Members in the News: Dorfman, Beghin, Van Tassell, Rabinowitz, Court, and Malone

Jeffrey Dorfman, University of Georgia Hey Dems, The Federal Government Already Offers Free College Written by Jeffrey Dorfman: Forbes - May 16, 2019 Most of the Democrats running for president, as well as many who are not, seem intent on the federal government offering Americans free college. In most proposals, tuition and fees would disappear, leaving college students to pay their room and board and maybe books depending on the proposal. Of course, free college educations are not free. The cost is simply being transferred from the college student to the taxpayers. The odd part of all these proposals is that Democrats seem to have missed that, according to their definition of “free,” the federal government already offers free college. All a wannabe college student need do to go to college for free is sign up for military service. The U.S. Armed Forces offer several options to help people pay for college. The GI bill still exists and provides college tuition assistance at the conclusion of military service. There are two versions—the original and the post 9/11 version—and depending on her length of service a person could receive up to $1500 per month, more than enough to fully cover in-state tuition at hundreds of state colleges and universities. (Continued...) Read more on: Forbes John Beghin, North Carolina State University Larry Van Tassell, University of Nebraska, Lincoln Beghin Named Michael Yanney Chair at Nebraska By: KTIC Radio - May 13, 2019 “With the importance of international trade to Nebraska’s agricultural economy, we are very pleased to have someone with Beghin’s expertise and stature join the department and lead our efforts in this area,” said Larry Van Tassell, head of the Department of Agricultural Economics. “I am very enthused by the unique opportunity created by Clayton Yeutter’s vision with the named institute and the Michael Yanney Chair,” Beghin said. “I foresee much potential to develop programs for students interested in globalization and international trade, to undertake applied economic research on Nebraska’s agriculture and allied industries, and to engage with stakeholders in the state and the Midwest.” (Continued...) Read more on: KTIC Radio Adam Rabinowitz, University of Georgia Christa Court, University of Florida Southeast Farmers Still Hurting From Hurricane Michael After-Effects Written by Adam Rabinowitz and Christa Court: Growing Produce - May 16, 2019 Last October, Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, FL, as a Category 5 hurricane with peak sustained winds estimated at 160 mph. It was the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle. When it entered Southwest Georgia as a Category 3 hurricane, packing wind gusts as high as 115 mph, it became the first major hurricane to directly hit Georgia since the 1890s. The storm caused extensive destruction throughout the hurricane’s path, which included substantial agricultural production areas. Before the hurricane hit, the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture estimated the market value of agricultural products sold in Georgia to be $9.6 billion. Those sold in Florida were valued at $7.4 billion. (Continued...) Read more on: Growing Produce Trey Malone, Michigan State University Craft beer industry helping to power Michigan’s economy By: WKAR - May 14, 2019 Trey Malone, MSU agricultural economist, is the study's lead author. “The idea of craft beer isn't very old,” says Malone. “A craft beer or a craft brewery itself has less than six million barrels, which I know sounds like a lot, but relative to some of the big players in the beer industry, that's a drop in the bucket really. One important attribute of craft beer is that it has to be independently produced. It has to be owned by a small private company, and that's something that's very important in the modern era where mergers and acquisitions are standard practice. (Continued...) Read more on: WKAR, Lansing State Journal, Brownfield Ag News, and Craft Brewing Business

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.