PC52: The Changing Landscape of U.S. Agricultural Comparative Advantage

Location: Kansas City Marriott Downtown  
Fee: $15
Date: Wednesday, July 29      8:30 am – 2:30pm

Brief Description of Topic:
This post-conference workshop seeks to provide a structured forum for academic and policy engagement on these issues, fostering dialogue between economists, policymakers, and practitioners. The event directly contributes to AAEA’s mission by encouraging rigorous research dissemination, interdisciplinary exchange, and professional development. The workshop aims to: 1. Examine empirical evidence and theoretical insights on the changing determinants of comparative advantage; 2. Discuss implications for U.S. trade competitiveness and domestic agricultural policy; 3. Facilitate collaboration among researchers across sections and career stages; and 3. Develop actionable insights to inform future policy, research, and outreach.

Relevance to AAEA Members/Meeting Attendees:
This workshop is highly relevant to AAEA members and Annual Meeting attendees because it addresses a timely and policy-critical shift in U.S. agricultural trade: the transition from a long-standing trade surplus toward a widening deficit and the associated reconfiguration of U.S. agricultural comparative advantage. These developments affect a broad range of AAEA members working in agricultural trade, policy analysis, international economics, agribusiness, and applied econometrics.

Intended Audience:
The intended audience for this workshop includes AAEA members and Annual Meeting attendees with research, teaching, or policy interests in agricultural trade, international economics, and agricultural policy. This includes faculty researchers, graduate students, and early-career professionals in agricultural and applied economics, as well as economists and analysts from government agencies, international organizations, and policy institutions

Tentative Agenda

8:30 – 8:45 a.m.          Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Overview of workshop objectives and motivation
• Introduction of organizing sections and speakers

8:45 – 10:30 a.m.        Session I: Invited Research Presentations
Recent Advances in Understanding U.S. Agricultural Comparative Advantage

• Structural changes in U.S. agricultural trade and competitiveness
• Empirical evidence on export performance, import penetration, and market access
• Role of trade policy, exchange rates, technology, and input costs
• Implications for U.S. agricultural producers and agribusiness

Tentative Speakers: Ian Sheldon (OSU), Jason Grant (VT), Sandro Steinbach (NDSU), Chaoping Xie(Nanjing Agricultural University). (Each presentation followed by brief discussion)

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.     Coffee Break

10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m          Session II: Panel Discussion
Global Dynamics, Policy Challenges, and Research Frontiers

• Supply chain realignment and resilience
• Geopolitical shifts and emerging exporters
• Environmental and sustainability considerations
• Data, methods, and future research directions
  Moderated panel with interactive Q&A and audience participation.
  Tentative Speakers: Holly Wang (MSU), Janna Fritz (US Soybean Export Council), Liang Lu (U Idaho),Lia Nogueira (Nebraska-Lincoln).

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Break (Lunch on Your Own)

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Session III: Lightning Research Presentations
Graduate Student and Early-Career Research Session

• Short (5-minute) presentations of ongoing or preliminary research
• Topics related to agricultural trade, comparative advantage, and policy
• Feedback and mentoring from senior scholars and panelists

2:30 p.m.
Wrap-Up and Concluding Discussion

• Key takeaways
• Opportunities for collaboration and follow-up research