research also ensures that this workforce is representative of its client base: Smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women. (Continued...) Read more on: Devex

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