Members in the News: Gundersen, Malone, Ifft, Katchova, and Sant'Anna

Craig Gundersen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Doctors Urge Limits on Sugary Drinks in SNAP By: Food Bank News - March 26, 2019 Policies that might lead to restrictions, however, are a more sensitive matter. The anti-hunger community is generally opposed to restrictions, citing concerns about overreaching governmental interference and potential stigma for recipients who could be denied purchases at the counter. “It’s insulting to poor people,” said Craig Gundersen, a professor at the University of Illinois and the author of numerous studies about SNAP. Other problems with the approach, he said, include people dropping off of federal assistance if they decide restrictions are not worth the added stigma and hassle. In addition, reconfiguring labels to indicate SNAP eligibility could be an expensive proposition. (Continued...) Read more on: Food Bank News Trey Malone, Michigan State University Michigan tart cherry growers get the squeeze from overseas By: South Bend Tribune - March 28, 2019 In a meeting of orchard owners early this year, Turkish imports were identified as the top threat to domestic growers, according to Trey Malone, an extension economist at Michigan State University. “The price differences are massive and Turkish cherries are now approaching 50 percent of the market,” he said. Malone said he knows there are orchard owners looking ahead to the possibility of growing new crops such as hemp, hops and other fruits, but those can take years to develop. In the meantime, he said, it could be difficult for tart cherry growers. (Continued...) Read more on: South Bend Tribune Jennifer Ifft, Cornell University New York’s Ag Economy Faces Low Profits, Big Risks By: Lancaster Farming - March 23, 2019 New York state farm income for 2017 — the latest data available — was $1.25 billion. At a 10-year low, that figure is near the historic average and is likely to extend into the next year, said Jennifer Ifft, assistant professor of applied economics and management, who spoke Jan. 18 at the 2019 Agricultural and Food Business Outlook conference. “The best-case scenario is people are making a small profit,” Ifft said. “The worst case is you have family farms that are going out of business.” (Continued...) Read more on: Lancaster Farming Ani Katchova, The Ohio State University Ana Claudia Sant’Anna, The Ohio State University Farm income projections hold a bit of good news By: North Texas e-News - March 22, 2019 “These are not the best of times, but it’s stable,” said Ani Katchova, associate professor and chair of the farm income enhancement program at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). “Even though you have this expectation of an increase in farm income, it’s still tighter times,” said Ana Claudia Sant’Anna, a CFAES postdoctoral researcher who co-authored the new report with Katchova and Ben Brown, manager of CFAES’ farm management program. (Continued...) Read more on: North Texas e-News

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*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.