Is Academia Lacking Extension in Economic Departments?

New theme featured in Choices Magazine

With much turn over in professionals in the field of Extension, what is the future of farm management?

A new Theme in Choices online publication covers “The Future of Farm Management Extension.” Mykel Taylor in an Associate Professor at Kansas State University and she organized the theme.

Taylor says, “In order for land grant universities to continue the extension mission, we have to think about how extension and the people that work in it, fit into the larger scheme of academia. Remaining as an unbiased third party is particularly important for differentiating ourselves from other firms in the ag industry. Recognizing that consumers and farmers are not as familiar with each other as they once were is also important. Finally, being cognizant of who we recruit economists to deliver extension information and how we train them is going to be a vital component of our relevancy and ability to effectively deliver information to our stakeholders.”

The theme consists of four articles:

• The Farm Management Extension Audience of 2030
  Alejandro Plastina, Kelvin Leibold, and Matthew Stockton
• Impact of Emerging Technology on Farm Management
  Michael Langemeier and Jordan Shockley
• Training the Next Generation of Extension Economists
  Mykel Taylor and Wendong Zhang
• The Future for Extension Farm Management Economists: The Director’s Cut
  John Lawrence, Gregg Hadley, and Jason Henderson

If you are interested in setting up an interview with Taylor or an author within the theme, please contact Allison Scheetz in the AAEA Business Office.

ABOUT AAEA: Established in 1910, the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) is the leading professional association for agricultural and applied economists, with 2,500 members in more than 60 countries. Members of the AAEA work in academic or government institutions as well as in industry and not-for-profit organizations, and engage in a variety of research, teaching, and outreach activities in the areas of agriculture, the environment, food, health, and international development. The AAEA publishes two journals, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics and Applied Economic Perspectives & Policy, as well as the online magazine Choices. To learn more, visit www.aaea.org.

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