Members in the News: Taylor, Klieger, Frisvold, Ortiz-Bobea, Awokuse, Franken, Zhang, Sheldon, Countryman, Thilmany, Batabyal, Stevens, et al.

Michelle Klieger, Bentley University George Frisvold, University of Arizona Could Climate Change Put an End to Arizona’s Alfalfa Heyday? By: Civil Eats - September 15, 2021 If alfalfa were to go up in price, Klieger sees dairies continuing to buy it because there are few other alternatives for nutritious feed for cows. “Even if we reduce acreage, the same number of people are going to want alfalfa, which is going to drive the price up,” said Klieger. As a result, she foresees that “the price will go up faster than the decline in the amount [of alfalfa].” Then there’s the challenge of a lifelong cotton and alfalfa farmer scoring contracts growing vegetables and fruit. Grocery stores and wholesale buyers want to make sure a farmer can deliver, said George Frisvold, a professor at the University of Arizona’s department of agriculture and resource economics. Yet it’s hard to demonstrate this if you’re a new to growing a crop. (Continued...) Read more on: Civil Eats Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, Cornell University Climate change will alter where many crops are grown By: The Economist - August 28, 2021 It is betting that a warmer climate will steadily increase how much its assets are worth, by enabling farmers in the places where it is investing to grow more valuable crops than they have traditionally selected. It is far from the only business making such wagers. Climate change could make a cornucopia out of land that was once frigid and unproductive. It could also do great harm to regions that feed millions. (Continued...) Read more on: The Economist Titus Awokuse, Michigan State University If you're a coffee drink, you really need to care about climate change By: Los Angeles Times - September 14, 2021 “U.S. consumers should expect much more expensive and lower-quality coffee because of rising temperatures, extreme rainfalls, and higher frequency of severe droughts,” said Titus O. Awokuse, chairman of the department of agricultural, food and resource economics at Michigan State University. (Continued...) Read more on: Los Angeles Times Jason Franken, Western Illinois University U.S. beef cattle: Numbers down, prices up By: Prairie Farmer - September 14, 2021 Jason Franken, agricultural economist at Western Illinois University, says the U.S. cattle herd appears to be in its second successive year of decline, within what is typically a decade-long cattle inventory cycle consisting of periods of expansion and contractions. (Continued...) Read more on: Prairie Farmer Wendong Zhang, Iowa State University U.S. production influences global ag practices By: Iowa Farmer Today - September 4, 2021 That figure comes from Wendong Zhang, a global economics analyst from Iowa State University, and illustrates just how crucial the relationship between U.S. agriculture and other countries is. (Continued...) Read more on: Iowa Farmer Today Ian Sheldon, The Ohio State University Considering Carbon Markets? Look, But Don't Leap By: Pennsylvania Ag Connection - September 9, 2021 "Farmers are always looking for ways to diversify their income, and carbon markets are one way of doing that," said Ian Sheldon, a CFAES professor and the Andersons Chair of Agricultural Marketing, Trade, and Policy who will moderate the Sept. 21 discussion.  (Continued...) Read more on: Pennsylvania Ag Connection Amanda Countryman, Colorado State University Dawn Thilmany, Colorado State University Farmers hit with most disruptive price hikes, supply shortages in decades as pandemic slowdowns catch up to Colorado By: The Colorado Sun - September 13, 2021 Chemicals used in pesticide compounds increasingly come from China, said Dawn Thilmany, an agricultural economist at Colorado State University. China, a top market for U.S. agricultural exports, has been locked in a trade war with the U.S. and there are relatively high tariff rates — around 20% — on exports and imports between the countries, said Amanda Countryman, another Colorado State University agricultural economist. (Continued...) Read more on: The Colorado Sun Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology Air pollution hurts us in ways we typically do not think of By: Rochester Business Journal - September 13, 2021 Readers will not be surprised to learn that air pollution adversely affects our well-being in a variety of ways. For instance, we have known for quite a while that air pollution causes respiratory illness and cardiovascular disease. (Continued...) Read more on: Rochester Business Journal Andrew Stevens, University of Wisconsin Choices Agricultural & Applied Economics Association Greater Unemployment In Animal Ag By: The Mid-West Farm Report - September 10, 2021 Rural counties that rely on dairy and animal agriculture saw higher unemployment rates due to COVID-19, according to a recent article published in Choices, the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s peer-reviewed journal. Andrew Stevens, an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at UW-Madison, authored the piece with Emeritus Professor Dan Bromley. (Continued...) Read more on: The Mid-West Farm Report Daniel O'Brien, Kansas State University Stocks-to-use ratio, soil moisture are key factors to watch for forecasting 2022 wheat prices By: Rural Radio Network - September 8, 2021 The U.S. and world wheat markets are seeing the tightest ending stocks-to-use ratios in nearly a decade — two driving factors behind higher average wheat prices. Kansas producers should keep a close eye on the factors behind these trends as they enter fall planting, according to Daniel O’Brien, K-State extension agricultural economist. (Continued...) Read more on: Rural Radio Network James Mintert, Purdue University Farmer sentiment improves in August, but inflationary concerns mount By: WBIW - September 8, 2021 “Although corn, soybean, and wheat prices have declined in recent weeks, farmers have more confidence in their 2021 revenue expectations,” said James Mintert, the barometer’s principal investigator and director of Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture. “Yield prospects stabilized or improved for many producers in August as some precipitation fell in areas that had been abnormally dry and drought-stricken. That helps explain this month’s improvement in the Farm Financial Performance and Current Conditions indices.” (Continued...) Read more on: WBIW

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