GSS & C-FARE 2024 Policy Communications Competition

In today’s market, graduate students may seek careers where they are tasked with evaluating policy issues and effectively communicating their results to policymakers and other stakeholders. Therefore, the Graduate Student Section (GSS) and Council on Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics (C-FARE) partner for the 4th Annual Policy Communications Competition. This competition provides graduate students with an opportunity to gain experience in both written and verbal policy communication.

Entries can be based on the graduate student's ongoing research. They should address a pressing, relevant policy issue relating to the 2024 Policy Communications Competition theme at the local, state, or federal levels.

2024 Competition Theme

The farm bill is a package of legislation updated by Congress every five years. As the 2018 Farm Bill expires in 2023, Congress has begun negotiating the next Bill. We identify five main topics from the USDA 2023 Budget Summary that tie into critical issues policymakers must consider when drafting the farm bill. These include:

1. Farm Production and Conservation
2. Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs
3. Climate Change and Farmers
4. Rural Development
5. Food and Nutrition Security

Policy briefs for the 2024 Policy Communications Competition should relate to one or more of these five themes.

Objectives for Participants

• Evaluate a relevant agricultural, food, or resource policy issue relating to the 2024 Policy Competition theme at the local, state, or federal level.
• Provide written and verbal communication that addresses a policy-relevant research question clearly, and concisely.

Participant Eligibility

Graduate students must be a member of the GSS with a graduation date of Fall 2024 or later. They should be conducting research in agricultural economics, resource economics, regional development, or a related field.

Competition Information

The competition will consist of two rounds. Participants must submit a typed policy brief in the first round, not to exceed two pages (double spaced, 12-point font, including references, figures, and graphics). This document should summarize the background and current status of the issue, key facts (i.e., benefits and costs of government programs or project alternatives), findings, and conclusions. The participant's job is not to convince the policymaker to take a particular position or vote a certain way but rather to evaluate, gather, and present the necessary information to make an informed decision on the issue.

The second round of the competition will consist of an oral presentation by select finalists. Within the presentation, which is not to exceed 10 minutes in length, the student should detail the specifics of the policy issue and identify additional key facts and findings surrounding the topic. An effective presentation will complement the written policy brief and should be easily accessible for policymakers.

Preliminary Timeline

Friday, June 21, 2024: Registration and policy brief due
Friday, July 12, 2024: Finalists announced
Sunday, July 28, 2024: Finalists present at the AAEA Annual Meeting in New Orleans

Registration Information & Deadline

Applications should be submitted via the Qualtrics link below. Questions may be addressed to Roberto Koeneke (rkoeneke@ufl.edu) and must include:

• A cover page containing:
  • Participant's name and contact information
  • Mentor’s name and contact information
• The student's policy brief (2-page maximum).

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than midnight CT on June 21, 2024.

Link to Submit: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_agV7zVWQU3gZbTM

Finalists at AAEA

Selected finalists will make a 10-minute presentation at the AAEA Annual Meeting in New Orleans on Sunday, July 21, 2024. The judges will evaluate presentations using a grading rubric shared with selected finalists. The selection of the finalists will be based on the material submitted and the criteria listed below. Finalists will be notified by July 12, 2024.

Criteria for Selecting Finalists

1. The participant clearly defines the problem and discusses the feasibility of the policy ideas. The participant provides background and supporting research on the topic, including areas of government failures or unintended consequences, and addresses the proper target audience.
2. The participant integrates knowledge and research from various sources and provides a clear, concise summary of the issue.
3. The participant uses formal but non-technical language that is easily accessible to policymakers, and their brief is free of grammatical mistakes.
4. The policy brief uses appropriate formatting (proper headings, length no more than two pages, proper citation, ordered appearance, etc.).

Awards

The top three competitors will be recognized at the AAEA Awards Ceremony and will be invited to present their work at a future C-FARE webinar (more details to come). In addition, the winner of Policy Communication will receive a plaque and a cash prize. The second and third-place competitors will receive certificates and cash awards. Cash prizes are as follows:

First place: $300
Second place: $200
Third place: $100

Additional Resources

• 2025 USDA Budget Summary
• House Agriculture Committee Website
• House Agriculture Farm Bill

Members in the News: May 28, 2024

 Andrew Stevens, University of Wisconsin–Madison

“UW Madison Expert Weighs in on Target’s Grocery Items Price Drop”
By: WMTV – May 20, 2024

“Bird Flu Causing Food Price Spike?”
By: abc12 – May 16, 2024

“Meat Prices Continue to Rise As We Near Time For Summer Cookouts”
By: WAOW – May 22, 2024

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Colin Andre Carter, University of California, Davis
Sandro Steinbach, North Dakota State University

“Are We on the Brink of a New Trade War with China?”

By: Morning Ag Clips – May 21, 2024

“The impact on import tariffs for non-agricultural sectors would be even larger, with the average import tariff going up from 3.9% to 32.5%.”

“Once access to a market is lost, gaining it back is difficult, as the 2018/19 trade war has shown.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Morning Ag Clips

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Matthew Holt, Virginia Tech

“Matthew Holt Named Dean of Clemson’s CAFLS”

By: Morning Ag Clips – May 23, 2024

“My enthusiasm for this role is sky-high. The ability to provide students with meaningful learning experiences, conduct and report on pathbreaking research and be of service to communities and stakeholders in South Carolina as dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences is one of the most exciting and unique opportunities in the nation.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Morning Ag Clips

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Joseph Balagtas, Purdue University

“Why Experts Say Inflation is Relatively Low But Voters Feel Differently”

By: The Publics Radio – May 24, 2024

“The Bureau of Labor Statistics just two weeks ago released its latest inflation data from the Consumer Price Index [CPI]. Food prices in March were 2.2 percent higher than they were in March 2023. So a 2.2 percent increase in food prices over the past year.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: The Publics Radio

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Dewey Robertson, Purdue University

“A Better U.S.-Mexico Trade Relationship Is Coming, Ag Economist Predicts”

By: Ag Web – May 24, 2024

“Since 2020, “the executive decree has been modified multiple times, pushing back its effective date and narrowing the definition of GM corn in the human food system.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Ag Web

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Brittney Goodrich, University of California, Davis

“New UC Study Estimates Costs for Growing Coastal Organic Strawberries”

By: Morning Ag Clips – May 27, 2024

“This study provides growers with a baseline to estimate their own costs, which can help when applying for production loans, projecting labor costs, securing market arrangements, or understanding costs associated with water and nutrient management and regulatory programs.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Morning Ag Clips

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Simon Somogyi, Texas A&M University

“Grilling Season Kicks Off With High But Stable Meat Prices”

By: Southern Livestock – May 27, 2024

“Prices continue to remain near historic highs, but market trends are showing lower retail costs for consumers compared to last year. Consumers should expect a price spike as the Memorial Day holiday weekend kicks off grilling season that typically peaks with Fourth of July celebrations. Prices may spike and fluctuate that first month of grilling season due to higher demand from people eating at restaurants and cooking out at home. But prices should stabilize after that.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Southern Livestock

Member Blog: David Zilberman

EBI Opportunities – a Perspective

I am an economist working on agriculture, natural resources, and the environment. I have been at Berkeley for 50 years and, over the years, have studied issues of water, technology adoption, biotechnology and biofuel, climate change, and, recently, supply chains. Economics is an integrating discipline- that combines knowledge from multiple disciplines to assess tradeoffs and help make decisions for firms and government organizations. Changes do not occur only because new technological solutions are available- they require policies and institutional change to take advantage of new options.

Climate change is one of humanity’s biggest challenges–and it will likely lead to a gradual transition from current petroleum-based energy systems to alternative, more sustainable solutions. When I learned that Berkeley and the University of Illinois plan to collaborate with BP on the research aims to develop second-generation biofuels – I asked to join the research team.

I discovered the excellence of science at Berkeley: I knew about it from personal committees, but working with scientists, you learn the technological options and the challenges scientists and companies face when developing innovation. They learned about the economics and policy considerations that affect their options. The EBI provides opportunities to understand biofuels. Corn ethanol has become cheaper, but it is not a good solution to climate change. Its main advantage is that it increases energy independence. Sugarcane ethanol is much more environmentally sound, as well as second-generation biofuels. Still, our work stopped because of the Gulf Coast Horizon oil spill that reduced the capacity of BP to support the EBI. But the EBI didn’t go away. Chris Sommerville, our legendary leader, retired, and John Coates took over, and we started a partnership with Shell Oil.

Working on the real problem with scientists in a company affected my research agenda. I realized that one of the challenges of establishing second-generation biofuels is developing a supply chain of miscanthus and other plants. Furthermore, I realized that we don’t have a strong supply chain theory, and I started working on one with some experts in the field, including Thomas Reardon. It resulted in a publication where we distinguished between the supply chain of innovation and products, realized they are independent, and used it to analyze the evolution of different supply chains. It also led me to take over a class (EEP 141) on ag and the environment and emphasize supply chain. It has attracted more than 140 students since 2016. Now, the students are interested in analyzing the difference between Ali Baba and Amazon and the complexity of the beef supply chain. Furthermore, with EBI money, I supported two students and a postdoc with wonderful academic careers. Deepak Rajagopal is an associate professor at UCLA, Steve Sexton got tenure at Duke, and Gal Hochman is a professor at Rutgers.

In my work with Shell, I collaborated to improve batteries and develop a supply chain for hydrogen. We organized several workshops on the economics of batteries and different ways to contribute to their improvement. We identified research that would result in beneficial and profitable improvements, including developing cheaper and safer batteries and new sources of lithium. I like to realize the depth of knowledge we have on campus and nationally on batteries, some of the challenges, and most importantly, some of the opportunities the EBI world gave Ph.D. students and postdocs. My other projects involved developing the foundation for a supply chain of hydrogen. During the pandemic, we organized virtual workshops with participants from Shell, the Port of L.A., Microsoft, and scientists from all over. I realized the potential of hydrogen as an alternative energy for producing steel, improving transportation, and producing energy for other applications. The challenges of building inter-dependent supply chains (for hydrogen and vehicles that use it) require further scientific innovation, smart policy, and its major challenges and opportunities to the researchers who work with the company.

The EBI has been considering expanding and becoming a university focal point for collaboration between scientists and the private sector. I worried that companies would tell us “what to do.” However, working on at least three projects, I realized that they need our creativity and ideas–they raise a challenge, and it’s up to us to develop a research program to address basic scientific problems. The EBI helped my career, and from my experience, I believe that the system is designed in a way that protects our academic freedom. I see it as a mechanism where we increase the university’s support and help solve real-world problems. After seeing Oppenheimer, I realized that Berkeley wouldn’t become Berkeley without obtaining resources from the real world, and having Berkeley involved in the real world made the world better.

Member Blog: David Zilberman

The Challenges and Opportunities of the Bioeconomy

The world faces multiple challenges: climate change, food security, loss of biodiversity, and rural poverty. Several new technological strategies have been introduced to address climate change.  They include solar and wind power, solar and wind, enhanced conservation and input use efficiency, increased recycling, reallocation of production practices, and land use. However, these activities may not be sufficient to meet the target of containment of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change in time. Another important element of a comprehensive adaptation framework is the development of the bioeconomy. The bioeconomy taking advantage of the capabilities of the life sciences and other sciences and utilizing renewable natural resources, including land, water, forest, fisheries, crops, and livestock.

Source: NREL

The traditional bioeconomy is familiar to all of us. It has been the dominant sector of traditional economies for nearly as far back as we can trace food markets, historically utilizing domestic animals for transportation and power. Agriculture and forestry are major elements of the bioeconomy. The traditional bioeconomy used fermentation to produce cheeses and kimchi, preserve meats, and produce bread. Beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages are also major products of the traditional bioeconomy. The modern bioeconomy relies on recent discoveries in the life sciences, including sequencing, marker assistance breeding, genetic selection and manipulations, gene editing, and RNAi, among others.  The modern bioeconomy contributes to improving the productivity of agriculture, fishery, and forestry, enables the production of biofuels and fine chemicals, contributes to the production of new medical treatments and medicines, and provides new mechanisms for conservation and recycling. The modern bioeconomy plays a major role in the transformation of an economy that relies on nonrenewable resources to a renewable economy.

The bioeconomy is in its infancy. While the 20th century benefited from the major discoveries in physics of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the 21st century is likely to benefit from the revolutions in biology of the 20th and 21st centuries. The medical field has benefited from new life science capabilities that helped deliver new cures and vaccines. New capabilities have enhanced agricultural productivity, but regulations have limited the utilization of new biotechnology capabilities in agriculture. As discoveries are made and new capabilities developed, policymakers are challenged to introduce regulation that balances expected benefits with risk and allows the humanities to take advantage of new capabilities. The capacity of the bioeconomy is likely to go beyond medicine and food. We already have multiple bioproducts that can replace plastics. Improved biofuels will power aviation and other transportation. Insects and other organisms can consume waste products and are new sources of protein to feed humans, pets, and fisheries. The bioeconomy is likely to produce new opportunities to sequester carbon; photosynthesis is a most powerful mechanism that converts carbon dioxide into living organisms, and fast-growing plants, algae, insects, and other creatures may serve as “lungs” that will purify the atmosphere from excess carbon.

Taking advantage of these opportunities requires more investment in research. We have developed new tools and knowledge, and research would allow us to utilize them to meet the greater challenges of our time. University research makes basic discoveries and the initial development of new technological capabilities. However, university research is the first stage in the innovation supply chain, as development efforts and upscaling, frequently done in industry, convert new ideas to new implementable innovations. The offices of technology transfer in the university contribute to establishing university-industry partnerships that can build on new academic knowledge to provide new industrial capabilities. Industry, supported by public sector resources and incentives, can develop product supply chains to implement this innovation to provide new economy-wide solutions to major problems. With the bioeconomy, taking advantage of university knowledge and smart government policy, we see the potential for more efficient and green agriculture that will produce more than less and avert the risk of food insecurity globally. We believe that new bioeconomy capabilities can be spread globally to allow developing countries to address their food challenges and utilize their resources more effectively to increase human welfare. Increased productivity of food production, enabled by the bioeconomy and spread globally, would reduce the footprint of agriculture and farming, and enhance the preservation of biodiversity. As mentioned earlier, the bioeconomy will provide new avenues for decarbonization and lead to an emerging source of income for the rural community. The bioeconomy, combined with solar energy, can provide the resources to address the challenges of rural poverty and enable the transfer of some of the income allocated to non-renewable resources and their owners to the rural communities.

While the challenge of developing the bioeconomy is global, California can and must play a leading role. We have leading research institutes, a capable agricultural industry that overcomes constraints of water availability and climate to be world-leading, and populations concerned about climate change, food security, and biodiversity. California has pioneered many new industries, from the film industry to computers to biotech and electric cars. The tradition of collaboration between California universities and the private sector, the capacity to produce start-ups, and the investment in risky frontier activities would lead California to be upfront in the bioeconomy and contribute to addressing some of the major challenges of our time.

Source: palebluedot

Member Blog: David Zilberman

Upscaling Innovations to Control Climate Change 

The modern economy relies heavily on nonrenewable fossil fuels, which result in greenhouse gas emissions. Humanity’s challenge is to stop this addiction and decarbonize the economy. The bioeconomy, which uses modern technologies to produce alternative energy sources and sequester carbon, will play an important role in decarbonization, improving food security and preserving biodiversity. The realization that we can expand the range of products we produce from natural resources like soil and water beyond food, fisheries, and forest products results from increased capabilities, resulting in new knowledge and technological capabilities. The discovery of DNA, the dramatic increase in computational capabilities, and modern information infrastructure suggest increased capabilities to produce more food on a given amount of land and provide new options to produce energy and sequester carbon. However, at present, we speak about potential. We realize we can do more. Scientific research has provided many leads and has led to discoveries that may “change the world,” but we haven’t done it yet.

Before a new technology paradigm is established, there is a sorting out of alternative approaches that results in a few solutions that are scaled up, commercialized, and adopted. I remember that in the 1970s, people spoke about “personal computers,” and many vendors and products were adopted on a limited scale. But then, the Apple computer emerged, followed by the IBM PC, and they ushered in a new paradigm. The COVID-19 pandemic provided another example. For an initial period, we needed to rely on social distancing and extreme care to protect ourselves against the virus while searching for a solution. But then vaccines were developed, major infrastructures for their production and distribution were established, and since then, we have learned how to live with COVID-19 reasonably well. Thus, before a solution emerged, we must sort out among the technologies, identify those that are most appropriate in terms of their efficacy and economic cost, and then scaling these technologies up by building the supply chain to produce and distribute them.

Credit: Maryland Today

The fast discovery and utilization of vaccines during the pandemic was a major achievement that provides multiple lessons. First, there was a base of knowledge that we could rely on. Molecular and cell biology developed tools that allowed us to identify the properties of vaccines that would neutralize the virus, and the mRNA technology was already established and ready to go. Scientific feasibility wasn’t sufficient for the fast development and deployment of the vaccine–the urgency led to removing regulatory barriers and establishing a fast regulatory path. It also led to the provision of financial resources that incentivized private companies to invest in the scale-up of new technologies, even though the viability of these technologies might have been uncertain. But even when the vaccine was available, its adoption was gradual, and developing infrastructure for its distribution and marketing (convincing the public to be vaccinated) was crucial.

While the challenge of decarbonization may seem daunting, we must tackle it with the same determination we showed when controlling the virus. Just as we invested in developing vaccines and establishing infrastructure for their production and distribution, we must now invest in developing multiple options for decarbonization. Removing excessive regulatory barriers will enable us to accelerate discovery, increase the number of technological options, and expand the commercialization of viable ones. Provision of financial support for research, development and scale-up, and initial commercialization will lead to the emergence of bioeconomy-based solutions to climate change. There are multiple avenues to achieve decarbonization, and popular avenues include electrification with solar, wind, and hydropower. A second avenue is increasing the input-use efficiency of existing technologies, allowing us to do more with less. A third avenue is conservation through reduced consumption. A fourth avenue is the storage of carbon in the ground. Each of these technologies has its benefits and limitations; reduction in consumption, for example, in energy, may be appropriate for the developed but not the developing world. I expect increased consumption per capita in developing countries. One approach with immense potential is the bioeconomy that I mentioned before, where we use life science and living organisms to produce more than food and fiber. The introduction of solutions using each of these avenues, especially the bioeconomy, requires a better understanding of the upscaling processes. Namely, how do you accelerate the development of an innovation from a discovery? How do you move effectively from a prototype in the lab to large-scale production processes? How do you adapt innovation to consumer needs in different locations and induce consumer adoption? This calls for the establishment of synergistic supply chains of innovation that move from an idea to an implementable innovation and supply chain of products that produce and distribute the product. The interaction between innovation and production processes should be continuous, reflecting continuous learning, both basic science and consumer demand and need. 

While we have upscaled technologies for millennia, there is a need for further understanding of the process and development of alternative approaches for upscaling that will apply to diverse technologies and require a combination of decision-making, rules, and management strategies. Development of better upscaling strategies will require testing different approaches with different technologies. Improved upscaling strategies will be especially important as we develop the bioeconomy and consider multiple approaches for decarbonization based on multiple scientific approaches. Because of the heterogeneity of living systems, different approaches will be appropriate for different locations, and upscaling strategies that will help us determine what to develop, where, and when will be very valuable for addressing the challenge of climate change.

Members in the News: May 20, 2024

 David Ortega, Michigan State University

“Food price gains moderated in April”
By: New York Times – May 15, 2024

“In April, Grocery Store Prices Were Flat—or Even Lower”
By: NPR Marketplace – May 15, 2024

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Brian Roe, The Ohio State University

“Silicon Valley is Enamored With a Company That Pumps Poop Underground”

By: The Verge – May 1, 2024

“It just seems like a lot of good stuff along with some bad stuff that’s going to go down into a hole forever. It’s nice to have more tools in the toolbox. I’m just kind of fascinated to figure out where this is going to work.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: The Verge

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Carl Zulauf, The Ohio State University

“Age of U.S. Farmers: Not a Problem”

By: Successful Farming – May 14, 2024

“The older age of U.S. farmers remains a topic of concern (see, for example, U.S. Senate Committee on Aging). The 2022 Census of Agriculture confirms that U.S. farmers continue to age (farmdoc daily. October 23, 2013 and February 26, 2020, and Zulauf, 2021). However, U.S. farmers are also becoming younger relative to the U.S. population, and the age distribution of U.S. farmers is consistent with more farmers entering the profession when economic returns are good. In total, this evidence is not consistent with the U.S. having either a farmer aging or a farmer replacement problem.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Successful Farming

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Joe Janzen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

“Sizing Up Potential Downside Risk For New-Crop Corn and Soybean Prices”

By: Successful Farming – May 14, 2024

“This article reviews the latest US corn and soybean production and use forecasts from USDA which include projections for the new-crop 2024/2025 marketing year. These supply and demand estimates set expectations for forthcoming market conditions and provide context for marketing decisions made by farmers, merchants, processors, and end-users. In general, corn and soybean markets have coalesced around prices slightly above long-run average nominal levels (See: Farmdoc Daily May 31, 2022).”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Successful Farming

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Jada Thompson, University of Arkansas

“Fact Sheet Offers Risk Analysis for Poultry Contract Growers”

By: Newton County Times – May 11, 2024

“Last year’s closure of chicken processing plants in North Little Rock and Van Buren sparked a few questions in economist Jada Thompson’s mind.

“One of the questions was about what kind of risk was associated with lending and the risks involved for new producers,” said Thompson, an assistant professor for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture who specializes in the economics of poultry. ”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Newton County Times

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Christopher A. Wolf, Cornell University

“Pa. Dairy Farmers Could See Financial Boost from Shapiro’s Proposed Subsidy Program”

By: News Pub, et al. – May 15, 2024

"Pennsylvania has 4,940 dairy farms, according to state data. Of those, 1,778 are enrolled in the federal program, which made $102 million in payments statewide last year.

Christopher Allen Wolf, an agricultural economics professor at Cornell University, said participation in the federal program offers farmers, especially smaller ones, a safe way to reduce risks."

(Continued...)
Read more on: News Pub

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Simon Somogyi, Texas A&M University
Yong Liu, Texas A&M University
Weifang Liang, Texas A&M University

"Grilling Season Kicks Off With High But Stable Meat Prices"

By: National Hot Farmer & Austin County News Online – May 14, 2024

"The Summer 2024 Meat Prices report was authored by Simon Somogyi, Ph.D., director of the Weston Agrifood Sales Program and Dr. Kerry Litzenberg Sales and Economics Endowed Chair in the department. Report co-authors include David Anderson, Ph.D., professor and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist – livestock and food product marketing; Yong Liu, Ph.D., assistant professor; and Weifang Liang, a doctoral student – all in the department."

“Prices may spike and fluctuate that first month of grilling season due to higher demand from people eating at restaurants and cooking out at home,” he said. “But prices should stabilize after that.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: National Hot Farmer & Austin County News Online

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James Mintert, Purdue University

"Farmers Remain Cautiously Optimistic About Agricultural Economy"

By: Hoard's Dairyman – May 14, 2024

“Producers were slightly more confident about the farming economy in July, despite recent crop price volatility and continued concerns about rising interest rates,” said James Mintert, the barometer’s principal investigator and director of Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture.

(Continued...)
Read more on: Hoard's Dairyman

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Andrew Stevens, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"Why Has Bird Flu in the US Spread to Cows and What’s the Risk For Humans?"

By: Al Jazeera – May 10, 2024

“In this setting, culling would be an extreme and costly step to prevent further spread of the disease. This is especially true because we don’t yet have as good a sense of how contagious the bird flu virus is between cattle,” he said.

(Continued...)
Read more on: Al Jazeera

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Joseph Balagtas, Purdue University

"Lab-Grown Meat's PR Problem Offers an Opportunity For Plant-Based Products"

By: Salon – May 14, 2024

“The proportion of consumers willing to try the cultivated versions of these meats is around 30 percentage points lower, though it is still a majority, about 60%,” Balagtas said. “Given the fact that cell-cultured meat is not widely available, these results reflect consumer distrust of the unknown when it comes to food, which is a barrier for any novel food trying to break into the market.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Salon

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Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology

“The Asymmetric Response of Firms to Demand and Cost Changes: A puzzle”

By: Rochester Beacon – May 10, 2024

“Many firms have operations in multiple geographic locations. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that such geographically dispersed firms account for 70 percent of sales and payroll. Similarly, firms operating across multiple states make up 68 percent of total employment.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Rochester Beacon

Members in the News: May 13, 2024

 *Disclaimer - This email is to acknowledge citations of current AAEA members and/or their research in any public media channel. AAEA does not agree nor disagree with the views or attitudes of cited outside publications.

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Brittney Goodrich, University of California, Davis

“New UC Study Estimates Blackberry Production Costs”

By: California Ag Today – May 7, 2024

“The study provides growers with a baseline to estimate their own costs, which can help when applying for production loans, projecting labor costs, securing market arrangements or understanding costs associated with water and nutrient management and regulatory programs.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: California Ag Today

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Simon Somogyi, Texas A&M University

“New Texas A&m Report Gives Insights On Future Beef, Pork, Chicken Prices”

By: Austin County News – May 8, 2024

“These report estimates will provide U.S. consumers with a better understanding of the factors that influence meat prices and help them estimate future meat costs, allowing households to budget more effectively.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Austin County News

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Adam Rabinowitz, Auburn University

“Alabama Heirs Property Alliance Helping Educate Residents, Farming Families About Key Issue”

By: Specialty Crop Grower – May 8, 2024

“The team that we have been building in Alabama is going to help address landowner challenges that can create tension in families, limit income and wealth opportunities and potentially lead to land loss. By training and further supporting Extension professionals, the alliance will have a much wider impact in minimizing the negative effects of heirs property.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Specialty Crop Grower

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Joseph Balagtas, Purdue University

“Consumers Report Significant Rise in Diet Satisfaction Since January”

By: National Hog Farmer – May 8, 2024

“Over the past 28 months, we’ve measured food insecurity among rural households that is nearly twice the rate of urban households, 22% vs. 14%, respectively. Poverty rates are higher in rural areas, and one consequence of poverty is that it is harder to afford to put food on the table.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: National Hog Farmer

Members in the News: May 6, 2024

 

Zhengfei Guan, University of Florida

“Chinese Professors Warn of ‘Culture of Fear’ in Florida After DeSantis’ Hiring Restrictions”

By: Politico -  May 29, 2024

“Guan says the law has stalled his agricultural economics research. Originally, he received 18 applicants for a graduate or postdoctoral assistant, and the best person for the job ended up being a Chinese applicant, he said. About a quarter of the candidates were from “countries of concern,” and all were international.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Politico

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Joseph Balagtas, Purdue University

“Grocery Prices 2024: When Will Things Start to Get Cheaper Again at the Supermarket?”

By: NASDAQ – April 25, 2024

“The 26-month survey also showed an 11.3% peak in U.S. food prices surge in 2022, but it has cooled down to 2.6 Although inflation has declined, it’s still present in the economy. Consumers expect more increase in food price inflation in the next 12 months.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: NASDAQ

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Scott Swinton, Michigan State University

“Are Cultivated Morel Mushrooms Possible?”

By: Brownfield – April 19, 2024

“Even though it’s difficult to cultivate them outdoors and we’re still learning how to do this in the United States, the prices are high enough that there’s hope that with even with fairly low yields, you might still be able to make a profit.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Brownfield

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Wendong Zhang, Cornell University

“What is Hindering Edge-of-Field Conservation Adoption?”
By: Farm Progress – April 18, 2024

“Laid-off: Former Tyson Foods Chicken Farmers Face High Costs Switching to Eggs”
By: Reuters – April 30, 2024 or Fast Company

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Stephen Koontz, Colorado State University

“Livestock Marketing Information Center: More Front Loaded Long-Fed Cattle”

By: Morning Ag Clips – April 30, 2024

“While market attention appears to be captured by the HPAI information from the cattle herd – specifically dairy animals, there remains a rather substantial amount of other bearish short-term news in the market fundamentals. Primarily, the calculated and assumed cattle on feed over 150 days is substantial and growing.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Morning Ag Clips

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Amy Hagerman, Oklahoma State University

“USDA Wildfire and Disaster Relief Program Overview with OSU’s Amy Hagerman”

By: Oklahoma Farm Report – May 2, 2024

“The main thing that people need to know is to do timely reporting of the damages. A lot of these programs have a bit of a time clock associated with them, so getting timely reporting of those damages and documentation is so critical for any of these programs. It is also a good idea for producers to take documentation of their property before disaster strikes as well so it can be compared in the case of a disaster.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Oklahoma Farm Report

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Rodolfo Nayga Jr., Texas A&M University
Jianhui Liu, University of Florida
Bachir Kassas, University of Florida

“Academics Worry About Ag Economist Shortage”

By: The Western Producer – May 3, 2023

“Given the predicted drop in high school graduates, it is imperative for many agricultural economics departments to adapt to the changing landscape to ensure their sustainability and relevance. Ag economics departments could be severely compromised by the predicted slump in high school graduates after 2025, which will continue to about 2037. Declining birth rates in recent decades are hitting the school age population. That shrinks the pool of young people expected to enter university in general."

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