Department - News and Events

June 6, 2008	::	July 16, 2008 Borlaug Lecture, The Green Revolution Revisited :: The Borlaug Institute and the Department of Agricultural Economics will present “The Green Revolution Revisited: 60 Years Later” by speaker Dr. Gamini Herath of Deakin University in Australia. The lecture will be held at 12:30 p.m. on July 16, 2008 in the Blocker Building, room 448. A guest panel will provide comments after the lecture, followed by a Q&A session. Refreshments will be provided. Please join us.

June 6, 2008	::	Undergraduate Research Posters on the Hill :: On April 30th, Congressman Henry Cuellar welcomed Shauna Yow, who presented her undergraduate research, "Unintended Consequences of Legislation on the Adoption of Water Treatment Technology," as a finalist of the Council on Undergraduate Research.

June 5, 2008	::	Professor Emeritus Nomination Approved :: Larry Lippke's nomination for Professor Emeritus was recently approved at the May 2008 Board of Regents Meeting. Congratulations!

May 21, 2008	::	Student Worker Postings Available Online :: Any student wanting to apply for a student position at any Texas A&M AgriLife unit/department/office at Bryan and College Station may go online and apply for the Student Worker position that is posted by visting http://greatjobs.tamu.edu/hr. Contact the Department if you are interested in creating a position to be advertised online.

May 21, 2008	::	Several Notable Department Promotions :: The Department's Bruce McCarl has been promoted to the rank of Distinguished Professor. Also, David Anderson is now serving under the title of Professor and Extension Specialist. Finally, Jay Yates, working out of the Lubbock Center, as achieved the rank of Extension Program Specialist II, the highest rank for extension faculty.

May 21, 2008	::	Department Student Receives Brown-Rudder Award :: Agricultural Economic student Jonathon Glueck was selected for the Brown-Rudder Outstanding Student Award, the most prestigious award given to students and recognizes the highest achievement in academics and leadership at Texas A&M University.

May 6, 2008	::	Texas A&M Ag Economics Alumni Honored :: Six Texas A&M University former students from the department of agricultural economics have been inducted into the Tyrus R. Timm Honor Registry. The registry is the highest department-level honor, and inductees were recognized following Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples' keynote speech April 30 at the Veranda in Bryan. 'We are extremely proud of these latest inductees,' said John P. Nichols, department head. 'These professionals exemplify why Texas A&M's department of agricultural economics is one of the premier programs across the country.' For more information, click here.

May 6, 2008	::	Department Student Named Undergraduate Research Scholar :: Matt Okeson was recently named an Undergraduate Research Scholar for the 2008-2009 school year. He will be studying climate change as it impacts Texas rivers. Dr. Fred Boadu will be serving as the faculty advisor with Dr. Bruce McCarl as consultant.

May 6, 2008	::	Dr. Joe Outlaw Given 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award :: The Association of Former Students recognized Joe Outlaw with the Distinguished Achievement Award for Extension, Outreach, Continuing Education and Professional Development. Dr. Outlaw was presented with the award in a ceremony on April 29, 2008. The award included a framed certificate, an engraved watch, and a monetary award.

April 4, 2008	::	'Open Forum' For Faculty, Staff and Students :: The Vice Chancellor and Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences Search Advisory Committee is hosting an 'Open Forum' for faculty, staff and students on Monday, April 7, from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. in 113 Kleberg on the Texas A&M University campus.

April 4, 2008	::	Shauna Yow Wins Alpha Zeta Outstanding Junior :: Shauna Yow will be recognized at the Alpha Zeta Convocation as the outstanding Junior for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Congratulations!

April 4, 2008	::	Emily Seawright Wins Water Research Grant :: Emily Seawright recently received a water-related research project grant funded by The Texas Water Resource Institute (TWRI), along with 9 other graduate students from Texas A&M and The University of Texas at Austin. Seawright's advisors are Drs. Edward Rister and Ron Lacewell.

March 17, 2008	::	Rural Entrepreneurship, Energy Business Opportunities Part of Envision 08 Conference :: Rural-based alternative energy opportunities, entrepreneurship and next-generation food start-up businesses will be part of the Envision08 Conference scheduled for April 23-25 at the Marriott Rivercenter in downtown San Antonio. Conference registration includes all general sessions and workshops, all meals during conference hours, entertainment and networking sessions, and access to business development resources through the Texas A&M Center for New Ventures & Entrepreneurship. Dr. John Nichols, Department Head of Agricultural Economics, said those who would benefit from attending the conference include key executives and decision-makers in entrepreneurial and high-growth companies, members of corporate and local government business development teams, including those in rural and semi-rural areas, consultants, advisors, and university faculty interested in entrepreneurship. The number of conference participants and rooms at the Marriott Rivercenter are limited. Participants are asked to register as soon as possible. More information on the conference and registration can be found here.

March 17, 2008	::	Department Graduate appointed Vice Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Korea :: Hak Soo Jeong received his Master of Science f from the Department under the supervision of Dr. John Penson. Mr. Jeong was promoted to Vice Minister at the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Foresty and Fisheries on March 1, 2008. He is the first Vice Minister under new Korean President, Lee Myung-Bak.

March 17, 2008	::	Dr. Teofilo Ozuna appointed Dean of the College of Business Administration at UT-PanAm :: Dr. Teofilo Ozuna, a graduate and former faculty member of the Department, was appointed Dean of the College of Business Administration at The University of Texas - Pan American. As dean, he will lead four departments that offer eight bachelor's degrees, three master's degrees and one doctoral degree. To view the press release, click here. Congratulations to Dr. Ozuna!

February 29, 2008	::	Change In Cuban Leadership Won't Overshadow U.S. Agricultural Exports :: The Department's Dr. Parr Rosson was quoted in the North Texas e-News as saying a change in Cuba's leadership won't have immediate economic effects on Cuban export trade. To read the full article, click here.

February 14, 2008	::	Dr. Richard Connor Receives Outstanding Achievement Award :: The Society for Range Management (SRM) awarded Dr. Richard Connor the Oustanding Achievement Award at their 61st Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. The award is presented by the Society for Range Management for outstanding achievement for eminently note-worthy contributions to the range profession to members and other qualified individuals and groups working with rangelands. To view the press release, click here.

February 14, 2008	::	RADM Robert Smith III '61 Inducted into Corps Hall of Honor :: Department graduate Rear Admiral Robert Smith III '63 was inducted into the Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor. The Hall of Honor is considered a prestigious group of former members of the Corps of Cadets who are said to embody the Aggie spirit. To read the February 13 article from the Bryan/College Station Eagle about the Hall of Honor inductees, click here.

January 29, 2008	::	Food and Agribusiness Industry Symposium :: The Intercollegiate Faculty of Agribusiness will be hosting the Food and Agribusiness Industry Symposium from 8:45 AM to 4:00 PM on Friday, February 8, 2008 at the Donald Houston Center at Research Park. To view the itenerary, click here.

January 29, 2008	::	Dr. Bruce McCarl Recognized in Texas Monthly :: Dr. Bruce McCarl, a Regents Professor in the Department, was was featured in this month's edition of Texas Monthly magazine as one of the "35 People Who Will Shape Our Future." To view the article, click here.

January 17, 2008	::	Students, Faculty, and Staff Recognized at AgriLife Conference :: The hard work of many members of the Department was recognized at the annual Texas A&M AgriLife Conference in January. Students, faculty, and staff were noted in the Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence, Student Research Poster Competition, Epsilon Sigma Phi Awards, and Superior Service Awards. To view the full list, click here.

January 3, 2008	::	Elsa Murano Named President Of Texas A&M University :: Dr. Elsa Murano was named the 23rd president of Texas A&M University today by The Texas A&M University System’s Board of Regents during a telephonic meeting. She was selected as the sole finalist for the position at the December 2007 Board of Regents meeting. For more information, click here.

December 7, 2007	::	Dr. Elsa Murano Sole Finalist for Texas A&M Presidential Position :: The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents today voted to select Dr. Elsa Murano as the sole finalist for the position of president of Texas A&M University. Dr. Murano is a noted researcher and academician, a former federal appointee and the current vice chancellor of agriculture of the A&M System, as well as the dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M. For more information, click here.

December 6, 2007	::	Dr. David A. Bessler Receives Regent Award :: Five Texas A&M Agriculture faculty were honored by the Board of Regents this week including the Department's Dr. David Bessler. The Regents Professor Award was established in 1996 'to recognize and honor faculty members who have made exemplary contributions to their university, agency or health science center and to the people of Texas.' For more information, click here.

October 18, 2007	::	Dr. Bruce McCarl on Team of Nobel Prize Winners :: Dr. Bruce McCarl, a Regents Professor in the Department, was among a team of hundreds awarded the Nobel Peace Price for its work on an international committee studying global warming and its effects. For more information, click here. To read the article about Dr. McCarl featured in the Houston Chronicle, click here.

October 18, 2007	::	Dr. Bruce McCarl Presents Lecture at Sigma Xi Event :: The Power Point presentation used in Dr. McCarl's lecture entitled 'Texas in the Climate Change Squeeze: The Most Vulnerable State?' can be accessed here.

October 12, 2007	::	Dr. Ivan 'Doc' Schmedemann Awarded 2007 Outstanding Alumni Award :: Dr. Ivan W. Schmedemann '66, Professor Emeritus in the Department retired in 1996 after 34 years of service. He developed and directed the Master of Land Economics and Real Estate program at the University, and his research provided the basis for land appraisal across the country. For more information, click here.

October 12, 2007	::	Dr. Fred Boadu Awarded 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching :: Dr. Fred O. Boadu, Professor and Assistant Head for Undergraduate Student Affairs in the Department. A native of Africa, he was praised for being an enthusiastic teacher who challenges students to reach their highest goals. He is the founder of Aggie ACES, an enrichment program for freshman and sophomore honors candidates. For more information, click here.

September 15, 2007	::	TWRI Awards Mills Scholarships to Graduate Students :: The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) recently awarded Mills Scholarships to 17 Texas A&M University graduate students for the 2007-08 academic year to pursue water-related research. Included in the recipients were the Department's own Callie Rogers and Justin Baker.

August 27, 2007	::	Jonathan Glueck Named Presidential Fellow :: The Department's own Jonathan Glueck ’08 has been named a Presidential Fellow by the Center for the Study of the Presidency. As one of 85 of the nation’s top students, Glueck will participate in a year-long study of the U.S. presidency, including a series of leadership conferences in the spring and the fall that feature high-level government officials from the executive and legislative branches and the policy community. The centerpiece of the program is the research, writing and defense of an original paper on the presidency and its publication in “A Dialogue on Presidential Challenges and Leadership.” For more, click here.

August 6, 2007	::	Quiz Bowl Teams Take Top Honors :: Tuesday, July 31st, the Texas A&M Chapter of the American Agricultural Economics Association defended and retained possession of their National Title in Quiz Bowl competition. This year’s quiz bowl, held in conjunction with the national meetings of the AAEA, was held in Portland, Oregon with 25 teams competing. Team members included Brandon Grooms, Eric Manthei, Jeremy Quast, Jaco Saaiman, Emily Seawright, and Shauna Yow. Shauna was also elected the Vice-President of the Southern Region for the student section of AAEA. For more, click here.

August 6, 2007	::	Graduate Student Wins First Place :: Announcement of the winners of the Case Study Competition at the 17th Annual World Forum and Symposium in Parma, Italy in June included Andres Silva, Texas A&M graduate student. Andres was a member of the Inter University Team (USA) along with fellow team members, Calli Skipper from the University of Florida and Lisa Stapleton from the University of Santa Clara. Dr. Michael A. Gunderson from the University of Florida was the coach. Nine university teams from around the world competed. Teams were given a real agribusiness management problem requiring a quick management response; they had five hours in which to prepare their case. The Inter University Team competed against four students from the University of Guelph, Canada in the final round. Four distinguished judges graded the final presentations: Mr. Hans Johr, Corporate Head of Agriculture, Nestec Ltd., Switzerland; Dr. Eluned Jones, Director - Master of Agribusiness Program, TAMU, USA; Mr. Ross McLaren, Former President and CEO, Shaw Supermarkets - USA, UK; Mr. Pietro Gandolfi, Managing Director, Società Parmense Insediamenti Produttivi S.p.A. (SPIP), Italy.

August 6, 2007	::	Board Of Regents Approve Ph.D. Program :: At its regular meeting July 27, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved the proposal for a new PhD in Agribusiness and Managerial Economics. Eluned Jones, Chair of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Agribusiness (IFA), was present for the successful review by the Board Committee yesterday and has been the leader in developing and working this creative new program though academic and administrative reviews. The program has been jointly developed with the Department and the Mays School of Business as the primary contributors and supporters. Dr. Jones, along with John Penson, David Leatham, Gene Nelson, Vicki Heard and members of the IFA and GAC, have been instrumental in shaping this proposal. Dr. Bala Shetty of the Mays School has spearheaded the efforts on that front. With Board approval, the proposal will now move through the TAMU System Academic Programs office to the Coordinating Board in Austin. A positive review and final approval is expected later this year.

August 6, 2007	::	Awards from AAEA Meetings :: Presidential Recognition Award for Special Service Awarded to Bruce A. McCarl, Coordinating Editor; Oral Capps, Jr.; Rodolfo M. Nayga, Jr.; Joe L. Outlaw; John B. Penson, Jr. Award reads “To The Texas A&M University Editorial Team for your initiative, risk, imagination, and labor, in improving, redesigning, and expanding the AAEA’s outreach organ, Choices, and in so doing, communicating the economic implications of food, farm, resource, and rural community issues to a wider audience.” Executive Citation for Service to the Association award reads “Presented to Linda S. Crenwelge for contributions and efforts on behalf of AAEA in the roll of technical editor of Choices and creating a positive impression on our profession through service to Agricultural Economists.” Awards received by former students of the Department included: Allan W. Gray of Purdue University who received the “distinguished extension/outreach program award for an individual with less than 10 years experience;” DeeVon Bailey and Ruby Ward, both of Utah State University, were part of the team that won the group extension award for their work on US Livestock Identification systems; and Edward Yu, of Iowa State, was co-author of the poster that won first place.

June 28, 2007	::	Helbing Family Establishes Endowment :: The Stephen C. Helbing Sr. '48 Scholarship was recently established to honor Mr. Helbing on his 80th birthday. The endowment was established by his sons Stephen C. Helbing Jr., Scott C. Helbing, Ross C. Helbing, and Robert L. Helbing. Mr. Helbing hopes "this scholarship will help attract the brightest students at A&M to consider this major and the many opportunities a degree in agricultural economics will afford them after graduation." During his career, Mr. Helbing served as a state representative in New Mexico, president of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, and president of the New Mexico Landmen's Association, among other notable accomplishments. For more, click here.

June 25, 2007	::	Bruce McCarl to Serve on GAO Panel :: The GAO is an independent, professional and nonpartisan agency that works for Congress and provides Senators and Representatives with the best information available to help them arrive at informed policy decisions. Congress is assessing possible actions to respond to climate change, and is considering the potential benefits and costs associated with different policies or actions. Dr. McCarl has been asked to aid the GAO to identify and assess existing information on the potential benefits and costs of policies or actions for addressing climate change.

June 13, 2007	::	$85 Billion: A Not So Insignificant Number :: A recent report by Dean McCorkle and David Anderson, in cooperation with the Texas Comptroller's Office, provides some interesting details on how the many industries in "our sector" of the Texas economy interact with each other and fit into the overall Texas economy. Interestingly, the food and fiber system is not the largest of the measured sectors, but did account for 9.4 percent of the state GDP in 2004 (latest data available) and has remained stable over recent years. It is no surprise that "services" is the largest with 20.7 percent. Of the industries which contribute to this $85 billion in food and fiber impact, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting contributes 11.4 percent, but is outpaced by food manufacturing (12.6%), wholesale trade and retail trade (13.6 % each), finance, insurance and real estate (15.4%), and especially food service and drinking places (20.1%). These numbers may not be too surprising, but it helps to document that there are many opportunities for the graduates of our degree programs and for the research and outreach work that we do.

May 7, 2007	::	Norma Pantoja Receives AFS Distinguished Achievement Award :: Agricultural Economics staff member Norma Pantoja was awarded the Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Staff. Ms. Pantoja was presented with the award in a ceremony on May 1, 2007. The award included a framed certificate, an engraved watch, and a monetary award. Only two staff persons per year are chosen to receive the honor, though many are nominated. Norma was also presented a Benjamin Knox painting from the Department to commemorate her award and to thank her for her dedicated service. Congratulations to Norma! For more on this year's awards, click here.

May 7, 2007	::	Dr. Fred Boadu Selected for AFS Distinguished Achievement Award :: Professor and Assistant Head for Undergraduate Student Affairs, Dr. Frederick Boadu, will be awarded the Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching at the College-Level. It was announced that Dr. Boadu was selected for the honor and will be presented with the award during the Fall 2007 Faculty and Alumni Awards Convocation. Congratulations to Dr. Boadu for this great achievement!

April 10, 2007	::	Bruce McCarl Named 2007 Outstanding Texas A&M Distinguished Scientist :: Bruce A. McCarl, Ph.D., is a Regents Professor, professor of Agricultural Economics and a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (TAES) Faculty Fellow at Texas A&M University. He received his doctorate from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1973. His research interests include research on resource and agricultural policy questions involved with the agricultural and forestry sectors individually and collectively in both domestic and international settings involving climate change, greenhouse gas emission management, water use, biofuel production and homeland security issues and research on methodological issues involved with policy decision modeling. To visit the Sigma Xi website, click here. To read the article featured in Texas A&M News, click here

April 4, 2007	::	Board of Regents Recognizes Quiz Bowl Team :: The Texas A&M Board of Regents recognized the Quiz Bowl team for winning honors as the 2006 Academic Quiz Bowl Champions. To see the resolution, click here.

March 30, 2007	::	CBO to Determine Farm Bill :: According to James Richardson, Co-Director of the Agriculture Food Policy Center, “the new farm bill will be all about Congressional Budget Office figures.” Dr. Richardson, along with others in the Food Policy Center evaluated the effects of the proposed farm bill on farm programs, prices and other influences on farm income. He said commodity outlook for the next few years looks positive for grains but not as good for cotton and rice. For more information, click here.

March 30, 2007	::	Ethanol, Corn Weigh Heavily On Future Of Livestock Industry :: Future ethanol production and demand for distiller's grains will leave cattle prices lower and lead to higher consumer meat prices, a Texas Cooperative Extension economist said. David Anderson, Extension livestock marketing economist, gave an overview of the interaction between renewable energy production and the livestock industry at the recent 2007 Texas Ag Forum in Austin. Livestock producers should keep these possibilities in mind as ethanol production grows across the country, Anderson said: Higher feed costs; feeder cattle and calf prices adjusted to the price of corn; reduced production in terms of cattle weights and profitability; and a livestock industry that is less competitive in the world market. For more information, click here.

Febuary 14, 2007	::	Penson Named SAEA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient :: At the annual meetings of the Southern Agricultural Economics Association in Mobile, Alabama in early February, Dr. John Penson was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. This honors Dr. Penson's many contributions to the profession of Agricultural Economics. As part of the meetings, award winners were asked to give a short presentation. To view Dr. Penson's presentation, click here.

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