AAEA President Jayson Lusk Named Winner of Borlaug CAST Communication Award

Prestigious honor to be presented tomorrow at World Food Prize Symposium

AAEA Past-President Jayson Lusk is this year’s recipient of the Borlaug CAST Communication Award. The award will be presented at the World Food Prize Symposium on Wednesday, October 18, in Des Moines, Iowa.

CAST (The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology) presents the award annually for “outstanding achievement by a scientist, engineer, technologist, or other professional working in the agricultural, environmental, or food sectors for contributing to the advancement of science in the public policy arena.” It is named after Norman Borlaug, the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner for his contributions to the safety and advancement of the global food supply.

Lusk, who was also named an AAEA Fellow in 2015, has published multiple books and nearly 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Lusk uses multiple mediums to communicate information on food and agricultural economics, and is used frequently as a trusted source by journalists across the country. He was recently named head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University.

“It is incredibly humbling to receive an award named after Norman Borlaug, a man whose work, quite literally, saved millions of lives,” Lusk said.

“Now more than ever, it is important for the public and policy makers to have science and evidence-based information about food and agriculture. If we want to solve some of society’s most pressing problems in food and agriculture, we will need innovation and science, and it is important that the public understands the consequences of policies and consumption choices.”

If you are interested in setting up an interview, please contact Jay Saunders in the AAEA Business Office.

Contact: Allison Scheetz
Senior Communications Manager
(414) 918-3190
Email: ascheetz@aaea.org