Keeping Track
March 2011
Calendar of Events:
March 7 |
Second Eight-Week courses begin |
Congratulations and Names in the News:
Marshall A. Martin was presented with the 2010 Crop and Soils Merit Award by the Indiana Crop Improvement Association in recognition of outstanding contributions to agriculture and the seed industry on February 10, 2011 at the Corn Belt Seed Conference in Indianapolis.
Raymond Florax was appointed fellow of the Tinbergen Institute (TI). The Tinbergen Institute is a top graduate school and research institute in economics and finance, located in Amsterdam and Rotterdam in The Netherlands. Ranked as an economics department TI occupies the first place in Europe and ranks 15 worldwide - just behind UCLA and well ahead of Wisconsin and Brown.
Julia Beckhusen, Brigitte Waldorf, Raymond Florax (all from the Dept. of Agricultural Economics) and Thomas de Graaff (from the VU University Amsterdam) published a study on language acquisition among immigrants to the US. They find that whether immigrants to the United States are motivated to learn English depends on a variety of conditions, such as where they will live, how educated they are and whether they need to know the language for their job. The press release is available at:
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110223WaldorfEnglish.html
and includes a reference to the original article published in "Regional Science: Policy and Practice"
Dr. Paavo Makinen, Deputy Head, European Commission Representation in Finland, Helsinki, Finland will be hosted by the Department as a 2011 Distinguished Agriculture Alumni.
Departmental activities: The Department of Agricultural Economics will be hosting Dr. Makinen during the morning and early afternoon.
College-level activities: The College will host a reception on Friday afternoon beginning at 2:30 pm in the West Faculty Lounge located in the Purdue Memorial Union. The awards convocation will begin at 3:30 pm at Fowler Hall in Stewart Center...
Wally Tyner received a Certificate of Appreciation from USDA for his work on the Indianapolis Biofuels Outreach Forum in December 2010.
Outstanding New Professional: Andrew Oppy, agricultural economics
In less than three years, Andy Oppy has shown enough talent, drive and helpfulness to fulfill his advising duties -- and two additional roles. Building on his Purdue experiences when he was earning his Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural sales and marketing, he brings a keen awareness of what students face.
"Academic advising plays to my strengths," Oppy says. "My reward is based on other people's success." He has taken that viewpoint into assisting two organizations, as adviser to the Agribusiness Club and co-adviser to the Agricultural Economics Envoys. Further, he teaches the department's freshman orientation course. "Our department has a mentoring program, and it's very rewarding to help freshmen become acclimated to the university setting, begin creating academic and career goals, and be successful at one of the best universities available," he says.
One student who didn't make a smooth start wrote, "He helped me fit classes into my schedule, find my major, and direct my life." Of students with difficulties, Oppy says, "Rarely is it lack of ability. They just encounter roadblocks. A lot of the advising is course selection, a good course schedule, and a work schedule that fits."
He says he appreciates the great guidance of peers and leaders in his department, adding, "It's allowed me to do some pretty neat things." The awardees' names will be added to the plaques for their respective awards.
AGEC Undergraduates Win National Pork Producers Scholarships: Congratulation to Sarah Jordan, Lynsee Shaffer and Courtney Smith.
News from AGEC Graduate Students:
Dr. Thomas V. Greer, of Univ. of Tennessee at Martin, former associate professor of agribusiness, died April 2, 2010 at Volunteer Community Hospital in Martin. He was 63. Greer joined the UT Martin faculty in 1993 after serving as a Department of Agricultural Economics research assistant at Purdue University. Prior to that, he was director of sugar and corn analysis for Connell Commodities, a subsidiary of Connell Rice and Sugar Corporation, Westfield, N.J. He also was a commodity/industry analyst with the Agriculture Division of the U.S. International Trade Commission, Washington, D.C. He received Bachelor of Arts and master of science degrees at the University of Nebraska and a doctorate in agricultural economics at Purdue University. He also served in the U.S. Army.
News from the Indiana Council for Economic Education:
ICEE continues to promote economics and business concepts through the use of a puppet, Herschel. See www.kidseconposters.com/herschel.html. ICEE produced its first Herschel DVD three years ago and has secured a contribution from Teachers Credit Union to produce another DVD, this time on more advanced concepts such as supply and demand, interdependence, competition, and productivity. ICEE has also developed 12 inch puppets of the original, larger Herschel puppet. These smaller puppets will be used in teaching activities that follow the students’ viewing of the DVD lessons.
ICEE will take part in Phase III of a Personal Financial Responsibility program supported by the Council for Economic Education (CEE) and Chase. Jeff Sanson took the leading role in Phase II by developing an extensive online training module on key concepts of financial literacy. Jeff will also take the leading role in Phase III, which will involve training and implementation of curriculum in two Indianapolis school corporations – MSD Pike Township and MSD Perry Township.
Harlan Day traveled to Charlotte in late February to report on the national task force he is co-chairing on redefining the affiliation process for Centers and Councils affiliated with the Council for Economic Education. Harlan is also chairing another national task force that is overseeing different “Swat teams” that are working on strategic issues facing the CEE national network.
As announced in a recent faculty meeting, Harlan Day will be stepping down as Executive Director of ICEE on November 30, 2011. Dr. Foster and the search committee are now seeking qualified candidates to apply.
News from Center for Commercial Agriculture:
The Center for Commercial Agriculture hosted its first live web event on January 10, 2011. The webinar was a roundtable discussion on the topic of Land Values. Over 375 farmers, land-owners, realtors and other interested parties registered for the event. Faculty involved in the discussion was: Mike Boehlje, Craig Dobbins, Brent Gloy and Chris Hurt. The webinar was facilitated by Bruce Erickson. There is a white paper written on the topic and 4 mini-presentations that can be found on the Center for Commercial Agriculture website along with the archived version of the webinar.
http://www.agecon.purdue.edu/commercialag/progevents/landvalueswebinar.html
News from Center for Food and Agricultural Business:
Center Partners with Land O’ Lakes to LEAP Again
More than 30 professionals from the Land O’Lakes Inc. cooperative system came to Purdue on February 15-17 to kick off the second offering of the Land O'Lakes Executive Agribusiness Program (LEAP). Using a blend of residencies and distance education, the year-long program will equip participants for the responsibilities that come with top management positions. It also strengthens and deepens Land O'Lakes' relationships with its cooperatives and helps them to maximize their members' businesses.
Land O’Lakes CEO Chris Policinski welcomed participants to the program, and Karen Grabow, senior vice president of business development services and government relations, was also in attendance. Department of Agricultural Economics faculty members Allan Gray, Mike Boehlje and Scott Downey, as well as Doug Austrom from IUPUI, delivered sessions on strategic management, marketing, financial analysis, cash flow management and leadership.
Center Hosts Farm Credit Services Alumni Program in Louisville
Traveling to the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky, the center hosted the 10th Annual Farm Credit Services Executive Institute for Commercial Producers (EICP) alumni program. Twenty-two commercial producers attended the seminar, which featured sessions delivered by agricultural economics faculty members Craig Dobbins, Bruce Erickson, Chris Hurt, Allan Gray and Nicole Olynk. Key topics included drivers of change, crop budgets and land values, structuring decisions in turbulent times and the outlook for the agricultural industry in 2011. The center delivered the original EICP workshop in 2001 and has continued to provide an educational alumni program each year, which allows the producers to reconnect.
Seed Industry Professionals Attend 24th ASTA Management Academy
The 24th ASTA Management Academy, the center’s longest-running program, will take place February 28-March 4 at the Krannert Center for Executive Education. During the week, participants will thoroughly examine the seed industry, exploring topics like the fundamentals of financial management, creating and communicating value through sales and marketing, organizational leadership, effective supply chain management and laying the groundwork of business strategy. Other topics include the issue of feeding a growing world, thinking strategically and acting intentionally, and the drivers of change in agriculture and their implications for the seed industry.
ASTA Chairman John Nelsen will serve as the executive speaker for the program, and Department of Agricultural Economics faculty members Phil Abbott, Freddie Barnard, Mike Boehlje, Larry DeBoer, Otto Doering, Frank Dooley, Scott Downey, Allan Gray, Tom Hertel and Wally Tyner will also deliver sessions. Other speakers include Larry Lad, associate professor of management at Butler University, and Pete Hammett, managing director at Navigating Talent Sustainability.
MS-MBA Program Prepares to Visit Argentina
Professors Allan Gray and Marshall Martin are working with Program Manager Luanna DeMay to prepare for the MS-MBA in Food and Agribusiness program’s upcoming weeklong international residency to Argentina, for which students and faculty will depart in May. So far, the group has planned to visit three vineyards that differ in size and structure in order to compare their business models. They have also scheduled visits to an olive processing plant, the Palladini meat packing plant, the Louis Dreyfuss soybean crushing plant and the Rosario Board of Trade. Students will also make a trip to the University of Austral to visit with the school’s agribusiness master’s students.
The residency in Argentina is designed to expose students to the international business climate, allowing them to think broadly about the diverse factors that drive agribusiness in other countries.
Travel, Speeches, Presented Papers:
Joe Balagtas will present his paper (co-authored with Metin Cakir), “Estimating Market Power of U.S. Dairy Cooperatives in the Fluid Milk Market,” in the Department of Agricultural Economics Seminar Series at the University of Nebraska, March 11, 2011.
Hertel, T., W., based on work with Alla Golub and Ben Henderson, “The Effects of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Policies on Global Agriculture and Food Security”, presented to the Workshop on CGE Analysis, Waikato University, Hamilton, New Zealand, February 2, 2011.
Hertel, T., W. (2011) “Assessing the Extensive Margin: The Supply and Demand for Global Cropland in 2050”, Distinguished Fellows Address, presented to the Annual Meetings of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, Melbourne, Australia, February 11, 2011.
J. Lowenberg-DeBoer, “Economics of Remote and Direct Sensing in Agriculture,” presentation at Agri-Sensing 2011, Haifa, Israel, Feb. 22, 2011.
Kevin T McNamara made a presentation on Trade Development and the Afghan Agricultural Market Potential at a USDA sponsored Conference on Agricultural Products Trade Development with Afghanistan, January 26-29, 2011 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Kevin t McNamara gave a presentation on Purdue Engagement in Afghanistan in Washington D.C. February 22, 2011 at a U.S. Agricultural Partners Meeting sponsored by USDA, APLU, and BIFAD.
Kwamena Quagrainie will be attending Aquaculture America 2011 National Conference & Exposition in New Orleans, LA from Feb 28 – Mar 4.
Juan Sesmero presented two papers at the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, Feb. 8-11, In Melbourne, Australia:
- Economic and Marketing Efficiency Among Corn Ethanol Plants (I am first author and the paper is co-authored by Richard Perrin and Lilyan Fulginiti, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
- Sustainability of Corn Stover Use for Biomass
Publications:
Birch, M.B.L., B.M. Gramig, W.R. Moomaw, O.C. Doering, C.J. Reeling. "Why Metrics Matter: Evaluating Policy Choices for Reactive Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed". Environmental Science and Technology, 45(1): 168-174, 2011.
John M Connor, Cartel Fines and Illegal Gains by Cartels, paper presented at "Public and Private Enforcement of Competition Law -- Legal and Economic Perspectives," conference sponsored by ZEW Centre for European Economic Research, University of Mannheim, Germany, March 10-11, 2011.
Ahmed, S.A., T.W. Hertel, and T.L. Walmsley (2011) “Outsourcing and the US Labour Market”, World Economy 34(2):173-329, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9701.2010.01297.x/pdf.
Internship Opportunities:
http://www.federalreserve.gov/careers/intern_research.htm
http://www.fsdinternational.org/intlopps/programs/internships1
http://www.fcnl.org/young/intern.htm
http://www.uschamber.com/careers/internships/default
http://www.unausa.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKRI8MPJpF&b=317257
Job Announcements:
University of Wisconsin at River Falls: Assistant professor Agricultural Business
Mississippi State University: Assistant Professor, Natural Resource & Environmental Economics
California Polytechnic State University: Assistant Professor in Agribusiness
Kansas State University: Assist Prof – natural resources – extension and research
University of Hawaii at Manoa: Assist Prof of Agroecosystems and Natural Resources
University of Idaho: Assist Prof Ecosystem Services Economics
Career and Job Sites on the Internet:
| Purdue | http://www.purdue.edu/jobs |
| AAEA Job Posting | http://www.aaea.org/classifieds/ |
| Academic Employment Network | http://www.academploy.com/ |
| Academic Position Network | http://www.apnjobs.com/ |
| Agriculture Career Connection | http://www.ag-biz.com/ |
| Community Colleges, misc | http//www.aacc.nche.edu/ |
| Chronicle of Higher Education | http://chronicle.com/jobs/ |
| Congressional Budget Office | http://www.cbo.gov |
| Education Jobs Page | http://www.nationjob.com/education |
| Employment/Resume Posting | http://galaxy.einet.net/GJ/employment.html |
| EPA | http://jobs.quickhire.com/scripts/epa.exe |
| Foreign Ag Service | http://www.fao.org/VA/vac_en.htm |
| Government Career | http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ |
| National Job Bank | http://www.jobs.joe.org |
| USDA, Ag Research Service | http://www.ars.usda.gov/careers/docs.htm?docid=11797 |
For further information, see the Job Posting File in Room 651
Contact Lou Ann Baugh concerning information to be included in future issues of KT
Keeping Track Monthly Newsletter Archive