Policy
Agricultural policy research examines the effect of changes in public policy the structure and profitability of the agricultural sector in the United States as well as internationally. Current research focuses both on long-term issues of farm profitability as well as current issues like the production of bioenergy crops, the use of agricultural land for carbon sequestration, and the cost of externalities resulting from the industrial production of farm animals.
The presence of the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center within the department of agricultural economics strengthens its policy focus and gives students the opportunity to look at the longer-term consequences of various policy prescriptions.
Department Personnel working on agricultural policy issues:
Christopher Clark – Associate Professor (Research and Teaching);
Daniel De La Torre Ugarte – Assistant Director of the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center and Professor (Research); agricultural policy, agricultural sector simulation modeling using POLYSYS, international agricultural issues, bioenergy production
Burton English – Professor (Research and Teaching); bioenergy production
Lixia He – Post Doctoral Researcher (Research);
Chad Hellwinckel – Research Scientist (Research); agricultural sector simulation modeling using POLYSYS, carbon sequestration, biofuels
James Larson – Associate Professor (research and Teaching); cotton
Daryll E. Ray – Blasingame Chair of Excellence, Director of the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, and Professor (Research); domestic and international agricultural policy analysis, simulation modeling using POLYSYS, international trade
Harwood Schaffer – Research Associate (Research); policy communication, domestic and international policy analysis, externalities in animal production
Michael Wilcox, Jr. – Assistant Professor (Extension); rural development in the US and internationally
- Teaching
- Research
- Extension
The department teaches one course each at the undergraduate level and the graduate level that deals with the rationale for agricultural policy. A list of courses is given below and course descriptions can be found in the Courses of Instruction sections of the latest Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs.
Undergraduate Courses
- Ag Econ 430 - Agricultural Policy
Graduate Courses
- Ag Econ 530 - Agricultural Policy Analysis
The areas of policy research in the department include: United States farm policy, international agricultural and trade policy, international agricultural development, bioenergy policy, tobacco policy, externalities in livestock production, and carbon sequestration.
Selected Publications
- Opportunities and challenges of biofuels for the agricultural sector and the food security of developing countries
De La Torre Ugarte, Daniel G.
New York: United Nations UNCTAD, 2007 - Rethinking US Agricultural Policy: Changing Course to Secure Farmer Livelihoods Worldwide
Ray, Daryll E., Daniel G. De La Torre Ugarte, and Kelly H. Tiller, 2003
- Policy for the 21st Century
Ray, Daryll E. 2004
The results of policy research are made available to producers, policy makers, and interested citizens through a weekly policy column, speaking engagements with local, regional, national and international audiences, radio and print media interviews, and participation in field days.
The Agricultural Policy Analysis Center maintains a website where persons interested in agricultural policy can find a set of useful and up to date resources.