New Department Head

After an extensive nationwide search, Fred C. White has been named Department Head, Agricultural and Applied Economics in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He has an impressive array of accomplishments in his 27 years in the department. In 1990 he was named D. W. Brooks Distinguished Professor. Dr. White looks forward to the department becoming a strong professional unit and continuing to develop programs of excellence in research, extension and instruction. He is excited about reaching new goals and meeting the challenges that lie ahead.
 

Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia (AEAG)

The Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia (AEAG) helps increase awareness of emerging economic issues. There are several reasons why you should take an active part in the Association. Each AEAG member receives the Journal of Agribusiness, which provides a forum for presentation of economic ideas related to agriculture, agribusiness and related activities. Its major objective is to broaden our understanding of the agribusiness production, processing, fabrication, and distribution system. The AEAG's summer meetings often highlight a particular subject such as cotton, peanuts, trade, food safety, or the environment. The summer meetings have been mobile, appearing wherever the important issues can be discussed and observed firsthand. The J. W. Fanning Lecture sponsored by the AEAG is held each fall. The Lecture has featured national and international leaders in all areas of agricultural economics. The 1999 Lecture will relate to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the new millennium.

The activities of the AEAG provide opportunities for interaction among AEAG members, faculty, students, and the general public on important economic issues. For more information contact Agricultural and Applied Economics Department, 301 Conner Hall, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7509; call (706) 542-2481; or
email AAECON@AGECON.UGA.EDU.
 

Future of American Agriculture - August 25-27, 1999

The National Symposium on the Future of American agriculture will bring together the best representatives from the nation's top agricultural universities to address the future of agriculture in the United States. The Symposium will provide some practical guidance for revisions in our national agricultural policies, recommendations on needed research and education funding, and recommendations on how best to communicate an accurate picture of agriculture to the American public.

The Symposium will be held on August 25-27, 1999 at The University of Georgia's Center for Continuing Education, Athens, Georgia. The audience will include policymakers, producer and commodity organizations, environmental organizations, consumer organizations, and academics. For additional information, contact Dr. Robert Shulstad, Chair of the Planning Committee, at 706-542-0740 or rshulstad@agecon.uga.edu.
 

Development Opportunities

The Agricultural and Applied Economics Department has several development opportunities to be considered. First, the department has already received more than $60,000 in private contributions to support an endowed chair in agricultural marketing. Additional support is needed to fully fund the endowed chair in this area. The second proposal is to renovate two classrooms in Conner Hall. The rooms were built over a quarter of a century ago and have not been updated since. We are looking for corporate sponsors who would provide funding to turn one or two of these classrooms into a state-of-the-art classroom with tiered seating, new lighting, new seats, and multimedia equipment. The cost would be approximately $60,000 for each classroom. The third proposal is for a modern conference/seminar room with state-of-the-art projection, audio, video and computer capabilities and convenient seating format. The department lost its seminar room to GSAMS, and its current seminars are held in a former break room. The cost of this project would be $65,000. The fourth proposal is endowments for scholarships and assistantships. Scholarships have been established for Dr. William Firor and Dr. Roy Proctor. Additional funds in these scholarships and new scholarships honoring other distinguished agricultural and applied economists would help attract top students and strengthen the department's academic program. Your financial support of the Agricultural and Applied Economics programs is critical and greatly appreciated. As alumni of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department, you can send your contributions directly to the department or the University of Georgia with a designation for the department.
 

Undergraduate Update

The Undergraduate Program in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics currently consists of three majors: Agricultural Economics (AEC), Agribusiness (AGB), and Environmental Economics and Management (EEM). The AGB major began in 1989 while the EEM major started in 1993. Enrollment in AEC is 36, while AGB has 47 students and EEM has 57 students.
 

Alumni, Is Graduate School in Your Future?

Many of our alumni may not know of the many opportunities our department offers for advanced degrees. At the masters degree level, we offer three degree options: Master of Science in Agricultural Economics, Master of Science in Environmental Economics, and Masters of Agricultural Economics (professional, non-thesis option). The department also offers a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics. At the Ph.D. and Masters levels, students can concentrate their studies in a broad range of specialties including marketing, production, consumer demand, international trade, natural resource management, environmental policy, and rural development.

For qualified students, the department offers financial assistance through grad-uate research assistantships. These assistantships provide opportunities for students to gain valuable research and work experience by working with faculty supervisors and mentors on research projects 14 hours per week. In return, students receive a tuition waiver and are paid a stipend of $11,688 per year for M.S. students and $12,456.

For more information on our graduate program, see our departmental web page at www.agecon.uga.edu or contact our Graduate Coordinator, Dr. John Bergstrom at 706-542-0749 or jbergstrom@agecon.uga.edu.
 

1998-99 Awards

Southern Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA):
The Agricultural and Applied Economics Department at the University of Georgia won the lion's share of awards at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association meeting in Memphis,Tennessee, January 31 through February 3, 1999.

Bill Miller received the SAEA Lifetime Achievement Award for his numerous contributions in research, instruction and international agriculture.

Jeff Jordan won the SAEA teaching award for his outstanding work in water resource economics.

Yvonne Acheampong was the winner of the SAEA Graduate Student Paper Competition. Her paper examined the rate of return on equity in the food and beverage industries in selected countries.

Charlie Huang and Michael Wetzstein were recognized for outstanding professional service to the SAEA. They recently completed three years as editors of the SAEA's Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA):
Luanne Lohr won second place in the 1998 AAEA Poster Contest.

Crop Science Society of America:
Dr. James Epperson's paper, "A Cost Analysis of Maintaining Cassava Plant Genetic Resources" (Crop Science 37:1641-1649) was recognized by the Crop Science Society of America as outstanding paper on Plant Genetic Resources. The paper was coauthored by D.H. Pachico and C.L. Guevara.

Tobacco Growers Association of Georgia:
Bill Givan won the 1998 Extension Education Award from the Tobacco Growers Association of Georgia.

Gamma Sigma Delta:
Luanne Lohr received the 1999 Gamma Sigma Delta Award for Junior Faculty.
James Epperson received the 1999 Gamma Sigma Delta award for Senior Faculty.

Departmental Teaching Awards:
Glenn Ames received the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award for 1998.
Jeff Dorfman and Andy Keeler were co-recipients of the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award for 1998.

Undergraduate Student Awards and Honors:
Camille Tribble placed second at the 1998 American Agricultural Economics Association Student Papers Competition.
Erin Wieckert placed fourth in the 1998 American Agricultural Economics Association Student Papers Competition.

Jessica Meyers, an Environmental Economics and Management major, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.00 grade-point average in 1998.

The UGA National Agri-Marketing Association team finished in the top twelve in the 1998 Student Marketing Competition held in Dallas, TX in 1998.
 

Request for Alumni News

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics is interested in hearing from our alumni. Please inform us of your current job position or other significant accomplishments. This information can be sent by e-mail to the following address: AAECON@AGECON.UGA.EDU  or mailed to the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Rm. 301, Conner Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7509.