AAEA Blog

Members in the News: March 2, 2026

2026-03-02T14:47:00.001-06:00

Jada Thompson, University of Arkansas

“Egg prices have plummeted. That’s great news for consumers — and a crisis for farmers”

By: CNN – February 20, 2026

“On average, a farm spends 98 cents to $1.05 to produce a dozen eggs. That often doesn’t include operational costs like packaging and transportation, which have risen in the last year.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: CNN

Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology

“Artificial Intelligence: Why the Biggest Revolution May Be Surprisingly Ordinary”

By: Basis Point – February 19, 2026

“There is no gainsaying the fact that there is a great deal of hype about what artificial intelligence might mean for humanity. On one end of the spectrum lies the belief that AI will solve all human problems and perhaps even make us immortal. On the other is the dystopian fear that AI will immiserize society in ways that we have never seen before.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Basis Point

Shawn Arita, North Dakota State University

“US farmers Are on High Alert After Losses Exceeding $50 Billion And Fear Widespread Farm Collapse Due to Tariffs, Blocked Exports, and Record Harvests Driving Down Prices”
By: CPG – February 16, 2026
“In The Year of Trump's Tariff, Farmers' Bankruptcy Filings Grow Nearly 50 Percent in 2025 in the U.S”
By: Dnews – February 14, 2026
“Minnesota Farmers Demand Trade Fix as $50B in Losses Has Potential to Push US Agriculture Toward ‘Widespread Collapse’”
By: News Break – Febraury 14, 2026

Zachariah Rutledge, Michigan State University

“Survey Finds Raids Impacted California Farm Production”
By: Ag Alert – February 25, 2026
“ICE Crackdown, Especially Fear of Raids, Triggered CA Farmworker Losses, Survey Shows”
By: Fresno Bee – February 28, 2026

Steven Deller, University of Wisconsin-Madison

“Number of U.S. Farms Shrank by 15,000 in 2025”

By: Successful Farming – February 17, 2026

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

Cesar Escalante, University of Georgia

“Farmworkers Could Face Declining Wages in Vermont”

By: Valley News – February 17, 2026

“If the government allowed these deductions, they should also audit and check on housing. Only those implementing acceptable housing services should be getting those deductions.”

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

Success Amobi-Ndubuisi Okafor, North Carolina A&T University

“WI Economist: Farm Crisis Runs Deeper Than Tariffs”

By: Public News Service – February 17, 2026

“Tariffs are not the real issue. Tariffs exposed weaknesses; they didn't create them. If tariffs were the only problem, fixing trade policy would solve it. But even without tariffs, U.S. farmers are losing competitiveness."

(Continued...)
Read more on: Public News Service

Frayne Olson, North Dakota State University
Daniel O'Brien, Kansas State University

“Corn Holds Ground as US Farmers Eye 2026 Cuts”

By: The Pig Site -February 19, 2026

“The market is signaling, ‘We don't want you to cut too many corn acres.’ We don't need as many as last year, but with today's demand base, it's not like we need a huge drop.”

"The soybean market is more of a political football than the corn market right now,"

(Continued...)
Read more on: The Pig Site

Charles Martinez, University of Tennessee

“Recent Price Increases Offer Hope For Tennessee Soybean Farmers After Multi-Year Downturn”

By: WVLT 8 – February 19, 2026

“Farmers were receiving prices that didn’t cover production costs. It was essentially, as they were pulling off crop or if they were planting crop over the last couple of years, it was penciling out already to a loss.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: WVLT 8

Yifei Zhang, North Dakota State University
Brian Coffey, Kansas State University

“K-State Agriculture Today: 2127 – Livestock Risk Protection for Feeder Cattle…Kansas Cattle Risk Management”

By: Sunflower State Radio – February 26, 2026

“Starting the show is Brian Coffey, K-State agricultural economist, and Yifei Zhang, senior research economist with the Agricultural Risk Policy Center at North Dakota State University, as they discuss research into Kansas producers using Livestock Risk Protection for feeder cattle.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Sunflower State Radio

Do you have international, national, state or local news to share? Submit your
'Members in the News' now!

Members in the News: February 23, 2026

2026-02-23T09:11:00.001-06:00

Jada Thompson, University of Arkansas

“Wholesale Egg Prices Have Plummeted. Will Shoppers See the Savings?”

By: USA Today – February 13, 2026

“What has happened to the industry and egg prices is classic supply and demand. Last year, with a significant part of the U.S. egg supply affected by the bird flu during a time of seasonal demand, shoppers grew concerned and started overbuying eggs.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: USA Today

Shawn Arita, North Dakota State University
Ian Sheldon, The Ohio State University
Daniel Sumner, University of California, Davis

“Farmers Squeezed By Trump Tariffs Press Lawmakers For Action”

By: The Hill – February 6, 2026

“Production costs have been very, very high. This is costs for fertilizers, costs for chemicals, for machinery products, for machinery inputs. All these key inputs have been elevated, the production costs, much of it, due to run up in inflation over the past few years.”

“The current administration’s range of tariffs, it’s exacerbated the original trade war that we had with China back in the first administration. I think it’s actually … hurting our soybean export market, in particular to China.”

“What we have been hit with is retaliatory tariffs on the other side. So, it’s tariffs on farm inputs and retaliatory tariffs by other countries against us.”

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

Shawn Arita, North Dakota State University

“In the Year of Trump's Tariff, Farmers' Bankruptcy Filings Grow Nearly 50 Percent in 2025 in the U.S”
By: MSN – February 12, 2026
“How Trump’s Economic Policies Deepened the Divide: The K-Shaped Recovery Hits Rural America Hardest”
By: The Berkshire Ridge – February 12, 2026

Jiyeon Kim, North Dakota State University
Andrew Muhammad, University of Tennessee

“How 2025 IEEPA Tariffs Affected Agricultural Inputs and Production Costs”

By: Southern Ag Today – February 12, 2026

“In 2025, the President imposed a series of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), reshaping U.S. trade policy. These measures, ranging from fentanyl‑related tariffs in February to broad reciprocal tariffs implemented in April, generated an estimated $130 billion in revenue by early December with implications for multiple sectors, including agriculture.”

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

Matthew Gammans, North Dakota State University

“Many Midwest Farmers Have Mixed Feelings About Upcoming USDA Payments”

By: MPR News – February 9, 2026

“That even though those areas may have been more disproportionately affected by trade disputes with China, they’ll receive the same payment rate as everyone else. So the losses for North Dakota soybean farmers can be really large, but they still get the same payment as the soybean farmer in Georgia or Iowa or anywhere else in the country.”

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

Alejandro Gutierrez-Li, North Carolina State University
Dawn Thilmany, Colorado State University

“How Immigrants Are Catalyzing A Rural Economic Melting Pot”

By: Forbes – February 16, 2026

“The U.S. has been home to at least 10 million undocumented visitors for more than a decade and so industries that employ such workers have become reliant on labor force that is now quite vulnerable.”

“While discussions on the role of immigration in America take shape, what is often missing is an interrogation of the immigrant's role in our 250-year-old vision of the U.S. The vision of the nation as a melting pot.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Forbes

Steven Deller, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Paul Mitchell, University of Wisconsin-Madison

“Republicans Are Looking Past the Short-Term Pain of Trump’s Tariffs”

By: NOTUS – February 17, 2026

“We’re hemorrhaging thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars, and they’re giving us pennies. Frmers want “fair markets” and a “level playing field.”

“They don’t solve the long-run problem of higher input costs and low prices; they are a Band-Aid to get us through this short-term problem.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: NOTUS

David Ortega, Michigan State University

“Trump’s Beef Trade Deal is a Lose-Lose Gamble That Won’t Lower Prices”

By: Grist – February 12, 2026

“Trade groups, lawmakers, and economists agree that the increased imports from Argentina are unlikely to lower the record-high beef prices in the U.S. That’s partly because Americans already consume so much beef.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Grist

Eric Belasco, Montana State University

“Beef Prices Soar as U.S. Cattle Herd Hits 75-Year Low, Experts Warn of Continued High Costs”

By: Yahoo Finance – February 14, 2026

“Consistent dry weather has decimated grasslands throughout the West and Plains regions. This has left ranchers grappling with insufficient feed and water resources to sustain their herds, compelling many to prematurely sell off cattle, including breeding cows critical for the production of future calves.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Yahoo Finance

Daniel Sumner, University of California, Davis

“How Rain Could Affect California Almond Crop, Bees During Bloom Season”

By: NewBreak – February 12, 2026

“The almond is a crop that may hit $5 billion in revenue this year. And if you add the jobs connected to that, and the rest of the spreading of the economic output around, it'll be about 3 times that big to the economy.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: NewBreak

Bulat Gafarov, University of California, Davis

“California Gas Prices Have Risen 40 Cents in the Last 14 Days”

By: New York Post – February 15, 2026

“By August 2026 — when the full impact of refinery closures is realized — California gas prices could climb by as much as $1.21 per gallon if no major market changes occur. In 2000, the California gas price was approximately $0.25 higher than the national average, but by 2025 the difference increased to $1.50.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: New York Post

Hope Michelson, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Kathy Baylis, University of California, Santa Barbara
Chungmann Kim, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

“The Leading Global Early Warning System For Food Insecurity Misses Millions in Crisis”

By: VoxDev – February 16, 2026

“The leading global early warning system for acute food insecurity systematically underestimates the scale of crisis-level hunger, missing around one in five people affected. As a result, global assessments significantly understate the scope of global humanitarian need, with serious consequences for the timing and adequacy of aid to vulnerable populations.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: VoxDev

Vishal Dagar, Great Lakes Institute of Management

“Why Withdrawing EPF During a Job Switch Can Be a Costly Financial Mistake”

By: India Today – December 29, 2026

“The moment you resign from a job, life feels lighter. There’s excitement about what’s coming next, a sense of progress, maybe even a quiet relief. Somewhere between farewell lunches and updating your LinkedIn headline, another message arrives—your Provident Fund balance. For many, this is when a small thought grows louder: “Should I just withdraw it?” The amount suddenly looks useful, even tempting. It feels like money you earned and money you deserve.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: India Today

Do you have international, national, state or local news to share? Submit your
'Members in the News' now!

MSU International Workshop Survey Design and Experimental Methods in Applied and Agricultural Economics

2026-02-18T12:42:35.997-06:00

We are pleased to announce the International Workshop on “Survey Design and Experimental Methods in Applied and Agricultural Economics,” to be held from May 25 to May 29, 2026, at Michigan State University.

This year’s workshop features a new and expanded program. In addition to a strong focus on survey-based data construction, experimental auctions, and discrete choice experiments, the curriculum has been extended to include in-depth coverage of survey design and data collection, basket-based choice experiments, and field experiments, with applications across a wide range of policy contexts. Participants will gain both theoretical and practical knowledge, be introduced to state-of-the-art software tools, and design their own experimental applications through hands-on training.

The instructor team includes:

Vincenzina Caputo (Michigan State University)
Carola Grebitus (Arizona State University)
David Just (Cornell University)
Jayson L. Lusk (Purdue University)
Rodolfo M. Nayga (Texas A&M University)
Jeffrey M. Wooldridge (Michigan State University)

We are particularly excited to welcome Professor Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, who will present state-of-the-art, cutting-edge econometric methods for policy evaluation.

The workshop is open to academics (graduate students, faculty, and researchers) as well as non-academics (consultants and practitioners from the private sector or national and international organizations). Seats are limited, and registration is offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more registration information, click here: website.

For more information about scholarships, click here: website.

Please do not hesitate to contact us (vcaputo@msu.edu, carola.grebitus@asu.edu, & decianni@msu.edu) if you have any questions or need additional information!

International Summer School “Experimental Auctions for Agricultural and Applied Economics: Theory and Applications”

2026-02-18T12:42:00.001-06:00

Organized by the Department of Management, University of Verona, Italy

Organizing committee:

Organizer: Claudia Bazzani (claudia.bazzani@univr.it)

Co-organizer: Andreas Drichoutis (adrihout@aua.gr)

Tutor: Marta Bonioli (marta.bonioli@univr.it); Sonia Morandi (sonia.morandi@univr.it)

The International Summer School “Experimental Auctions for Agricultural and Applied Economics: Theory and Applications” will provide intensive training on the theoretical foundations and practical implementation of experimental auctions in agricultural and applied economics. Participants will gain hands-on experience in designing, programming, running auctions in both laboratory and online environments, as well as in preregistration, power analysis, and auction data modelling. The program will provide guidance on interpreting results from auction-based studies and translating those findings into practical recommendations for stakeholders and policymakers. It will also include practical group work, presentations, and discussions, fostering critical reflection and the development of applied research skills.

The Summer School aims to bring together young scholars, experienced academics, and practitioners, offering them a unique opportunity to learn cutting-edge methods, such as experimental auctions, that can be directly applied to dissertations, research agendas, and real-world business practices.

Instructors:

·         Rodolfo M. Nayga (Texas A&M University)
·         Jayson L. Lusk (Oklahoma State University)
·         Andreas Drichoutis (Agricultural University of Athens)
·         Vincenzina Caputo (Michigan State University)
·         Claudia Bazzani (University of Verona)

Learn more>> https://sites.google.com/view/experimentalauctions2026/home
Register Now>> https://dimaunivr.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4G6lSW39FnCWxM2

Members in the News: February 16, 2026

2026-02-16T09:14:00.003-06:00

Glynn Tonsor, Kansas State University

“The Cost of This Grocery Staple is Nearing Record Highs — and Americans Can't Get Enough”

By: Fox News – February 9, 2026

“There’s nothing that forces me or you or anybody else when we go into the grocery store to pay more for beef. People are choosing to," he said. "The consumer desire for beef is strong and, regardless of the supply-side situation, that has the effect of pulling prices up."

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

Eric Belasco, Montana State University

“The Surprising Reason Why Americans Could Face High Beef Prices For Years”

By: Fox News – February 11, 2026

"The biggest thing has been drought… ears of dry weather have wiped out grasslands across the West and Plains, leaving ranchers without enough feed or water to sustain their herds. Many have been forced to sell cattle early, even the cows needed to produce the next generation of calves, making it difficult to rebuild America's herds.”

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

David Ortega, Michigan State University

“Cocoa Crunch: Pittsburgh-Area Chocolatiers Face Valentine’s Day Amid Cost Crisis”
By: WESA - February 13, 2026
“Are Walmart Customers Getting Overcharged For Misweighed Meats?”
By: USA Today - February 12, 2026
“More Argentina Beef Imports Won't Do Much to Ease Costs For Consumers, According to Experts”
By: CBS News - February 9, 2026

Michael Langemeier, Purdue University

“Farmers’ Confidence Plunges: Purdue Ag Barometer Sees Sharp January Collapse”

By: Hoosier Ag Today - February 3, 2026

“What stands out this month is the growing number of producers who report that higher operating-loan needs stem from carrying over unpaid debt from the previous year.”

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

Alexandra Hill, University of California, Berkeley

“California Farm Bureau Announces New State Legislation Aims to Boost Farmworker Pay and Support Agricultural Employers”

By: Sierra Sun Times – February 3, 2026

“Beginning in 2019, the law phased in a requirement that farmworkers be paid time and a half when they work more than 40 hours a week. Previously, farmworkers worked up to 60 hours a week before they were entitled to overtime pay.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Sierra Sun Times

Seth Meyer, University of Missouri

“Former USDA Chief Economist: Crop Farmers Facing Tight Margins With No Clear Catalyst”

By: Brownfield – February 6, 2026

“They’ve got to be prepared to wait it out unfortunately because you don’t know when it’s going to come whether it’s a war, a shortfall in crop with us, the Brazilians, the Europeans, or the Australians. So there isn’t an immediate spark to me that says there’s an obvious way out of this in the short run, but it could come.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Brownfield

Paul Goeringer, University of Maryland

“Farmers, Trump Oppose Maryland Renewable Energy Solar Farms”

By: Byteseu – February 9, 2026

“I think the biggest concerns have been a lot of areas related to taking farmland out of production. It is a balancing act of trying to find the prime spots to put it that help but also maintaining farmland.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Byteseu

Joseph Balagtas, Purdue University

“CFI Survey: 68% of Americans Rate Their Diets as Thriving”

By: National Hog Farmer – February 11, 2026

“A majority of Americans — 68% — give themselves a score of 7 to 10, which corresponds to the label of ‘thriving’ on the well-being index.”

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

Hope Michelson, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Jessica Rudder, Oregon State University
Travis Lybbert, University of California, Davis

“African Agriculture's Underappreciated Supply Side”

By: VoxDev – January 28, 2026

“Low agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa cannot be explained by farmer behaviour alone, as major supply-side failures in input markets mean improved seeds and fertilisers often fail to reach farmers at the right time, price, or scale. Understanding the risks, incentives, and constraints faced by agro-dealers is essential if technological advances are to translate into sustained productivity gains.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: VoxDev

Do you have international, national, state or local news to share? Submit your
'Members in the News' now!

Members in the News: February 9, 2026

2026-02-09T09:47:00.001-06:00

Brian Coffey, Kansas State University

“Why Beef Prices Remain High Despite Record-Low Cattle Supplies”

By: Drovers – January 29, 2026

“A microeconomic assessment is really about using economic theory and models to help explain what we’re seeing in the real world. We make simplifying assumptions and apply economic frameworks to real data so we can isolate what’s driving changes in prices and quantities.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Vegetable Grower News

Zach Rutledge, Michigan State University

“Deportations Are Set to Explode Worrying Farmers Already Facing Labor Shortage”

By: Wisconsin State Farmer – January 30, 2026

“I’ve heard conflicting reports. And so, I don’t know where the current policy stands… There’s been a crisis in farm labor for some time, and it certainly would be exacerbated by immigration enforcement.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Wisconsin State Farmer

Nick Paulson, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Chad Hart, Iowa State University

“Farmers Are in Line For Billions of Bailout Money. Will it Be Enough to Offset Losses?”

By: Wisconsin State Farmer – February 2, 2026

“The Farmer Bridge Assistance Program is designed to distribute financial aid quickly. The tradeoff is that payment rates, based on national averages, may not reflect the financial realities for individual farms.”

“Trade disruptions in 2025 decreased demand and contributed to an oversupply of some U.S. commodities. Cotton, rice and soybeans experienced more significant market impacts due to retaliatory tariffs compared to corn and wheat.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Wisconsin State Farmer

Steven Deller, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Paul Mitchell, University of Wisconsin-Madison

“Ag Leaders: Trade Could Make or Break Wisconsin Farms in 2026”

By: WPR – February 2, 2026

“Trade disputes and rapidly changing tariffs brought by President Donald Trump’s administration last year created tremendous uncertainty for agriculture… It’s undermining confidence in terms of prices for both exports and imported inputs.”

“The one-time, emergency relief programs that were paid out last year meant 2025 had the second highest amount of direct payments to farmers in U.S. history. Only in 2020, when COVID-19 caused huge disruptions to food supply chains, did farmers receive more assistance.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: WPR

Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology

“Rethinking Dowries: How Migration and Old-Age Security Intersect”By: By: Basis Point – February 4, 2026
The Curious Economics of a Shrinking Smoking Market
By: Rochester Bussiness Journal - February 6, 2026

Farzad Taheripour, Purdue University

“Year-Round E-15 Could Help Farmers, But Not As Much As Less Restricted Trade”

By: Farms.com – January 30, 2026

“Allowing the sale of E-15 throughout the year would benefit farmers. It is important to generate a secure market for this product, to help farmers to be able to continue to invest in the industry.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Farms.com

Cesar Escalante, University of Georgia - Athens

“The Dramatic Rise of Farm Labor Contractors Has Led to Rampant Abuses. Here’s Why Regulators Have Failed to Stop Them”

By: ProPublica – February 5, 2026

“Regardless of the administration — even ones that are sympathetic to labor — regulators are handicapped. They know what’s happening, but they’re incapable of enforcing the regulations.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: ProPublica

Ian Sheldon, The Ohio State University

“Ag Economist: U.S. Soybean Prices Likely to Stay Under Pressure in 2026”
By: Brownfield – January 23, 2026
“Tariffs, Costs and Taxes on Farmers’ Minds”
By: Lima News – January 31, 2026
“EU Trade Deal Delay Could Increase Market Volatility for U.S. Farmers”
By: Brownfield - February 2, 2026

Laura Kalambokidis, University of Minnesota

“Uncertainty Looms Large For Minnesota Businesses Amid ICE Surge”

By: MPR News – February 5, 2026

“A business might postpone making decisions about investment or hiring, and that maybe they'll have to forego some profit, potentially profitable opportunity as a result.”

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

David Ortega, Michigan State University

“Stateside Radio Interview on Tariffs, Food Prices and Supreme Court Decision”
By: MPR News - February 2, 2026
“In a Year, Foreign Investors Bought Another 71,000 Acres of Michigan Agricultural Land”
By: MLive – February 1, 2026

Members in the News: February 2, 2026

2026-02-02T09:20:00.001-06:00

Zach Rutledge, Michigan State University

“New on-Demand Webinar Explores Labor Challenges and Opportunities for Growers”

By: Vegetable Grower News – January 28, 2026

“Michigan State University extension economist Zach Rutledge discusses major changes to the H-2A program for 2025, including new Department of Labor rules on Adverse Effect Wage Rates and housing cost deductions, and explains how these updates could affect grower operations.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Vegetable Grower News

Hunter Biram, University of Arkansas
Francis Tsiboe, North Dakota State University

“How Could Insured Farmers Adjust to the Expanding Access to Risk Protection (EARP) Rule From USDA?”

By: FRYAR – January 19, 2026

"In this episode, Hunter Biram and special guest Francis Tsiboe explore how USDA’s new Expanding Access to Risk Protection (EARP) rule will reshape prevented planting insurance starting in the 2027 crop year."

(Continued...)
Read more on: FRYAR

Shawn Arita, North Dakota State University

“No. Dakota State Reports How Much Tariffs Have Cost Farmers”

By: Agri Market News – January 22, 2026

"The high pass-through rate may reflect the uncertainty around tariff levels that prevailed around President Donald Trump's April "liberation day" announcement of reciprocal tariffs. It was unclear whether some exporters would be subject to levies above 10% as importers moved to stockpile inventory."

(Continued...)
Read more on: Agri Market News

Shawn Arita, North Dakota State University
Sandro Steinbach, North Dakota State University

“NDGGA Leaders Advocate for North Dakota Wheat at MWCA Annual Meeting”

By: NDGGA – January 16, 2026

The Midwest Council on Agriculture (MWCA) recently held its Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., from December 16–18, 2026. MWCA brings together a multi-state coalition of farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, commodity groups, and agricultural lenders united by shared goals. The organization advocates for strong agricultural and economic policies that support the long-term sustainability of the Midwest’s agricultural industry.

(Continued...)
Read more on: NDGGA

David Ortega, Michigan State University

“States with Highest -and Lowest- Grocery bills in US”
By: Newsweek – January 29, 2026
“How Do Grocers Prepare for a Winter Storm and Have Enough to Restock?”
By: USA Today – January 23, 2026

Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology

“Why do Struggling Students Fail in School?”

By: Substack – January 26, 2206

“Struggling students fail in school because they lack motivation—this idea is so widespread that it often goes unquestioned. In this view, a child who doesn’t complete homework or performs poorly on exams is seen as uninterested, undisciplined, or simply not trying hard enough.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Substack

Joseph Balagtas, Purdue University

“Food Prices, Economic Strain Reshaped Grocery Shopping in 2025”

By: National Hog Farmer – January 21, 2026

“The majority of respondents, 82%, modified their shopping behaviors. The most common adjustments were seeking sales and discounts, switching to cheaper brands, and reducing nonessential purchases.”

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

James Mitchell, University of Arkansas

“Arkansas Expert Says Tyson Layoffs Indicative of Larger Beef Industry Issues”

By: 5 News Online – January 21, 2026

“When you have plants that are that large, that close or decrease in terms of how much they're going to operate, that impacts the entire beef cattle industry. So that's going to impact Arkansas, and that will impact, you know, the beef industry across the United States.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: 5 News Online

Hope Michelson, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Kathy Baylis, University of California, Santa Barbara
Chungmann Kim, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

“Global Measures Consistently Underestimate Food Insecurity; One in Five Who Suffer From Hunger May Go Uncounted”

By: Agriamerica -December 12, 2026

"Evaluating the accuracy of these analyses is difficult because IPC are trying to identify crises that are coming in the near term. If they are effective and the humanitarian community responds to their analyses, those crises will be averted or at least lessened. This means that if they are correct, they are in a sense always wrong,"

(Continued...)
Read more on: Agriamerica

Khashi Ghorbani, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

“How a Potential Antibiotics Ban Could Affect Apple Growers”

By: Environmental News Network – January 23, 2026

“The majority of antibiotics in plant agriculture are used on fire blight in pear and apple orchards. Growers face a dilemma, because they must treat their trees to protect them, but they run the risk of overusing the pesticides, so the disease develops resistance.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Environmental News Network

Kenneth Burdine, University of Kentucky

“Placements Decline, But Marketings Increase in Latest Cattle on Feed Report”

By: Brownfield News – January 26, 2026

“While it was expected, there’s a reason it is significant. We weren’t importing live cattle from Mexico in December 2024. It’s important to remember that we’re comparing that December 2025 placement number to a month in 2024 when we weren’t importing live cattle from Mexico.”

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

Bradley Lubben, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

“Calls About Financial Strain Are Increasing as Farmers Wait For Federal Assistance”

By: Nebraska Public Radio – January 27, 2026

“Although Nebraska’s net farm income was hitting near record highs, there was a major caveat within the data.When you try and disaggregate net farm income from the market, plus government payments, the government payments are a huge part of the move up in farm income this year.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Nebraska Public Radio

Zach Raff, North Carolina State University

“New USDA Report Explores the Economics of Precision Agriculture in Dairy Farming”

By: Morning Ag Clips - January 27, 2026

“These box robots, they cost around $200,000 a unit. So, if you’re putting those kinds of costs in the operation, people want to see that they’re profitable... Looking at dairy farms that have implemented robotic milking systemsm, the data shows a consistent increase in profitability.”

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

Member Blog: David Zilberman

2026-02-02T08:27:00.008-06:00

Understanding Paradigms in Science, Life, and Economics – Based on Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

I got a wonderful gift from Thomas Reardon, a volume of Thomas Kuhn’s classics. I should have read it before, but I didn’t, and reading it, I understood why it’s a “great” book. It presents a convincing conceptual framework, compelling narrative without excessive jargon, and presents interesting and clear examples. The book presents an original vantage point to understanding scientific progress. Rather than assuming that science advances through smooth accumulation of knowledge, it suggests convincingly that science advances through periodic revolutions that shake the scientific fields.

Paradigm is a key concept in Kuhn’s analysis. It is a shared framework that defines problems, methods, standards, and exemplars within a scientific community. Once a paradigm exists, most of the scientific work within this paradigm is part of normal science, where scientists solve “puzzles” rather than question fundamentals, refine measurements, extend applications, and articulate theory. Normal science is conservative by design; it aims at precision, not novelty. Over time, anomalies arise. They are empirical findings or conceptual problems that cannot be fully explained within the prevailing paradigm. For a while, these anomalies are ignored, explained away, or treated as measurement errors. But over time, when anomalies accumulate and become persistent, the field may enter a crisis, where confidence in the existing paradigm erodes, competing ideas emerge, and methodological and conceptual disputes intensify. This crisis may lead to a paradigm shift. This is a scientific revolution where a new paradigm replaces the old one. This change is discontinuous, as all the new paradigms may use different concepts, standards, and questions, and the choice between paradigms is influenced not only by data, but also by judgement, persuasion, and community dynamics. Classic examples of shifts are: in physics from Newton’s world to Einstein’s relativity, and the big shift in astronomy from traditional to Copernican.

With new paradigms, the same data can be interpreted differently, and standards of explanation vary, but there is a strong conviction that you’ll get closer to the truth. Every new paradigm has some holes and therefore, normal science tries to fill them. Paradigms generally tend to explain the range of issues that science can analyze and explain and increase the capabilities of scientific communities. Fascinatingly, Kuhn argues that scientific change is a social process sustained by scientific communities – and therefore persuasion is crucial for a scientific revolution that may take a long time. Education is crucial in establishing paradigms because textbooks that reflect paradigms train new generations of scientists. Frequently, marginal groups in scientific communities play a major role in introducing a new paradigm. Younger members of disciplines tend to be earlier adopters of new paradigms and subscribers to the older paradigm tend to either convert or die :-). Nevertheless, people may believe in and act according to concepts of multiple paradigms. For example, accepting Newtonian mechanics and Einstein relativity.

Religion is a paradigm

My perspective on religion comes from my familiarity with Judaism. Prior to the emergence of Judaism, there were multiple ancient religions in the Middle East believing in multiple specialized gods responsible for rain, wars, etc. The gods were part of nature and there were ritual activities including sacrifice to satisfy the gods. These religions have their own priesthoods and the religions and priesthoods were supposed to provide insurance (against droughts), healthcare, education, and political legitimacy, among others^[1]. Judaism provided a paradigm shift. It introduced the notion of a universal god, separating between gods and nature. It prescribed a moral law and rituals (Mitzvot), which are the core of religious life. Judaism has the equivalent of “normal science”, which is a continuous scholarly activity, refining and expanding the paradigms. It has a social structure (scholars, teachers, certifiers) that provides multiple services to its adherents.

While initially, Judaism was linked to Israel and the temple in Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple by the Romans, led to significant paradigm modifications where sacrifice was replaced with prayers and the religion became more global and can be practiced everywhere. Christianity, in my view, is a paradigm shift that retained monotheism and ethics, introducing Jesus as a mediator between God and humanity. It also emphasizes the role of faith vs. the pursuit of practices and emphasizes a pursuit of universal membership. Modern secularism is a paradigm shift compared to the monotheistic religions, but people can hold beliefs and practices associated with both. While with religion, outcomes are governed by the gods, in secularism it’s governed by impersonal laws and much of the content and beliefs are constructed by humans. While religious opinions and actions are governed by faith, tradition, and authority of the church; in secularism perspectives are based on science and evidence, and the truth is revisable. In secular systems, science replaced theology for explaining nature, secular law provides guidance and enforcement, and states replace churches for governance.

Religion and science are Incommensurable, namely, ask different questions, and use standards of evidence. Therefore, people should be able to subscribe to both in different aspects of life. One of Kuhn’s major contributions is the emphasis of the social aspect of the paradigm. Both religion and modernity lead to institutions, and organizations, and professionals that provide multiple services. They include centers of education, healing and welfare, some are competing, and some are cooperative. Conflicts among religions and modernity led to multiple conflicts. The Peace of Westphalia, initiated a process that ended religious war in Europe and ushered a separation and coexistence of state and church (at least in some countries). So, history, religion, and politics evolved, but Kuhn’s notion of paradigms is really crucial to understand them.

Technological Paradigms

The notion of paradigms is useful in explaining technological evolution and change. Technological paradigms can be viewed through the Kuhnian prism to understand how technological waves can change the problems that are being solved, provide new solutions, and lead to the establishment of skills, institutions, practices, and evolve into a supply chain.

The printing revolution in the 15^th-16^th century is a paradigm shift. Before, knowledge was transmitted by hand-copied manuscripts or orally, and literacy was scarce. After a long transition, printing allowed a mass reproduction of information, standardization of knowledge, and rapid diffusion of ideas and technologies. Similarly, the industrial revolution in the 18^th and 19^th century, was a shift from old paradigms that relied on artisan production, human and animal power, and localized manufacturing to industries that rely on mechanized production, fossil fuels, and factories and economies of scale. In the 19^th and 20^th century, electrification and mass production were significant paradigm shifts, and in the late 20^th century, we had digital computers and the information revolution. We are now in the midst of artificial intelligence and data-centric revolution, which are based on new learning systems and pattern recognition at scale, and probability decision-making. While we are aware of the occurring transition, we are less aware of its implications. Personally, I realized that if you cannot beat them, join them and this blog post was written with the assistance of AI. From my minimal experience with AI, I learned that you need to be very well-informed to produce useful prompts and to check the reliability of the results. I am also concerned about the capacity of humans and the future of employment in an AI world.

As an economist, I am particularly interested in the transition from a fossil-based, linear throughput economy to a circular one. In the prevailing paradigm, the central objective has been to maximize output efficiently, with environmental impacts treated largely as externalities. The emerging paradigm instead focuses on how to meet human needs and aspirations within planetary limits.

Under this framework, performance can no longer be evaluated solely by profits or GDP. Assessment must also account for life-cycle emissions, system resilience, and net present value at the whole-system level. The transition entails moving from fossil-based technologies to modular renewable energy systems, and from linear extraction and disposal to circular material flows.

This shift creates value in technologies for recovery, recycling, and reuse; in bio-based materials; and in designs that enable disassembly. It also points toward integrated bio-industrial systems and symbiotic innovation and product supply chains that jointly consider economic, environmental, and resilience attributes.

Such a paradigm shift requires a policy environment that de-risks innovation, coordinates infrastructure, and sets dynamic standards, while preserving space for entrepreneurship and experimentation.

The Evolution of Economics’ Paradigms

Economics’ paradigms have evolved in response to changing technologies, institutional complexity, and societal objectives. While early economic thought focused on markets and efficiency, successive paradigms progressively incorporated uncertainty, institutions, innovation, and governance.

Classical political economy, associated with Adam Smith and David Ricardo, focused on production, specialization, and long-run growth constrained by land and resources. Analysis emphasized aggregate outcomes rather than the mechanisms through which new technologies emerged and diffused.

The neoclassical paradigm associated Alfred Marshall shifted attention to marginal decision-making, prices, and allocative efficiency. It provided powerful tools for analyzing markets, but innovation remained largely exogenous, and economic success was evaluated primarily through static efficiency. This framework offered limited insight into technological change, scale-up, or long-run adaptation.

Major disruptions—the Great Depression and later stagflation—motivated macroeconomic paradigms centered on stabilization and expectations, most notably Keynesian and New Classical economics. While these approaches advanced understanding of business cycles and policy credibility, they did little to explain how innovation is generated, financed, and commercialized, or why many socially valuable technologies fail to scale.

From the late twentieth century onward, economics increasingly turned toward innovation and institutions. Economic growth theory, led by Robert Solow, Daron Acemoglu, Paul Romer and Philippe Aghion, made technological change central to growth and showed that incentives and policy shape innovation rates. Induced innovation models demonstrated that the direction of technological change responds to relative prices, scarcity, and regulation, an insight especially relevant for agriculture, energy, and environmental technologies.

At the same time, institutional and organizational economics expanded the analytical scope. Ronald Coase and Oliver Williamson explained how transaction costs, uncertainty, and asset specificity shape the governance of innovation, while David J. Teece showed why firm capabilities, complementary assets, and business models determine whether innovations capture value.

Another recent paradigm is behavioral economics. It represents it relaxes the neoclassical assumptions of fully rational, self-interested agents with stable preferences, replacing them with empirically grounded models of bounded rationality, heuristics, and systematic biases. It integrates insights from psychology and neuroscience, shifting economics from a purely deductive framework to one that is increasingly experimental and evidence-based. This paradigm explains persistent anomalies—such as under-saving, inertia, and loss aversion—that standard models cannot reconcile. As a result, it changes both positive analysis and policy design, justifying interventions like nudges that improve welfare without relying solely on prices or mandates. The transition among paradigms in economics is not stark and several coexist, yet over time, the new paradigms tend to be adopted.

From Micro and Macro Paradigms to a Supply-Chain Systems Perspective

The evolution of economic paradigms can be interpreted not only as a sequence of intellectual shifts, but also as a growing recognition of the limits of narrow analytical lenses. A useful distinction is between macro paradigms, which focus on aggregate outcomes such as growth, employment, and inflation, and micro paradigms, which focus on individual decision-making, market interactions, and price formation. Much of modern economics has been built on micro paradigms that abstract from the physical world and treat economic performance as emerging from a relatively small set of transactions, prices, and equilibrium conditions.

Traditional neoclassical microeconomics, and many of its extensions, rely on simplified representations of production and consumption in which technologies are summarized by production functions and environmental feedbacks are largely ignored. Even when uncertainty and expectations are introduced, as in rational expectations or information economics, the physical transformation of materials, energy, and biological resources remains peripheral. Behavioral economics has enriched this framework by relaxing assumptions of full rationality, introducing bounded rationality, heuristics, norms, and biases. While behavioral insights improve predictions of individual and market behavior, they often remain disconnected from the biophysical systems in which economic activity is embedded.

In contrast, macro paradigms—Keynesian, growth, and institutional approaches—have focused on aggregate dynamics, long-run development, and systemic constraints. Yet these paradigms also tend to treat technology and production structures in highly aggregated ways, limiting their ability to address coordination failures, scale-up bottlenecks, and sustainability challenges that arise at intermediate levels of organization.

This course advances a different perspective, one that is more closely aligned with real-world economic and environmental systems. We argue that economies are better understood as networks of multiple, symbiotic supply chains—both of innovation and of production—that transform raw materials through successive stages of discovery, development, processing, distribution, and consumption. These multistage supply chains explicitly incorporate biophysical constraints, behavioral responses, and institutional arrangements, and they generate not only valued goods and services but also residues that are sources of pollution and environmental stress. Forever, more than 90% of innovations don’t end up as commercial products and innovation and product supply chain are subject to random shocks and uncertainties that have to be considered as we analyze them.

Viewing economic systems through this lens allows economists to better explain past patterns of technological change, anticipate future transitions, and design effective policy interventions. In particular, it provides a way to address classic chicken-and-egg and coordination problems—where valuable feedstock are not developed because there is no infrastructure to utilize them. Such problems arise in sustainable energy, bioeconomy development, and circular material systems—where prices alone fail to induce efficient outcomes. By embedding economic behavior within interconnected innovation and product supply chains, this paradigm offers a more realistic and policy-relevant foundation for analyzing economic performance in a world facing tight environmental constraints and rapidly evolving societal demands.

Conclusion

The Kuhnian paradigm perspective provides a powerful framework for assessing the evolution of human thought and action systems, including science, religion, technology, and economics. History reveals recurrent revolutionary patterns in which established ways of thinking and doing are fundamentally transformed, often accompanied by profound social and organizational change.

Kuhn provides a powerful lens for understanding the evolution of economic thought and practice. Periods of “normal economics,” in which analysis focuses on marginal adjustments within established frameworks, are periodically disrupted by deeper transformations driven by technological change, social pressures, and binding biophysical constraints. Today’s transition from a fossil-based, linear throughput [רפ4] economy toward a circular and bio-based system reflects such a moment of paradigm change. Traditional economic metrics and analytical tools—centered narrowly on prices, profits, and aggregate output—are increasingly insufficient for guiding decision-making in a world facing climate change, biodiversity loss, and heightened demands for resilience and equity.

Viewing economic systems through this broader paradigm enables economists to better explain historical patterns of technological change, anticipate future transitions, and design more effective policy interventions. In particular, it highlights the critical role of government initiatives—often characterized as industrial policies—including investments in research and development, physical infrastructure, workforce training, and, in some cases, targeted subsidies. These interventions do not replace markets; rather, they enable markets to function by empowering the private sector, overcoming classic coordination failures and chicken-and-egg problems, and accelerating the emergence of new technologies and supply chains. Such challenges are especially acute in domains such as sustainable energy, bioeconomy development, and circular material systems, where price signals alone frequently fail to induce socially efficient outcomes.

Embedding economic behavior within interconnected innovation and product supply chains offers a more realistic and policy-relevant analytical foundation. This perspective explicitly links discovery, development, scale-up, and diffusion to material flows, environmental externalities, and behavioral responses. It also clarifies how economic and biophysical systems co-evolve, producing both valued goods and unavoidable residues that must be managed. By integrating these dimensions, the emerging paradigm moves economics closer to the physical world it seeks to explain and influence.

Ultimately, ideas originating in agricultural, environmental, and resource economics—fields long considered peripheral—are now central to shaping this transition. Their multidisciplinary orientation and sustained engagement with climate change, food security, and biodiversity preservation position them to contribute to a new economic paradigm. If successfully translated into policy and institutional change, this paradigm has the potential not only to enhance sustainable development but also to support greater global stability, cooperation, and harmony.

Members in the News: January 26, 2026

2026-01-26T09:11:00.001-06:00

Farzana Shirin, University of Calgary

“China Deal Eases Pressure, But Research Indicates Canadian Canola Market Still at Risk”
By: CBC Saskatchewan – January 20, 2026
“Canadian Cannola Remains at Risk Despite China Deal”
By: CTV – January 1, 2026
“Despite Deal With China, Canadian Canola Remains at Risk to External Forces: Report”
By: MSN – January 20, 2026

Jeffrey Dorfman, North Carolina State University

“Report Warns Tariffs Could Cost NC Farms $700M, 8,000 Jobs”

By: WBT – January 13, 2026

“If exports were to fall, that would leave more supply in the American domestic market, which would mean lower prices for all producers of affected commodities, whether their commodities are exported or not.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: WBT or the Carolina Journal

William Ridley, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

“US Ag Exports Drop In Asia, But Increase In The Western Hemisphere”

By: Farms.com – January 15, 2026

“For most of recent history, the U.S. was a net agricultural exporter. But in the last couple of years, that has reversed, and what used to be a persistent surplus has turned into a persistent and growing deficit, where we’re importing much more than we export.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Farms.com

Chad Hart, Iowa State University

“US Farm Economy Shows Widening Cracks as Costs Rise, Jobs Vanish”

By: Reuters – January 15, 2026

"It's very similar to last year, in that there really isn't a crop you can point to and go, 'There's a profit opportunity'. Everything ‌is underwater right now."

(Continued...)
Read more on: Reuters

Brian Roe, The Ohio State University

“Got a Bunch of Holiday Leftovers? Study Shows How Freezing Food Could Reduce Food Waste”
By: Spectrum - December 26, 2025
“Food Brands, Facing Volatility, Rethink R&D”
By: Financialized - January 7, 2026
“GLP-1 Users Lose Weight, and Their Taste for Meat”
By: Sentient Media – January 8, 2026

Gabriel Lade, The Ohio State University

“Ohio Property Tax Reforms: An (Initial) View”

By: Ohio Country Journal - January 15, 2026

“The Ohio legislature recently passed four bills aimed at providing property tax “relief” to Ohioans. My big takeaway? These bills do little about current property tax, but have potentially large implications for future property taxes, and consequently, local government budgets”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Ohio Country Journal

Ian Sheldon, The Ohio State University

“China Meets Initial Soybean Purchase Commitment; Economist Warns Uncertainty Could Continue to Weigh on U.S. Soybean Farmers”

By: Brownfield – January 21, 2026

“Unsold export volume could continue to impact prices throughout 2026. That’s still going to be downward pressure on the prices that U.S. farmers receive at the farm gate. Those soybeans have to go somewhere on the world market. It’s probably going to push prices down going into planting and into the next harvest.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Brownfield

Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology

“Net-Zero or Clean Air? India’s Climate Challenge Is About Timing, Not Tradeoffs”
By: Basis Point Insight – January 22, 2026
“Climate Converse, Ep 03: Economics of Pollutions in India with Pf. Amit Batabyal”
By: Climate Converse – January 23, 2026

David Ortega, Michigan State University

“MAHA’s Dietary Guidelines Prioritizing Red Meat and Dairy is the K-Shaped Economy in Action, Economist Warns: There’s Certainly Affordability Issues”
By: Fortune - January 22, 2026
“Grocery Price Inflation is Picking Up, Defying Trump’s Claims. Here’s Why”
By: ABC News – January 20, 2026

Steven Deller, University of Wisconsin-Madison

“Wisconsin Has its Fewest Dairy Herds in Decades — And About the Same Number of Cows”

By: WPR - Janaury 19, 2026

“Consolidation continues to be the biggest factor shaping the number of farms in the state. The high costs farmers face to produce milk continues to make it difficult for small and mid-size farms to be profitable. That’s compounded by the fact that the average age of farmers in the state continues to grow older… If you’re in your mid-60s, it just doesn’t make sense to be operating a dairy farm with 150 cows.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: WPR

Nicole Karwowski, Montana State University

“Water Rule Rollback Stokes Affordability Concerns”

By: E&E News – January 20, 2026

“They found that for a large public water provider serving at least 100,000 people, a single acre of wetlands could yield $200 on average in avoided annual drinking water treatment costs. Wetlands serve as a nature-based solution to water pollution in areas that deal with nutrient issues. Restoring one wetland in a subwatershed has the potential to reduce ammonia levels by 8% — this leads to significant welfare benefits to local surrounding communities.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: E&E News

Cory Walters, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Chad Hart, Iowa State University

“China Meets Initial Soybean Purchase Goal, But Trump’s Shifting Trade Policy Could Disrupt Deal”

By: Yahoo! Finance – January 20, 2026

“That and uncertainty about trade markets and how much farmers will receive for their crops has even some of the most optimistic farmers worried. Soybean prices jumped up above $11.50 per bushel after the agreement was announced, but the price has since fallen to about $10.56 per bushel on Tuesday. So prices are close to where they were a year ago and aren’t high enough to cover most farmers’ costs.”

“The administration’s trade policy continues to change quickly, that could undermine the trade agreement with China and jeopardize the commitment by the world’s largest soybean buyer to purchase 25 million metric tons of American soybeans in each of the next three years.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Yahoo! Finance

Members in the News: January 19, 2026

2026-01-19T09:38:00.004-06:00

Ian Sheldon, The Ohio State University

“Report: Trade War with China Contributes to $76.2M Less in Ohio Farm Exports”
By: NBC4 - January 2, 2026
“Economist Says Ag Trade Deficit Remains a Concern in 2026 Despite Latest USDA Report”
By: Brownfield - December 29, 2025

Margaret Jodlowski, The Ohio State University

“Lack of Labor Certainty Could Threaten the Stability of the Dairy Industry”
By: Brownfield - January 2, 2026
“Changes Coming to H-2A Guestworker Program Could Lower Wage Rates for Farmers in 2026”
By: Brownfield - December 31, 2025
“Ohio Ag Net Podcast”
By: Ohio Ag Net - December 22, 2025

Seungki Lee, The Ohio State University

“The Long Haul: Inside the Life of a Harvest Truck Driver”

By: KWQC 5 - December 23, 2025

“Corn has multiple uses domestically. The number one and number 2 factors are feed livestock and ethanol. The third largest one is actually export.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: KWQC 5

Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology

“How Caste and Soil Texture Skew Consumption Within Indian Households”
By: Basis Point – January 14, 2026
“Does Telling Students to Exercise Help Them Academically?”
By: Rochester Beacon – January 13, 2026

Richard Volpe, California Polytechnic State University

“Despite Trump’s Claims, Grocery Prices Are Rising”

By: New York Times - January 13, 2026

“It’s not that panic bells should be ringing or we’re seeing the same sort of jump in inflation that we did in 2021 and 2022. This does, however, hammer home the point that when the current administration claims that grocery prices are down, that is, of course, not correct.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: New York Times

Michael Deliberto, Louisiana State University

“Trump Aims Bumper Aid at US Rice Farmers Facing Bleakest Outlook”

By: Farm Progress – January 7, 2026

“We’ve seen a lot of foreign rice start to infiltrate our core markets in Latin America and in Mexico. That includes countries in Asia where government policies help lower the price of the commodity.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Farm Progress

Grant Gardner, University of Kentucky
Seth Meyer, University of Missouri

“Economists Forecast Farm Economy to Stabilize, But High Costs and Policy Uncertainty Block a 2026 Rebound”

By: Ag Web – January 7, 2025

“I think as we move into kind of this next marketing year, you’re looking at what looks like a breakeven and not a loss, but breakeven still doesn’t look great after three years of breakeven or losses.”

“Momentum has improved since mid-2025. but tight margins have been with us for a long time. Turning that around requires demand growth, not just price stabilization.”

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

Chad Hart, Iowa State University
Nick Paulson, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

“Farmers Are in Line For Billions of Bailout Money. Will It Be Enough to Offset Losses?”

By: Nebraska Public Media – January 9, 2026

“Even though there's been a lot of discussion of deals with China, and we have seen some sales coming in … soybean trade is still lagging behind where it usually is,”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Nebraska Public Media

David Ortega, Michigan State University
Joseph Balagtas, Purdue University

“We Went Shopping for the $3 Dinner—and Actually Found It”

By: Wall Street Journal – January 16, 2026

“The government estimates don’t always fully consider variables—such as where you live and how much time you have to shop and prepare food—which make the best-case scenario less feasible for lower-income households. It’s very abstract. It doesn’t necessarily translate very well into reality.”

“The new dietary guidelines still allows for an affordable diet, even though the USDA is recommending more protein and relatively expensive foods such as steak, salmon and avocado. But there are also relatively inexpensive alternatives.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Wall Street Journal

David Ortega, Michigan State University

· “Trump Policies Hit Michigan Unevenly: Real-Life Impact on Residents”
By: Detroit Free Press - January 16, 2026

· “11 Products Getting More Expensive in 2026”
By: AARP – January 16, 2026

· “Beef Spotlighted in US Food Guidelines Is Pricier Than EverBy: By: Bloomberg – January 13, 2026

David Ortega, Michigan State University
William Masters, Tufts University

“MAHA Says Its New Food Pyramid is Affordable and Healthy. We Asked”

By: STAT News – January 13, 2026

“Food prices are up 27% compared to five years ago, putting many Americans strolling the aisles of their local grocery stores into a permanent state of sticker shock. Forces including the Covid-19 pandemic, bird flu, droughts, tariffs, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and flesh-eating screwworms, among others, have all combined to increase the cost of beef, eggs, and other sundries.”

“Prices today aren’t rising as much as they were. But economists don’t expect grocery bills to go back to pre-pandemic levels, since generally, the prices consumers pay aren’t out of line with the costs of production. They’re expensive because labor, rent, and [other costs] are expensive.”

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

Ruohao Zhang, Pennsylvania State University

“Climate Watch: New Solar Projects and More Climate News From Around Pennsylvania”

By: Central Daily – January 9, 2026

“Coal-fired power plants emitted more particulate matter than normal during the 35-day federal government shutdown in 2018-19. This increase may be caused by the temporary reduction of efforts from the power plants to limit pollution”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Central Daily

Courtney Bir, Oklahoma State University
Andrew Wright, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Rodney Jones, Oklahoma State University

“Financial Conditions Set to Improve in 2026, at Least For Some”

By: Farm Progress – January 12, 2026

“After two years of declining net farm incomes, farm profits are expected to bounce back in 2025, reaching levels close to the record set in 2022. While this is undoubtedly positive news for the overall farm economy, a closer look at the data reveals a different story for crop commodities than for livestock.”

(Continued...)
Read more on: Farm Progress