Farm Foundation names 2024 Agricultural Scholars

Farm Foundation has announced its 2024 Agricultural Scholars recipients. The annual program is sponsored in partnership with the USDA’s Economic Research Service, according to a news release.

Twenty applied economics or agricultural economics graduate students were selected to join the program for inspiration and training in agricultural policy, commodity market analysis, agricultural finance and other applied fields. This is the fifth cohort since the program began in 2020, the release said.

The program includes events and projects conducted throughout the year, including a mentorship with an ERS senior analyst, a research project and participation in ag-focused forums and meetings, such as the USDA Ag Outlook Forum, AAEA’s Annual Meeting, and Farm Foundation Round Table meetings.

“This is just an incredible group of students,” Jenna Wicks, program manager, said in the release. “Thanks to ERS’ continued generous partnership we are able to create a year of landmark opportunities for these program participants which will set them on rare footing as they enter their careers.”

The 2024 Agricultural Scholars are:

• Kristiina Ala-Kokko, Kansas State University — A Ph.D. student in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University, her research focuses on issues related to agricultural production and policy, particularly seed technology adoption, conservation agriculture and climate change. 
• Ian Bennett, University of Florida — A master’s student in the University of Florida’s Food and Resource Economics Department, Bennett’s research interests are sustainability, livestock, genetics and the connections between agriculture and health care.
• Courtney Cooper, University of Arkansas — A second-year environmental dynamics Ph.D. student at the University of Arkansas, with research specializing in local and regional food systems, primarily focusing on the Mississippi Delta region.
• Elizabeth Crespi, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health — A Ph.D. student and Center for a Livable Future Lerner Fellow at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School for Public Health, Crespi’s focus is on understanding how to support farmers in adopting sustainable agricultural practices.
• Andre De Souza Coelho, University of the District of Columbia — A Ph.D. student in urban leadership and entrepreneurship, a researcher, and adjunct faculty at the University of the District of Columbia, Coelho studies structural economics using input-output analysis to evaluate sustainable strategies, technologies and policy implementation, now specifically investigating food systems. 
• Suhina Deol, Washington State University — An economics Ph.D. candidate at Washington State University specializing in agricultural economics and econometrics, one of Deol’s papers examines psychological ownership effects and nonpecuniary returns to farming on water markets.
• Aisling Hagan, University of Tennessee — A first-year master’s student in agricultural and resource economics at the University of Tennessee, Hagan’s research focuses on food loss and waste reduction at the consumer-grocery retailer interface. 
• Rachel Judd, Texas A&M University — Pursuing a doctorate in agricultural economics at Texas A&M University, Judd’s research interests focus on water quality and availability in both agricultural and urban contexts.
• Clare McGrady, Michigan State University — A second-year master’s student in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University, McGrady’s thesis project explores the role of sanitary and phytosanitary measures on trade balances in East Africa and the implications on producer welfare.
• William McWilliams, Virginia Tech University — A doctoral student in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech University, McWilliams’ current research is focused on evaluating and improving the performance of current methods for forecasting food price inflation.
• Matthew Melchor, Kansas State University — An M.S. student in agricultural economics at Kansas State University, Melchor’s research focuses on production livestock and animal health economics, understanding how they can be influenced by policy decisions and government regulations. 
• Logan Moss, University of Arkansas — Pursuing an M.S. in agricultural economics with a research focus on agribusiness marketing and policy, Moss is passionate about advocating for producers and creating a more innovative and inclusive agrifood industry.
• Mya Price, University of the District of Columbia — The director of the Food Security Equity Impact Fund at Feeding America, Price is pursuing her Ph.D. in urban leadership and entrepreneurship from the University of the District of Columbia with a focus on urban government and political leadership.
• Nicholas Reynolds, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University — A graduate student and research assistant studying agribusiness at Florida A&M University.
• Olivia Richard, San Diego State University — In her first year of the M.A. in economics program at San Diego State University, Richard’s future goals involve a career as an economist pursuing research and policy analysis for federal agencies, NGOs or policy-oriented nonprofits.
• John Robinson, North Carolina State University — A fourth-year Ph.D. student in agricultural economics and Koch Foundation Fellow at North Carolina State University, Robinson’s areas of interest include grain marketing, risk management and price analysis.
• Lorin Rudin-Rush, University of Wisconsin, Madison — In his first year as a Ph.D. student in agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin, Rudin-Rush’s master’s research focused on food security and the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa.
• Tyler Treakle, Arizona State University — A Ph.D. student in sustainability at Arizona State University, Treakle is interested in studying trade-offs and interactions between species conservation and agricultural productivity using econometric and bio-economic modeling approaches.
• Rebecca Weir, University of Minnesota — In her third year of the applied economics Ph.D. program at the University of Minnesota, Weir’s current research projects include analyzing county-level impacts from livestock consolidation in Minnesota and analyzing the impact of a collaborative on-farm advisory team on dairy farm profitability for Minnesota dairy farms.
• Katherine Westerman, University of Rhode Island — A master’s student in environmental and natural resource economics at the University of Rhode Island, Westerman’s research interests include regenerative agriculture and sustainable farm management to aid the diversification of farm products and the use of machine learning as a tool to assess agricultural policy effectiveness.

More information about each of the 2024 Agricultural Scholars and the program is available at the Farm Foundation website.