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Other News & Calls

Call for Co-Editor of Agricultural Economics

In 2015, after 9 years of service, Gerald Shively will step down as co-editor of IAAE’s journal Agricultural Economics. Awudu Abdulai will continue to serve in that capacity through 2018. Under their leadership, the journal has risen steadily in status and number of submissions.

The IAAE Board is now seeking formal expressions from individuals who would like to join Awudu as a co-editor, to serve a 6-year term beginning in 2015. Members are invited to contact President Jo Swinnen, Co-Editors Jerry Shively and Awudu Abdulai, or Secretary-Treasurer Walt Armbruster for more information.

The application should be brief. It should set out experience which illustrates qualifications for the job, highlight main areas of expertise, and provide a statement indicating editorial philosophy for Agricultural Economics. A curriculum vita should be attached. Potential editors should also indicate what, if any, support they might be able to obtain from colleagues and the institution in which they work. IAAE offers a support package to the Editor, which will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

Send expressions of interest to IAAE (http://www.iaae-agecon.org/about/contact.html). by June 30, 2014. Selection will be made by the IAAE Board at its August 2014 meeting, and the appointment will be effective July 1, 2015.

Call for IAAE Secretary-Treasurer

Walt Armbruster plans to continue to serve as IAAE Secretary-Treasurer until the August, 2014 IAAE Board Meeting, at which he will officially resign. At that time, the Board will appoint someone to fulfill Walt’s unexpired term, which ends at the conclusion of the 2015 International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE).

Any IAAE member interested in serving as Secretary-Treasurer should submit an application, including a 300-500 word statement of their perspective on future opportunities and directions for the IAAE, by June 30, 2014 to IAAE@execinc.com. A curriculum vita should be attached. A decision to appoint a replacement for Walt will be made by the Board at its August, 2014 meeting. Subsequently, the IAAE Nominating Committee will include the appointed Secretary-Treasurer in its report to the Board on candidates for election to the Board for a three year term for vote by the members in early 2015. The Secretary-Treasurer may subsequently be nominated for successive 3-year terms.

From September 2014, Walt will continue as a consultant to IAAE through December 31, 2015 to work with the new Secretary-Treasurer to assure a smooth transition and complete follow up payments to grantees, reports to funders about grants made, and to wrap up other details associated with the 2015 ICAE.

The roles and duties of the Secretary-Treasurer are defined in the International Association of Agricultural Economists, Inc. Bylaws of 9-30-2013, Section 7.2.3:

“Secretary/Treasurer. The Secretary/Treasurer or their designee shall record the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee in one or more books provided for that purpose; see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws or as required by the law; be custodian of the corporate records; and perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary/Treasurer.  The Secretary/Treasurer shall also have supervision through the Office of the Executive Director of all monies, securities and other valuable properties of the Corporation and shall oversee accurate accounts of the receipts and disbursements of the Corporation in books belonging to it.  The Secretary/Treasurer shall ensure that all monies and other valuable effects are deposited in the name and to the credit of the Corporation in such accounts and in such depositories as may be designated by the Board of Directors.  The Secretary/Treasurer shall check monthly the disbursements of funds of the Corporation in accordance with authority of the Board of Directors.  The Secretary/Treasurer shall render to the President and the Board of Directors whenever requested or otherwise required, a written detailed account of the transactions and of the financial condition of the Corporation, including a statement of all its assets, liabilities, and financial transactions.  The Secretary/Treasurer shall perform such other duties as the Board of Directors, through the President, direct, and such other duties as usually pertain to the office of Secretary/Treasurer.”

In practice, the Secretary-Treasurer provides continuity as the other Board members rotate every three years; manages daily IAAE operations in collaboration with Executive Director, Inc., which maintains the membership database and the IAAE website, and provides financial services; oversees IAAE’s fiduciary responsibilities; manages official communications, contracts and memoranda of understanding with local hosts of the triennial ICAE and inter-conference symposia; coordinates funding solicitation and subsequent reporting to funders through the Fund for the ICAE to support developing country participation in the ICAE; organizes the annual IAAE Board meetings in conjunction with the President; initiates communications to members; and manages other items requiring IAAE attention.

For further information, contact President Jo Swinnen (Jo.Swinnen@kuleuven.be) or Walt Armbruster (walt@farmfoundation.org).

NC-1177 Annual Meeting and Call for Papers

Meeting dates for the 2014 annual meeting of the NC-1177 have been set. The meeting of the NC-1177 Agricultural and Rural Finance Markets in Transition will be held October 16-17, 2014 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Part of the meeting will be held in conjunction with the National Agricultural Credit Committee and involve discussions of current issues in agricultural finance.

Call for Papers

NC-1177 Agricultural and Rural Finance Markets in Transition

The NC-1177 executive committee is currently seeking contributed papers for the selected paper sessions in the area of agricultural and rural finance markets. Papers that fit the committee’s four research objectives are highly encouraged. The objectives are:

  • Investigate capital structure, financial performance, and investment strategies of firms producing renewable energy in context of long term climate change. Implications of these findings for agriculture and rural communities will be delineated.
  • Identify financial institutions and services that benefit farmers and rural communities and expand agricultural markets, promote growth and trade in developing countries.
  • Examine the impact of recent fluctuations in capital and commodity markets on the financial performance, credit availability, real estate values, and capital structure of farms, agribusinesses, and lenders in urban and rural communities.
  • Evaluate the management strategies, capital needs, and policy impacting the financial performance and long-term sustainability of firms in the food and agribusiness sector.

The NC-1177 executive committee and NACC are also seeking extension oriented presentations to be presented during the joint sessions. For consideration for the joint sessions, presentations will need to address one of the following topics:

  • Policy outlook
  • Risk management
  • Water issues
  • Income and asset values
  • Data issues
  • Loan repayment and debt issues

For contributed papers, please submit the title, author(s), and a short one or two page abstract to Todd Kuethe tkuethe@illinois.edu by Friday, August 1, 2014.

For further information about NC-1177 or the annual meeting, please contact a member of the executive committee: Mindy Mallory mallorym@illinois.edu, Todd Kuethe tkuethe@ers.usda.gov, Ryan Larson ryan.larson@ndsu.edu or Joleen Hadrich joleen.hadrich@colostate.edu.