President Jean Kinsey called the meeting to order at 9:18 a.m. It was noted that the gavel donated by Emery Castle now has a pounding block donated by Kinsey.

1. Agenda Review and Approval
   
   1. The "Action Items" section has been moved up to item III on the agenda.
   2. A discussion of moving the end of the AAEA's fiscal year will be added under Action Item D, "Finance Committee Report."
   3. Tomorrow morning's portion of the meeting will begin with the Board Member Orientation presentation by AAEA Executive Director Donna Dunn. After the Board Orientation, discussion will move to items E, F and G on the agenda.
   4. A move to empower the Employment Services Committee to re-implement the compensation survey should be added as Action Item H.
   5. Approval of the slate of associate editors for the AJAE should be added as Action Item I.

      Motion: Susan Offut moved to approve the revised agenda. Rob King seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

2. Approval of August 2001 minutes
   A few minor typographical errors were noted and will be corrected in the final copy of the minutes. There were no substantive changes.

   Motion: Ron Knutson moved to approve the minutes as presented. Bill Boggess seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

3. Action Items
   
   1. Principal Papers
      The Board discussed the principal paper session proposals that had been submitted. Summaries of the rankings by board members were distributed and discussed. The board agreed to modify the call for principal papers to include abstracts for each proposed paper to be included in the session. The board approved the following principal paper sessions for inclusion in the 2002 annual meeting program:
      PP-02 "The New Rural Economy"
      PP-04 "Non-Linear Models of Agricultural Production Efficiency: Bayesian, Classical and Entropy Perspectives"
      PP-05 "Antibiotic Use in Animal Agriculture and the Economics of Resistance"
      PP-06 "Knowledge Management: A New Frontier in the Global Food System"
      PP-07 "The Economics of Invasive Species Management"
      PP-09 "The Economics of Wetland Ecosystem Restoration and Mitigation"

   2. Track Proposals
      The Board discussed the track proposals submitted and a summary of the board's rankings of the track proposals was distributed. The board agreed to modify the call for proposals to include detailed proposals for all proposed organized symposia and free sessions. It also was proposed that the board liaisons to each section and committee encourage these groups to begin thinking about their track proposals earlier in the year. The board agreed to accept the following modified proposals:
      
      1. Extension section track - the proposed principal paper session was recommended for presentation as an organized symposium; the remainder of the track was accepted as submitted.
         
      2. Graduate students section track - accepted as submitted.
         
      3. FAMPS track - the board approved four sessions. It was recommended that the organized symposium containing the proposed principal paper from the Food Safety and Nutrition section be cross-listed with this track, as well as the bioengineered foods session from the AEM section track.
         
      4. Food Safety and Nutrition section track - It was recommended that the accepted principal paper on antibiotic use be included in the track and that the principal paper proposed by the section be included as an organized symposium.
         
      5. Teaching and Learning Committee track - the Board determined that this proposed track replaces the former "Models of Teaching Excellence" tracks from prior years. The Board accepted the track with seven sessions.
         
      6. AEM section track - accepted as submitted.

   3. Pre- and Post-Conferences
      The Board discussed the conference proposals submitted and a summary of the board's rankings of the proposals was distributed. The Board accepted the following proposals:
      
      1. "Simulation for Risk Analysis" - scheduled for Wednesday, July 31.
         
      2. "Federal Competitive Grants: Where to Find Them and How to Get Them" - scheduled for Sunday, July 28.
         
      3. "Didactic vs. Socratic Learning: Moving Towards Critical Thinking in Agricultural Economics" - scheduled for Wednesday, July 31.
         
      4. "Case Studies: Their Future Role in Agricultural and Resource Economics" - scheduled for Saturday, July 27. The Board recommends that the organizers add the new case studies editor for the RAE, Scott Swinton, to the program. Rob King volunteered to speak with the organizers regarding this and with a faculty member at the University of Minnesota who works extensively with case studies.
         
      5. "Agricultural Data Concepts for Economists" - scheduled for Wednesday, July 31. The Board recommended that the organizers consider adding a session for the users of the selected agricultural data, rather than strictly USDA personnel.
         
      6. "Methods for Agribusiness Research and Analysis" - scheduled for Sunday, July 28.
         

   4. Finance Committee Report
      AAEA Chief Financial Officer Betty Eckebrecht presented an overview for Board members on the financial processes of the association. The overview covered the accrual accounting system used by the association, audit reports versus variance reports, capital expenses, and the cash flow budgets that the staff is developing to provide a more accurate yearly financial picture. The Board recognized Eckebrecht for her efforts in providing improved, accurate financial references for the Board on a consistent basis.

      Finance Committee Chair Kathy Cling presented a report on the financial options available and the recommendations of her committee for the 2002 budget. The AAEA has had a significant operating deficit since 1997. The deficit has been decreasing for several years, however, and current activities by the association should ensure that deficit spending would no longer be necessary after 2002. The Board discussed the possibility of adjusting meeting registration rates based on the anticipated popularity of the meeting site. The Board also recommended, for future budget discussions, that the Finance Committee consult with the Association's investment advisors to determine if the seven-percent return on assets assumption is realistic. The Finance Committee recommended that the Board accept the budget as prepared by the Committee with the assistance of the AAEA office staff.

      Motion: Bruce Gardner moved to accept the Finance Committee's recommendations. Ron Knutson seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

   5. Sections
      

      1. The Board reviewed a request to form a section entitled "Institutional and Behavioral Economics"

         Motion: Ron Knutson moved to accept the proposed section on probationary status. Rob King seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

      2. The Board reviewed a request to form a section entitled "AAEA Seniors Section." Concerns were raised over Article II Section I of the proposed by-laws, which states that membership in the proposed section is open to AAEA members who are age 55 or over.

         Motion: Ron Knutson moved to accept the proposed section on probationary status given that the age requirement contained in Article II Section I of the proposed by-laws is removed. Susan Offutt seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

   6. CENET request to add journals to AAEA membership renewal form
      The Board reviewed a request by the Community Economics Section to list three journals with community economics foci on the AAEA membership renewal form.

      Motion: Rob King moved to approve the request. Bruce Garner seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

   7. Operating policy revisions
      Revised copies of the AAEA Operating Policies were distributed to the Executive Board for review. The following changes have been made:
      

      1. Page 2 - the vision statement adopted in August 2001 has been added.
         
      2. Page 3 - the language relating to votes by e-mail has been changed as discussed at the August 2001 membership meeting. All electronic Board votes must be unanimous by Iowa law.
         
      3. Page 8-9 - the revisions to committee structure made in August 2001 have been incorporated into the operating policies, as well as the charges given to each committee. The Professional Activities committee should have the phrase "/New Initiatives" added to its title.
         
      4. Page 10 - the information concerning the Models of Teaching Excellence Committee should be removed.
         
      5. Page 10-11 - the changes made in August 2001 to the composition of the Nominating Committee have been added.
         
      6. Page 13-14 - the details concerning travel, meal and lodging costs for board members were revised to bring the policies in line with current association practices of reimbursement based on actual expenses.
         
      7. Page 20 - the due date for section reports was changed to May 15 so that those reports could be reviewed at the Executive Board's summer meeting.
         
      8. Page 21 - the section concerning the relationship between the Undergraduate Student Section and the former Resident Instruction Committee has been removed, since that relationship does not currently exist.

         Motion: Ron Knutson moved to adopt the Operating Policies as amended. Bruce Gardner seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

      The Board adjourned at 5:08 p.m.

      The Board reconvened on Monday, Jan. 7 at 8:04 a.m.
      
      Present: Jean Kinsey, Ron Knutson, Susan Offutt, Joe Glauber, Cathy Kling, David Zilberman, Rob King, Bruce Gardner, Bill Boggess
      Ex-Officio: Donna Dunn, Paul Barkley, Spiro Stefanou
      Guests: Ivy Sprague, Betty Eckebrecht, Angie Rathbun

   8. Employment Services Committee action on compensation survey
      The Board recommended that the Employment Services Committee resume its survey of wages and salaries for agricultural economics graduates. Many departments currently collect this information, but some do not, and the Board recommends that the Committee develop a consistent survey that could assist departments who are not currently collecting this information. This information could also prove very useful to departments who are undergoing review by CSREES.

   9. AJAE Associate Editors
      According to AAEA's operating policies, the Executive Board must approve the slate of nominees for associate editors of the AJAE and the president-elect makes the official appointments. The proposed slate is appended to these minutes. The AJAE has moved to a staggered rotation of four editors and half of the associate editors rotate off each year. The selection process is outlined in the AJAE editors report appended to these minutes. All individuals listed in the report have agreed to serve and support the editorial policy.

      Motion: Ron Knutson moved to approve the proposed slate of editors. Rob King seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

   10. Approval of RAE Case Studies Editor
       The editors of the RAE have asked Scott Swinton of Michigan State University to serve as the case studies editor of the RAE. The RAE editors will have additional information on the Editorial Council at the spring Executive Board meeting.

       Motion: Rob King moved to approve the appointment of Scott Swinton as the RAE case studies editor. Bruce Gardner seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

4. Strategic Issues
   

   1. Board Orientation
      Executive Director Donna Dunn presented an orientation to help current board members better understand the operation and history of the association and its foundation.
      
   2. Examination of AAEA's fiscal year end
      In its meeting, the Foundation Governing Board raised the question of AAEA moving the end of its fiscal year from Dec. 31 to another date. The Finance Committee, with the assistance of the chief financial officer, will look into the possible cost savings and transaction costs of such a change and will present its recommendations to the Executive Board at a later date.
      
   3. Report of the Communications Working Group
      Rob King, chair of the Communications Working Group, presented a report on the results of the group's first meeting in December 2001. The group spent a large portion of its time examining AAEA's communications responsibilities to its members and the current performance of AAEA's communications vehicles.

      There were several areas of agreement after the meeting, including:
      - AAEA and its communication efforts need to be more user/customer driven
      - AAEA is an information channel for its members and other audiences
      - Key audiences include members, influencers and information users

      Some of the key member communication needs include:
      - Sharing scholarly work/research both technical and applied
      - Teaching/learning/extension support
      - Credentialing
      - Sharing association and member news
      - Networking

      Key communication goals:
      - Supporting the profession
      - Providing a flow of information and knowledge within the profession and to external audiences
      - Creating and maintaining a credible voice for the profession

      Criteria for judging the effectiveness of our communication efforts are:
      - Usability to the audience
      - Timeliness
      - Relevancy

      Develop strategy for more effective communication to users/influencers:
      - Use professional writer to repackage findings from annual meeting and journals
      - Index of topics included in earlier publications with online access to full text when possible
      - Create fact sheets/briefing papers for influencers

      Direction for RAE should be consistent with new editorial team's vision, including:
      - Sharpen editorial focus and distinction from AJAE
      - Move toward online publication while retaining hard copy version
      - Work toward RAE inclusion in Social Science Citation Index

      The group determined that the AJAE is effective in meeting its primary mission and needs no additional change. The Exchange is an effective publication for internal communication; however, it should continue to move toward electronic dissemination with live links embedded in text and consider more frequent publication. The Web site serves both members and external users and in the future may be viewed as portal to the profession. E-mail is an effective tool for fast, inexpensive internal communication and we may use e-mail for future communication with external audiences.

      Observations and thoughts on Choices
      The group did not reach consensus on Choices, but did reach a general agreement that status quo is not an option. Choices is very well-liked as an internal communications vehicle but it is not as effective as it could be in reaching external audiences. The following options were presented. After refining and prioritizing these options, the staff will cost out alternatives and working group will work toward a recommendation.

      1. Fewer pages, less color, more often - continue with one publication for all audiences. Full subscription fee to members/non-members that covers all expenses

      2. Tailored publications for internal and external audiences - continue current Choices content to members in a format that reduces publication costs, add a vehicle to disseminate Choices information in lay-friendly format, requires non-academic editor

      3. Eliminate Choices, shifting some of current content to RAE perhaps in special section called "Choices", size of publication and frequency of RAE would increase

      4. Convert Choices to an externally oriented on-line publication with articles edited/written by a professional writer - shift Choices material primarily of interest to professional agricultural economists to RAE, determine revenue model for this option

      5. Non-academic journalist writes and edits Choices articles for on-line publication with bimonthly or quarterly publication available at full cost, determine revenue model for this option

      The Board agreed that it is important to maintain the Choices "brand" equity and to maintain continuity while adjusting delivery vehicles. The working group was reminded that they should look at the best option for Choices now that allows AAEA to keep moving forward.

      The working group's final report will be prepared by the end of February for the Executive Board to review at its spring meeting.

   4. AAEA's 100th Anniversary
      The AAEA will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2010. That meeting is currently scheduled for a "wild card" city and the IAAE does not meet in 2010. There may be an opportunity to invite the leaders of several international organizations to participate in the anniversary celebrations. The Board discussed the possibility of writing the association's history, a process that may take up to three years and will likely require outside funding. Kinsey has already spoken with the leadership of the International Committee about its role in the anniversary activities. The Board agreed that there should be a task force created to keep the anniversary plans moving forward as 2010 draws closer. More suggestions for plans will be sought over the next few years.
      

5. Oral Reports
   

   1. AJAE
      Spiro Stefanou reported that the transition to the two new editors is moving very smoothly. Ian Sheldon and his staff at Ohio State are taking over the process of gathering manuscripts and have the server for electronic tracking of manuscripts nearly operational. Production of the journal is progressing on time, the relationship with Blackwell Publishing is going smoothly, and revenue and circulation numbers continue to climb. The frequent changes in production supervisors mean that the editors still have to spend a significant amount of time in copyediting. More individuals are involved in the production of the journal than ever and submissions number more than 350 per year. The journal maintains its ranking as one of the top five economics journals in the world. Stefanou has finished his term as board liaison and appreciates the opportunity to serve. Kinsey thanked Stefanou for his work on behalf of the Board and the Association.

   2. RAE
      Susan Offutt reported that the transition to the new editorial team has moved rather slowly, due to the large number of manuscripts the team received in August that were in different stages of review. Now that this group of submissions has been addressed, the ERS team is moving to an Internet-based tracking system. The acceptance rate of the new editorial team is much lower than the previous editor, in large measure due to the increase in the number of manuscripts being submitted. In that pursuit, the editors are examining options for continuous on-line publishing in order to get information out in a more timely fashion. This move would also allow the RAE to be considered for inclusion in the Social Sciences Citation Index, since the RAE would then be published more than twice each year. The editors have surveyed the current editorial board to survey sections and regional and international associations for names to add to the editorial council. These individuals will not be used as reviewers, but rather as a sounding board for ideas regarding editorial policy changes and other issues. It was suggested that the editorial team write a "Viewpoint" piece for the newsletter detailing their editorial philosophy.

   3. Choices
      Editor Paul Barkley reported that he is still struggling with getting submitters to "write down" their submissions before they are suitable for publication in the magazine. The technical editor at Meister Publishing has been very helpful in making these pieces understandable. Barkley does have an inventory of submissions built up and will begin moving with more dispatch toward the idea of electronic publication. Electronic tools are currently used quite heavily during the production process. Barkley thanked the Board for its assurances on the future of the magazine. He also invited the new RAE editorial team to write a brief invitation to readers for submissions to the RAE and an explanation of the new editorial policy. Kinsey thanked Barkley for his continued efforts and perseverance in his term as editor.

6. Adjourn
   Ron Knutson moved to adjourn the meeting. Rob King seconded. There being no objections, the meeting adjourned at 11:36 a.m.

APPENDIX

DATE: December 30, 2001

FROM: Peter Berck, Wade Brorsen, Robert Myers, Ian Sheldon
Incoming Editors, American Journal of Agricultural Economics

TO: AAEA Board

RE: Associate Editor Nominees

We are submitting our slate of Associate Editor nominees for our term as Editors of the AJAE. As the AAEA has initiated a staggered rotation of AJAE Editors, where every two years two new AJAE Editors are appointed, the Editorial Board will also be rotated in a staggered manner. The new editorial team of Berck-Brorsen-Myers-Sheldon has developed a slate of associate editors to replace the crew rotating off:

Barry Coyle (Manitoba)
Steve Hamilton (University of Central Florida)
David Hennessy (Iowa State)
Henry Kinnucan, (Auburn University)
James MacDonald (ERS/USDA)
Steve McCorriston (University of Exeter, UK)
Richard Ready (Penn State)
Elisabeth Sadoulet (UC Berkeley)
Ted Schroeder (Kansas State)
James Vercammen (UBC)
Tomislav Vukina, (North Carolina State University)
Randall Westgren, (University of Illinois)
Jeffrey Williams (Davis)

The composition of the entire AJAE Editorial Board along with the areas of expertise is found in attachment A. All of the nominees have affirmed the statement of our Editorial Policy, which is appended in attachment B. Prior to generating our list, we employed the protocol the past two AJAE Editorial administrations used for the selection process that included quality and diversity criteria (see attachment C).

All of the nominees have been contacted and they are available and anxious to serve. In addition to affirming our Editorial Policy, the nominees understand their duties include serving as more frequent reviewers, advising the Editors on editorial policy, and voting for the Outstanding Journal Article.

Our 13 nominees represent 12 different universities and 1non-academic organization, and are the products of 11 different Ph.D. granting departments. Using the diversity criteria that we identified, we can categorize the composite AJAE Associate Editors (the nominees and continuing members) as follows:

Current Affiliation:
Academic (Land Grant) 18
Academic (Non-Land Grant) 6
Government Agency 3
Non-Governmental Organization 0

Geographical Location
North America
Northeast 4
South 6
Mid-West 9
Far West 5
Canada 2
Outside North America 1

Gender/Race
4 Female, 22 Male
2 Hispanic

New Blood (Prior service as AJAE Associate Editor)

The new 13 nominees have not served as Associate Editors of the AJAE.

Small vs. Large Academic Institution

9 at small institutions vs. 16 at large institutions
(government agencies excluded)

Five of the nominees [Henry Kinnucan (Auburn University), Steve McCorriston (University of Exeter), Randall Westgren (University of Illinois), Jeff Williams (UC Davis), and Tom Vukina (North Carolina State)] and two continuing associate editors [David Kraybill (Ohio State) and George Frisvold (University of Arizona)] bring considerable extension and industry-contact experience to the Editorial Board.

In addition, the nominees bring an international perspective to the AJAE. Six of the 13 nominees received at least one university degree outside the U.S. and nearly all of the candidates bring international experiences from visiting scholar and consultative activities.

We are very pleased with both the quality of the slate of nominees in terms of the quality and the diversity they will bring to the AJAE.

ATTACHMENT A

Proposed New Appointments for 4 years Field Coverage (see next page for codes)
Ted Schroeder (Kansas State) Marketing, Futures Markets,
Jeff Williams (Davis) International Economics, Market Structure & I/O, Marketing, Futures Markets, Ag & Food Policy Economic Development
David Hennessy (Iowa State) Market Structure & I/O, Agricultural Products, Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Futures Markets, Prod'n Econ & Supply, Ag & Food Policy
Barry Coyle (Manitoba) Prod'n Econ & Supply, Agricultural Inputs
James Vercammon (UBC) International Economics, Market Structure & I/O, Marketing, Ag & Food Policy
Randall Westgren, (University of Illinois) Agricultural Products, Marketing, Consumer Behavior,
Tomislav Vukina, (North Carolina State University) Market Structure & I/O
Henry Kinnucan, (Auburn University) Marketing, Consumer Behavior,
Steve Hamilton (University of Central Florida) Environmental Economics, Market Structure & I/O
Steve McCorriston (University of Exeter, UK) International Economics, Market Structure & I/O, Ag & Food Policy
James MacDonald (ERS/USDA) Market Structure & I/O, Ag & Food Policy
Rich Ready (Penn State) Natural Resources, Environmental Economics
Elisabeth Sadoulet (UC Berkeley) Economic Development
Continuting Appointments (2 years)
Ethan Ligon, UC Berkeley Market Structure & I/O, Economic Development
Gloria Helfand, U Mich Natural Resources, Environmental Economics
Alan Love, Texas A&M Market Structure & I/O, Prod'n Econ & Supply, Agricultural Inputs
Azzeddine Azzam, Nebraska Market Structure & I/O, Marketing,
Bryan J. Hubbell, EPA Environmental Economics, Ag & Food Policy
David S. Kraybill, Ohio State Ag & Food Policy, Economic Development
Paul Fackler, NC State Marketing, Futures Markets,
Sergio Lence, Iowa St Agricultural Products, Futures Markets, Prod'n Econ & Supply, Agricultural Inputs
Douglas Miller, Purdue Univ Marketing, Prod'n Econ & Supply, Agricultural Inputs
Tim Richards, Arizona St Market Structure & I/O, Agricultural Products, Marketing, Ag & Food Policy
Christopher Barrett, Cornell U Ag & Food Policy, Economic Development
Lilyan Fulginiti, Nebraska International Economics, Prod'n Econ & Supply, Agricultural Inputs, Economic Development
Utpal Vasavada, ERS/USDA Market Structure & I/O, Prod'n Econ & Supply, Agricultural Inputs
George Frisvold , U Arizona Natural Resources, Environmental Economics, Prod'n Econ & Supply, Agricultural Inputs

ATTACHMENT B

AJAE EDITORIAL POLICY

We will continue the current policy of emphasizing manuscripts with a relationship to the economics of agriculture, natural resources, or rural and community development. At the same time, we are committed to encouraging increasing diversity of the scholarly activity of the profession. Accordingly:

! All articles published will be held to the same set of standards. Papers must necessarily have a problem orientation and demonstrate originality and innovation in analysis, methods or application. Research, extension and teaching articles will be held to the same standards. Interdisciplinary research with a significant economic component will be encouraged.

! All articles published will emphasize clarity. The mathematical exposition necessary to develop the analysis should be included in the body of the text with finer, clarifying calculations presented in an appendix for the interested readers. Authors will be strongly urged to submit notes clarifying mathematical derivations for the benefit of reviewers.

! Review articles will be encouraged. These articles should be more than cookbook approaches to new methods or tutorial pieces. They should be interpretive and should offer readers perspective on how the tools, concepts and models in an area (or subarea) have evolved. Review articles are expected to offer the reader insight into the evolution of the topic. We will not commission review articles but will be supportive of their submission.

! We do not advocate highlighting articles by creating special sections for extension/teaching/philosophy articles. Creation of such categories could lead some to impute different quality weights to articles in the different categories.

ATTACHMENT C

PROCEDURE FOR SELECTION OF ASSOCIATE EDITORS

A number of criteria enter into the development of a slate of associate editors nominees. These criteria are presented below with no weights implied:

Quality:

Expertise in subject area(s)

Experience as a submitting and published author of scholarly research in agricultural economics, environmental and natural resource economics, and issues related to rural economy.

Ability to provide high quality, useful feedback to authors and Editors on the efficacy and quality of submitted manuscripts.

Breadth of expertise is useful -- ability to review papers in more than one major subject area

Diversity:

Affiliation:
Academic (Land Grant)
Academic (Non-Land Grant)
Government Agency
Non-Governmental Organization

Geographical location
North America: Northeast, South, Mid-West, Far West, Canada
Outside North America

Gender/Race

New Blood
Has the candidate been an associate editor in the past?

Small Institution vs. Large Institution

Phase I:

Each Editor will identify the associate editor candidates that can offer support for the broad areas of his responsibility and provide strong support to the Journal, in general. The areas are broadly described as:

Natural Resources, Environmental Economics, International Economics, Market Structure and Industrial Organization, Agricultural Products, Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Futures Markets, Production Economics and Supply, Agricultural Inputs, Agricultural and Food Policy, Economic Development and the other general topic areas (e.g., research methodology, quantitative methods, pedagogy).

These topic areas are identified as the "Subjects" in the index of papers published in the December issue of the AJAE.

Plan to suggest up to 6 individuals. If you wish, you may indicate your preference ordering for groups of candidates and your rationale for such an ordering.

As you are developing your list, feel free to contact Spiro and Michael Wetzstein if you would like some comments concerning the reviewing quality of the candidates you are considering.

Phase II:

We may have between 18-22 candidates entering this phase. Once candidates' names have been submitted, an iterative process to a final list of associate editor nominees will be initiated by allowing the diversity criteria to help us get to 12-15 new associate editor nominees.

Each Editor will identify associate editor candidates from the list generated in Phase I and interpret the core subject matter areas each candidate can support. In proceeding in such a fashion each Editor will reveal choices to support her/his core areas of responsibility. Fine-tuning will follow as necessary to ensure scholarly interest areas and diversity criteria are satisfied.