Members in the News: July 8, 2024

Joseph Balagtas, Purdue University “Even as Inflation Cools, Americans Report Sticker Shock at Grocery Store Register” By: USA Today – July 2, 2024 “Q1 GDP Slows More Than Previously Estimated as Inflation Concerns Linger” By: Fox Business – June 27, 2024 Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology “Rejection of the Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Plan is a Good Long-Run Verdict” By: Rochester Beacon – July 2, 2024 “Overdosing on opioids has resulted in the deaths of over 500,000 Americans. A key player in this saturnine saga is Purdue Pharma, formerly owned by the Sackler family, which introduced its blockbuster painkiller drug OxyContin into the U.S. market in 1996.” (Continued...) Read more on: Rochester Beacon Shadi Atallah, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign “Study Focuses on Organics Beliefs, Microbiome Effects” By: Agrinews – June 30, 2024 “There is very little research on what farmers think about the soil microbiome and what it means for which agricultural practices they adopt. In the long run, we want to understand organic farmers’ incentives to adopt microbiome-friendly practices from an economic perspective.” (Continued...) Read more on: Agrinews Claudia Schmidt, Pennsylvania State University “High-Speed Internet linked to More Farms Offering Agritourism” By: Ag Daily – July 1, 2024 “Agritourism operations are consumer-facing businesses that offer activities to farm or ranch visitors, such as farm stands, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, hayrides, and farm stays. They need to attract visitors, and most of their visitors find them online. Assistant professor of marketing and local/regional food systems in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, who led the research. “Ours is the first study to examine the relationship between high-speed internet and agritourism specifically, demonstrating a clear relationship.” (Continued...) Read more on: Ag Daily James Mintert, Purdue University “Purdue Survey: Farmers Feeling Less Optimistic About the Ag Economy” By: Hoosier Today – July 2, 2024 “The impact of rising interest rates on their farm operations has become a bigger concern for producers in recent months. Interest rate risk and high breakeven levels combined with concerns that crop and livestock prices could weaken are holding back producer sentiment and making producers cautious about making large investments.” (Continued...) Read more on: Hoosier Today Jeffrey Dorfman, North Carolina State University “Crops Suffer Under Drought Conditions in 99 Counties Across NC” By: Carolina Journal – July 4, 2024   As North Carolina enters a crucial period of the growing season for most crops, drought is now affecting about half of the state.” (Continued...) Read more on: Carolina Journal