C-FARE Update
Calls for Nominations
C-FARE-AAEA Call for Nominations for the 2015 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize
The Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics would like to invite nominations from the profession for the 2015 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize. The prize recognizes policymakers and public intellectuals whose work has advanced the public good. The individual must be willing to accept the prize in person at the event held in DC in May 2015, with an acceptance speech. The Council encourages members of the agricultural and applied economics profession to submit names, contact information, and a short three sentence summary of nomination for individuals who may be competitive for the prize. Please submit your suggestions to info@cfare.org for nominations by August 21 at the very latest.
C-FARE Blue Ribbon Expert Panel Member and Chair Nominations
The Council seeks nominations of experts willing to serve on all of the panels, but specifically the: 1) climate change, 2) natural resources and environmental issues, and 3) global competitiveness and profitability of agriculture panels. You may submit your nomination online or to a C-FARE Board Member or Blue Ribbon Expert Panel Member.
Chair openings are available for the 1) climate change, 2) natural resources and environmental issues, 3) consumer concerns, and 4) development panels. Please contact Caron Gala at cgala@cfare.org if you are interested in being a panel chair. Please see a draft work plan for the 2014-2015 year here.
C-FARE-AAEA Nominee Selected to Serve on the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR)
Earlier this year, USDA and the National Academies of Science solicited nominations for individuals to serve on the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR). C-FARE, in cooperation with the AAEA, submitted the nomination of Dr. Mark Keenum of the Mississippi State University (MSU). On July 23, C-FARE was informed that Dr. Keenum was unanimously selected by the five ex-officio board members to serve on the FFAR Board of Directors. Please see press coverage here: Farm Press, Sun Herald, and MSU. Dr. Keenum has a PhD in agricultural economics from MSU. C-FARE and AAEA also proudly submitted nominations for Drs. Steven Buccola, Stephan Goetz, Robert King, and Laurian Unnevehr.
2014 Farm Bill Rule Implementation
The USDA's farm bill implementation team webpage lists progress on rulemaking and public comment solicitation/stakeholder input. The progress made to-date includes updates to risk management tools, modifications to farm loan programs, announcements regarding available funds for agricultural research, disaster relief to farmers and ranchers and much more.
Blue Ribbon Expert Panel Corner
The Blue Ribbon Expert Panel – Grand Challenges Project
At the 2014 AAEA Annual Meeting, the C-FARE Blue Ribbon Expert Panel Members discussed the development of a “Grand Challenges” project for the agricultural and applied economics sciences. The aim of the project would be to frame the role of the agricultural and applied economics profession in addressing the societal grand challenges that drive federal investment and public-private partnerships. The event, which marked an early starting point for the project, included a short presentation on grand challenges. Several special guests, including USDA Economic Research Service Administrator, Dr. Mary Bohman; AAEA Past-President, Dr. Julie Caswell; and USDA NIFA National Program Leader, Dr. Robbin Shoemaker discussed USDA priorities and the value of ‘communicating out’ the important role of the discipline in addressing challenges.
The project’s next steps will be to engage the Blue Ribbon Expert Panels further on the topic, as informed by high-level documents outlining societal challenges and R&D priority areas from the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the Office of Management and Budget (see above), and the USDA REE Action Plan.
C-FARE Activities
Summer Intern Briefing/Breakfast Series
The Summer Intern Breakfast series was a hit this year with over 100 RSVPs and about 50 attendees. Thank you to all that attended. We extend our warm thank-you to all of the speakers, who shared their advice on networking, work ethic, how to turn challenges into opportunities, navigating the job market, and much more.
Webinar: Shale Oil and Gas Development: Data and Recent Research on Local Consequences
On July 23, Jeremy Weber of ERS presented a webinar on shale oil and gas development. Oil and gas drilling in shale formations throughout the U.S. is changing the country’s energy landscape and affecting many rural communities and land owners. Recently, researchers at the Economic Research Service created a national county-level database providing yearly estimates of onshore production for counties in the lower 48 States. This presentation uses the county-level production data and recent research to discuss the geography and local consequences of shale oil and gas development. See C-FARE’s YouTube channel for more information. This event was co-sponsored by the Office of Energy Policy and New Uses (OEPNU) and the USDA Economists Group.
Jon Brandt Public Policy Forum on ‘Big Data’ Web Archive Available
The Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (C-FARE) hosted the 1st Annual Jon Brandt Policy Forum – “Increasing U.S. Agriculture’s Competitive Edge: How Do Public Data and Big Data Fit?” –in Washington, DC on April 29. The event was covered by agricultural press and non-profit organizations, as well as attended by congressional staff and DC stakeholders.
C-FARE thanks the co-sponsors for their support of the inaugural event:
AAEA Trust; American Farm Bureau Federation; United Soybean Board; USDA Economic Research Service; USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service; USDA Office of the Chief Economist; North Carolina State University In-kind was provided by: Deere & Company; Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.; Monsanto Company
Budget and Appropriations Update
FY 2015 Budget and Appropriations Update
The House and Senate have finished their scheduled FY fiscal 2015 appropriations seasons. Outstanding bills are unlikely to progress further despite the efforts of the appropriations panels in both chambers. The House passed seven of the twelve measures. Of the five remaining measures, the Agriculture (HR 4800) had the unfortunate fate of being on the floor when the then House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor (R VA-7) endured a shocking upset in his VA primary. The bill was pulled from the floor during confusion associated with the loss. The Senate has not considered any of the twelve spending bills on its floor. No markups or floor debate are currently planned in either chamber on the remaining fiscal 2015 spending bills. A continuing resolution through the November elections is likely now also because of the most recent ongoing discussion of a FY14 child migration supplemental. There is only one week left before August recess and September contains only a few days in session due to religious holidays. As a result, both the House and Senate appropriations committees are preparing proposals for a continuing resolution.
FY 2016 Budget Priorities Released by the Office of Management and Budget
On July 18, 2014 the President’s Office of Management and Budget released its annual memo on science and technology priorities for the FY 2016 Budget. The memo outlined many priorities for research including: clean energy future, global climate change, environmental resource demands, microbial resistance, bio-economy, agricultural entrepreneurialism, and biological threats. Of notable significance was the inclusion in the priorities of a request for research and development programs that support ‘informed policy-making and management’ specific to resource management protecting health and the environment. Specifically, the administration called for ‘R&D that strengthens the scientific basis for decision-making.’ This call from the Administration for programs and efforts related to decision-making, human behavior, incentives, and trade-offs demonstrates an increased awareness of and demand for the work of the agricultural and applied economics profession.