Members in the News: Belasco, Lusk, Mullally, Kolodinsky, Dorfman, Guan, Wu, Qushim, and Goeringer

Eric Belasco, Montana State University A $12 Billion Program to Help Farmers Stung by Trump’s Trade War Has Aided Few By: The New York Times - November 19, 2018 “I don’t think this is going to be enough to compensate them,” said Eric Belasco, an economist at Montana State University and a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. “It seems like there’s not really an end in sight.” Mr. Belasco suggests that the Trump administration could be treading carefully by saying that it will end the subsidies next year in an effort to avoid skewing markets further. However, using subsidies defensively in a trade war is different than employing them as a cushion during an economic downturn or because of weather fluctuations, he said, because consumers around the world who begin buying beans, corn and pork elsewhere might be slow to switch back to American producers. (Continued...) Read more on: The New York Times Jayson Lusk, Purdue University Conner Mullally, University of Florida Proposition 12: What the industry thinks and how it passed By: AG Daily - November 16, 2018 If this sounds like déjà vu to you, you would be correct. California passed proposition 2 in 2008 with the requirement that farm animals must be able to “turn around freely, lie down, and fully extend their limbs.” This vague legislation also set the requirement for imports from surrounding states, which affected more than just California farmers. Egg prices rose after the proposition passed since the remaining egg farmers had to drastically change their facilities to stay in compliance. According to study from Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Economics, egg prices rose 33 percent and egg-laying hens and eggs produced in California had dropped by 35 percent. (Continued...) Read more on: AG Daily Jane Kolodinsky, University of Vermont Why Vermont Is Big-Box Averse, Except When It's Not By: Vermont Public Radio - November 16, 2018 Jane Kolodinsky, chair of UVM's community development and applied economics department, discusses her research on consumer behavior and people's perceptions of these chain stores and the items they sell. Kolodinsky begins to discuss the topic at hand at minute 3:51. (Continued...) Listen to the podcast on: Vermont Public Radio Jeffrey Dorfman, University of Georgia Federal Food Programs: Efficiency and Ethics By: Anchor - November 19, 2018 In this episode we discuss federal food programs and non-profit efforts to alleviate hunger in the U.S. Our guest, Dr. Jeffrey Dorfman, helps us understand the most recent data on the effectiveness of federal food programs. Dorfman begins to discuss the topic at hand at minute 3:06. (Continued...) Listen to the podcast on: Anchor Zhengfei Guan, University of Florida Feng Wu, University of Florida Berdikul Qushim, University of Florida Florida, Georgia appeal to government on Mexico trade By: The Packer - November 16, 2018 During his testimony, Stuart referred to a University of Florida study on the effect of Mexican government subsidies on agriculture. (Continued...) Read more on: The Packer Paul Goeringer, University of Maryland A word of warning on saved seeds Written by Paul Goeringer: Progressive Forage - November 16, 2018 As many of you begin to think about seed selection for the next growing season, it’s important to consider not only an optimal variety for your area but also the types of legal protections limiting your use of saved seeds. Many involved in agriculture remember a previous era when producers could trade or sell saved seeds to a neighbor. Today, due to various intellectual property laws, producers may be limited to buying seed directly from an approved dealer to stay in compliance with the law. (Continued...) Read more on: Progressive Forage

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 Sinais Alvarado at salvarado@aaea.org What research and topics are you working on? Want to be an expert source for journalists working on a story? Contact Allison Scheetz at ascheetz@aaea.org.

*Articles in response to the AAEA Communicating Out Strategy Press Releases highlighting: Government Relations, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Applied Economic Perspectives & Policy, Choices Magazine, General Media, and/or 2018 AAEA Annual Meeting in Washington D.C.