Letter from the Chair
As we start our spring semester off strong and look forward to a productive new year, we want to wish congratulations to all our Fall 2023 graduates. You have worked hard for this accomplishment, and we look forward to continuing to see you succeed as you continue in your post-college career.
This past fall, our faculty stayed busy, publishing a wide variety of journal articles on topics important to the State. In this newsletter, you’ll find a sampling of news articles covering their research.
Our graduate students have been recognized with many awards, recognizing their hard work, professionalism, and supportive mentorship of our faculty in guiding their research process.
Our alumni are not to be left out – having been recognized with many awards themselves. It is great to see their service to their chosen fields, and the impact that they have had with the agricultural and natural resource industries and beyond.
We are thankful as ever for the guidance of our Leadership Council, who visited campus this October and are gearing up now for next year’s activities. Mike Joyner and Tori Rumenik, both from FFVA, spoke to our agricultural policy class about the policy-making process, and the effects policy has on our agricultural industries here in Florida and beyond.
Many other alumni, including Chuck Allison and Juan David Castro-Anzola, spoke with our Ag. Econ Club about industry opportunities, and others joined our Scholarship Banquet where we recognize our award-winning students, faculty, and staff. Several other alumni also took time to meet virtually with our Introduction to Food and Resource Economics seminar course. We are so appreciative of the perspective they offer these fledgling undergraduate students as to where a degree in FRE can take them.
If you are an alumnus and are interested in getting more involved (through mentoring students, speaking to classes, or possibly serving on the Leadership Council – which will help plan our Centennial for 2026!) please reach out to us by email.
Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing many of you at our 9th Annual Agricultural Outlook Policy Conference on April 17th at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma, Florida!
Research & Extension Highlights
- Dr. John Lai & Dr. Bachir Kassas conducted research that showed the Florida consumers most likely to try lamb & goat meat were "adventurous" Millennials & Gen Z.
- Dr. Kimberly Morgan is using AgTools software to help Florida farmers and growers increase their access to vital data.
- Dr. Christa Court went on WMFE to talk about the impact of Citrus on Florida's economy.
- Dr. Weizhe Weng was featured on the Global Water Forum for her research using integrated economic and agronomic models to unveil hidden benefits of land and nitrogen management.
Student Awards & Accomplishments
Ph.D. Student Faith Aiya places third in UF 3-Minute Thesis Competition
In November, first-year Ph.D. student Faith Aiya competed in the UF 3-Minute Thesis Competition, hosted by the UF Graduate School. In this event, Faith competed against doctoral students from across all disciplines to provide a concise and compelling overview of her research topic, "Shifting Food Lifestyle Patterns Among Food Consumers, 2020-2022." She will be supervised by Drs. Lijun "Angelia" Chen and Kimberly Morgan as she completes her dissertation research on the topic. Faith, who received her M.S. in Food and Resource Economics from our department as well, also won the AAEA 3-Minute Thesis Competition in February 2022 when she presented on her master's thesis research looking at actual production and crop insurance for citrus with chair Dr. Ariel Singerman.
Dr. Fei He wins Water Institute Outstanding Dissertation Award
Dr. Fei He, who graduated with her Ph.D. from the department this summer., was recognized by the UF Water Institute for her impressive research work with the Outstanding Dissertation Award. Supervised by Drs. Christa Court and Tatiana Borisova, her dissertation research focused on the economic and environmental considerations related to alternative agricultural land management choices in the Northern Florida and Southern Georgia region.
Alumni Highlights
John Walt Boatright awarded 2023 CALS Alumni & Friends Horizon Award
John Walt graduated with his B.S. in Food and Resource Economics in 2013, and currently serves as a director of government affairs at the American Farm Bureau Federation. This year, he was recognized at the UF/IFAS Dinner of Distinction with the Horizon Award for his contributions in the first ten years of his post-graduate career towards leadership in the agricultural and natural resources sector.
Michael Minton named Outstanding Tax Attorney of the Year
A triple gator and a 1979 alumnus of our bachelor of science in Food and Resource Economics program, Michael Minton was recently recognized by the Florida Tax Bar Section as the 2023-2024 Gerald T. Hart Outstanding Tax Attorney of the Year.
Program Graduates
Fall 2023 Graduates
In December, we were elated to celebrate the 14 graduates of our Master of Agribusiness and Bachelor of Science programs. Successfully completing any higher education program is a momentous accomplishment. We look forward to watching proudly as these newly minted alumni take the skills they have learned throughout their time in our programs into their careers.
Below is a full listing of our Fall 2023 graduates by degree program.
Upcoming Events
Save the Date: 2024 Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference
We are thrilled to announce that this year's Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference will be held on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research & Education Center. We hope you will join us there as we focus on federal and state policy issues that impact Florida agriculture, agribusinesses, and rural communities. Get the chance to hear from policymakers, key stakeholders, and expert researchers on topics such as specialty crops, the Farm Bill, Risk Management, Labor and more. Registration is available now, and more information regarding the agenda and speakers will be available soon on our website.