Thomas Capehart

Agricultural Economist
202-694-5313
thomas.c.capehart@usda.gov

Briefly

Tom is Agricultural Economist in the Crops Branch, Markets and Trade Economics Division at the Economic Research Service, USDA.  He is the feed grains and biofuels analyst and has been the Coordinator of the agency’s Feed Grains Market Outlook Program since 2009. In addition, Tom leads a data and outlook program for the ERS U.S. Bioenergy Statistics.

Background

Before joining ERS, Tom worked at the Agricultural Development Council in New York, Winrock International in Arkansas, and the University of Massachusetts.  After more than 10 years as tobacco analyst, for ERS he was appointed as an agriculture fellow to a member of the House Committee on Agriculture to work on the 2008 farm bill.  He subsequently spent a year and a half at the Congressional Research Service working on biofuels and domestic food programs before returning to ERS to analyze biofuels.  Subsequently he added feed grains to his responsibilities and has participated in projects evaluating feed grain production and the livestock industry in Serbia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Benin, and Rwanda.

Education

Tom has a B.A. degree from Hanover College in Indiana and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago (South Asian Studies) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Agricultural Economics).

Professional Affiliations

Tom is a member of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA).  

Selected Publications

Capehart, T. and O. Liefert. 2009 -present. Feed Outlook, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

Olson, David and Thomas Capehart. 2019. “Dried Distillers Grains (DDGs) Have Emerged as a Key Ethanol Coproduct” Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, October.

Zahniser, Steve, Lopez, Nicolas Fernando Lopez, Motamed, Mesbah, Vargas, Zully Silva, and Thomas Capehart. 2019. The Growing Corn Economies of Mexico and the United States, FDS-19f-01, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, July.

Ash, Mark, Jennifer Bond, Thomas Capehart, Nathan Childs, Michael McConnell, Leslie Meyer, and Erik O’Donoghue. 2018. An Exploration of Crop Markets: A Deeper Look Into the USDA Crop Baseline Projections, FDS-18j-01, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, October.

Capehart, T. 2010. “One the Map: Ethanol Refineries Locate Near Feedstock Sources” Amber Waves. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. September.

Capehart, T. 2007. U.S. Tobacco Import Update 2005/06. TBS-262-01. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

Capehart, T. 1989-2007. Tobacco Outlook, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.