Members in The News: January 8, 2023

David Ortega, Michigan State University “How To Avoid The Next Sriracha Shortage” By: Supply Chain Dive – December 20, 2023 “These are seasonal products; you can’t just switch suppliers from one day to the next. While the core culprit may have been climate change, the fact that other hot sauce suppliers didn’t experience the same shortage meant that Huy Fong likely found itself locked into long-term contracts with growers that failed to deliver.” (Continued...) Read more on: Supply Chain Dive Amit Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology “Is Income Inequality In The U.S. Really Rising?” By: Rochester Beacon – December 28, 2023 “It is important to comprehend that measuring the distribution of income over time is very difficult because of a variety of issues such as changes in social conditions (marriage rates and household composition), demographics (age distribution), and rising education standards. Even so, if the finding that income inequality in the U.S. has been rising over time is empirically true and robust then it must be possible for other scholars, also working with income tax data, to come to broadly similar conclusions.” (Continued...) Read more on: Rochester Beacon Rigoberto Lopez, University of Connecticut “We Love Dollar Stores in CT. But Here’s What Can Happen When They Move in: Study” By: Hartford Courant – December 27, 2023 “Grocery Therapy: Rediscovering The Joys Of Shopping Small” By: Galaxy Concerns – January 4, 2024 Aaron Smith, University of California, Davis “A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market” By: Inside Climate News – December 28, 2023 “When you concentrate that many animals, or a very large number of animals, in a small space, then you’re concentrating a lot of potential pollution. Residents and environmental groups worry that state incentives for dairy biogas will encourage more consolidation and growth—leading to more pollution—because processing more manure means more money.” (Continued...) Read More On: Inside Climate News Thomas Hertel, Purdue University “Indiana Study Finds Policies To Reduce Carbon Emissions Likely Improve Water Quality” By: Louisville Public Media – December 29, 2023 “There is a modest reduction in crop output in the Midwest, but more substantially they cut back on the intensity of use, and that in turn results in less nitrogen running off the field. The study ultimately shows that policies to reduce carbon emissions will have positive knock-on effects for other kinds of environmental pollution.” (Continued...) Read More On: Louisville Public Media or Indiana Public Media Andrew Anderson, Kansas State University “Arkansas Ag Economist Helps Producers Develop Risk-Management Strategies” By: Magnolia Reporter – December 31, 2023 “Any farmer will tell you that farming is a lot like gambling. To be able to have policies that are created understanding that risky environment is really important.” (Continued...) Read More On: Magnolia Reporter Alvaro Durand-Morat, University of Arkansas “Study: 1 Percent Increase in Unbroken Rice Could Help Feed Millions More, Boost Producer Profit” By: Magnolia Reporter – January 1, 2024 “A 1 percent increase in unbroken rice kernels after milling could mean millions more servings of this critical staple grain, increased food security around the globe and improved producer profitability, a study from two Arkansas researchers suggests.” (Continued...) Read More On: Magnolia Reporter Steven Klose, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Amy Hagerman, Oklahoma State University “2024 May Mark En”d of Aggressive Interest Rate Hikes” By: Farm Progress – January 2, 2024 “The status of the general U.S. economy plays an important role in the outlook for the agricultural industry. Trends in economic growth and consumer demand influence commodity prices. Interest rates, inflation, and labor markets impact production costs. Agricultural producers face a great deal of uncertainty in any economic environment.” (Continued...) Read More On: Farm Progress Alexandra Hill, Colorado State University “Study Shows CA Farmworkers Earned Less After Overtime Wage Bill Passed” By: KRON4 – January 1, 2024 At one extreme, if individual worker hours and wages remain unchanged after the laws are implemented, workers would benefit from higher incomes for the same time at work. At another extreme, if employers reduce hours to remain below the new thresholds, worker incomes could fall, making workers who value the extra income more than additional leisure time worse off.” (Continued...) Read More On: KRON4 James Mintert, Purdue University “Purdue Survey: Farmers’ Inflation Expectations Subside” By: Hoosier Today – January 2, 2023 “The shift in farmers’ perception of financial performance during the fall quarter corresponds with USDA’s (U.S. Department of Agriculture’s) more optimistic 2023 farm income outlook released in late November, which was $10 billion higher than their previous forecast.” (Continued...) Read More On: Hoosier Today Trey Malone, University of Arkansas “Innovating For Sustainable Food Systems With Arkansas At The Forefront” By: Talk Business – January 4, 2023 “As we look to the future, Arkansas’ role in this global endeavor is easy to see. With a combination of our agricultural heritage and a forward-looking approach to innovation, we are uniquely positioned to pioneer sustainable solutions in agri-food systems.” (Continued...) Read More On: Talk Business Joe Outlaw, Texas A&M University “Dairy Producers Face Tightest Margins on Record” By: E Dairy News – January 4, 2024 “With a long, drawn-out fight to finish the Farm Bill likely, farmers need to start making their voices heard. We shouldn’t have to wait until there are problems, but unfortunately, the way things work in Washington these days, we tend to have to have a crisis to get things done.” (Continued...) Read More On: E Dairy News