January 2026, Issue 2

President-Elect Seeks Volunteers for AAEA Committees

Committees drive the direction and impact of the AAEA by influencing its activities and awards. Please consider shaping the AAEA’s future by volunteering for one of the committees listed below. Committee service also offers an excellent opportunity for developing contacts, refining leadership skills, and increasing professional networking.

AAEA President-Elect, Titus Awokuse will make appointments to the following 2026-2027 committees in June 2026:

• AAEA Trust
• Awards
• Case Study Invited Paper
• Communications
• Employment Services
• Fellows Selection
• Finance
• Galbraith Forum and Award
• Membership
• Mentoring
• Nominating
• Selected Presentations
• T.W. Schultz Lecture

For information about these committees and a list of their current members, please visit http://www.aaea.org/about-aaea/aaea-committees.

Any AAEA member interested and willing to serve on a committee should fill out this online form. If you have any questions please contact Jeanne Rhodes (jrhodes@aaea.org) or (414) 918-3190 by April 30, 2026.

Announcing the 2026 Fellows Recognition as an AAEA Fellow is AAEA's most prestigious honor. The main consideration for selecting Fellows is continuous contribution to the advancement of agricultural or applied economics as defined by the Vision Statement. Achievements may be in research, teaching, extension, administration, and/or other contributions to public or private sector decision-making. The 2026 AAEA Fellows Class will receive their award at the 2026 AAEA Annual Meeting in Kansas City, MO. In alphabetical order, the class is as follows: Kathy Baylis University of California, Santa Barbara Allen Featherstone Kansas State University John Hoddinott Cornell University Rick Horan Michigan State University Lisa House University of Florida Terrance Hurley University of Minnesota The AAEA Business Office would like to formally congratulate our upcoming Fellows.

AAEA Mentoring Award

The deadline to nominate is February 4, 2026.

Deliberate, purposive, mentoring takes time and effort. Through the process of collaborating with a mentee, a mentor shows a mentee the ‘ropes’ of the profession, helps to identify and cultivate the mentee’s strengths, and opens networks and professional opportunities. To mentor is to commit time and effort. The benefits of mentoring—colleagues from diverse backgrounds staying in the profession and fully expressing their potential—are enjoyed by the entire profession.
Read more>>

Bruce Gardner Memorial Prize for Applied Policy Analysis Award

The deadline to nominate is February 4, 2026.

The Bruce Gardner Memorial Prize for Applied Policy Analysis Award recognizes outstanding impact on agricultural, food, environmental, development and other related policy, based on sound foundations in economic theory, in the tradition of Bruce Gardner. Policy issues are interpreted in their broadest sense. They may relate to either a national or international situation. The purpose of the award is to encourage sound economic analysis of a broad set of public policy issues that provides timely and relevant information for more effective public policy and program discussions. The award is intended to focus attention on important efforts in research, education or public service, which facilitate the policy process and improve public performance and understanding. A maximum of one award is given annually. The award will carry a cash prize of $1,500 and plaque of recognition financed by the Bruce Gardner Memorial Special Purpose Fund of the AAEA Trust. The Bruce Gardner Memorial Prize for Applied Policy Analysis Award Subcommittee is encouraged to generate nominations to assure that all outstanding policy contributions are considered.
Read more>>

Distinguished Extension/Outreach Program Awards

The deadline to nominate is February 4, 2026.

The Distinguished Extension/Outreach Program Awards recognize achievement of excellence in extension economics education programs. Awards may recognize not only individual programs, but also significant contributions of an individual economist to a larger, group program. We encourage submissions from women, underrepresented minorities, and members from a broad set of academic, government, industry, and NGO organizations.
Read more>>

Distinguished Teaching Awards

The deadline to nominate is February 4, 2026.

The Distinguished Teaching Awards recognize and encourage meritorious performance in undergraduate and graduate teaching in agricultural or applied economics as defined by the AAEA vision statement. These award winners will demonstrate outstanding ability and strong performance in fulfilling the teaching mission of agricultural or applied economics as defined by the AAEA Vision Statement. We encourage submissions from women, underrepresented minorities, and members from a broad set of academic, government, industry, and NGO organizations.
Read more>>

Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award

The deadline to nominate is February 4, 2026.

The Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award is given in recognition of the development of professional excellence by persons writing doctoral dissertations in any field consistent with the AAEA vision statement. A maximum of three awards are given each year, and a $1000 cash prize accompanies each award.
Read more>>

Outstanding Master’s Thesis Awards

The deadline to nominate is February 4, 2026.

The Outstanding Master's Thesis Award is given in recognition of development of professional excellence by individuals writing master's theses in any field consistent with the AAEA mission statement. A maximum of three awards are given. A cash supplement of $500 accompanies each award.
Read more>>

Publication of Enduring Quality Award

The deadline to nominate is February 4, 2026.

The Publication of Enduring Quality Award is granted to encourage excellence in publications in fields consistent with the AAEA Vision Statement. A maximum of one award is given each year for a publication with a publication date falling at least ten years prior to the year of recognition. Entries are judged based on their enduring quality as evidenced by impact to the discipline (eg citations, subsequent contributions). Competition is focused on one specific publication by the author(s), one of whom was a member of the Association at the time of publication, and not on the cumulative work of the author(s). 
Read more>>

Quality of Communication Award

The deadline to nominate is February 4, 2026.

The Quality of Communication Award is granted to encourage excellence in publications in fields consistent with the AAEA vision statement. A maximum of two awards are given each year. Entries must demonstrate superior communication of concepts or knowledge in any subject matter of professional specialization (i.e., teaching, research, policy analysis or extension) in agricultural and applied economics as defined by the vision statement.  We encourage submissions from women, underrepresented minorities, and members from a broad set of academic, government, industry and NGO organizations.
Read more>>

Quality of Research Discovery Award

The deadline to nominate is February 4, 2026.

The Quality of Research Discovery Award is granted to encourage excellent publications in fields consistent with the AAEA Vision Statement. A maximum of two awards are given each year. Entries must demonstrate excellence and creativity in research methodology and/or expand the frontiers of applied economics. We encourage submissions from women, underrepresented minorities and members from a broad set of academic, government, industry and NGO organizations.
Read more>>

AAEA Employment Center Survey for Past Employers

AAEA's Employment Services Committee is interested in learning about how potential employers view the resources provided by AAEA with regard to hiring, particularly the Employment Services Center at the AAEA annual meeting. We are seeking participation in a short survey from employers that have participated in an AAEA Employment Center event in the past and potential employers. Results will be used to guide what services are offered at future AAEA meetings. 

If you have not already completed this survey and would be interested in doing so, please submit your responses by Friday, January 23, 2026. Please share the survey with other past or potential employers!
https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4SeNebLyN8EzQFM 

If you have any questions or would like to provide additional information, please reach out to Margaret Jodlowski, ESC chair, at jodlowski.1@osu.edu.

2026 AAEA Annual Meeting
Hotel

Room block is open at Kansas City Marriott Downtown for 2026 AAEA Annual Meeting
AAEA Group Rate: $194.00, plus 18.475% tax and a taxable $3.00 city development fee
Reservations must be received on or before June 29, 2026.

Please book a room using the AAEA Group Rate Link:  https://book.passkey.com/e/51095123

CWAE & Employment Services Committee
Keep Moving Forward: Building Professional and Personal Resilience

CWAE’s Programming Committee, in partnership with AAEA’s Employment Services Committee, is excited to invite you to our upcoming Professional Development & Networking Series event, entitled "Keep Moving Forward: Building Professional and Personal Resilience.”

 Event Details:

• Date: Friday, February 6
• Time: 12:00 pm Eastern
• Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/TyMa2_UUTP2jyXR_Rn2aZQ 

Note: Please register by Thursday, February 5 and use an institution-affiliated email address if you are not an AAEA member.

 Panelists:

• Anne Byrne, Cornell University
• Norbert Wilson, Duke University
• Mary Bohman, Retired research and statistics leader

Moderator:

• Kate Schneider Lecy, Arizona State University

On February 6, please join us for a panel discussion at 12:00pm ET where invited speakers will share insights on and experiences with building professional and personal resiliency through challenging times in your career. The panel discussion will be followed by a 30-minute “Mentorship Mingle” at 1:00pm ET to share the unwritten rules and hidden curriculum of professional resiliency in our field. 

Choices Magazine: Article(s) Highlight

After a Decade of Genomic Testing, Are Milk Yields Being Impacted?
Jared Hutchins and Victor Funes-Leal
Over the past two decades, the dairy genetics industry has changed significantly. While genomic testing appears to have delivered significant gains on the genetic side, these gains have not yet shown up in the national average milk yield.

Interested in publishing in Choices? Submit your Individual, Theme, or Data Visualizations here.

MSU International Workshop
Survey Design and Experimental Methods in Applied and Agricultural Economics

We are pleased to announce the International Workshop on “Survey Design and Experimental Methods in Applied and Agricultural Economics,” to be held from May 25 to May 29, 2026, at Michigan State University.

This year’s workshop features a new and expanded program. In addition to a strong focus on survey-based data construction, experimental auctions, and discrete choice experiments, the curriculum has been extended to include in-depth coverage of survey design and data collection, basket-based choice experiments, and field experiments, with applications across a wide range of policy contexts. Participants will gain both theoretical and practical knowledge, be introduced to state-of-the-art software tools, and design their own experimental applications through hands-on training.

The instructor team includes:

• Vincenzina Caputo (Michigan State University)
• Carola Grebitus (Arizona State University)
• David Just (Cornell University)
• Jayson L. Lusk (Purdue University)
• Rodolfo M. Nayga (Texas A&M University)
• Jeffrey M. Wooldridge (Michigan State University)

We are particularly excited to welcome Professor Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, who will present state-of-the-art, cutting-edge econometric methods for policy evaluation.

The workshop is open to academics (graduate students, faculty, and researchers) as well as non-academics (consultants and practitioners from the private sector or national and international organizations). Seats are limited, and registration is offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more registration information, click here: website.

For more information about scholarships, click here: website.

Please do not hesitate to contact us (vcaputo@msu.edu, carola.grebitus@asu.edu, & decianni@msu.edu) if you have any questions or need additional information!

AAEA South Asia Section (SAS) Virtual Spring 2026 Webinar
"Statistical Discrimination: A General Theory and Empirical Applications"

Abstract: We present a general theory of statistical discrimination which maps to a simple non-parametric test based on distributional decompositions. We apply this theory and test it in several contexts: Black-White wage gaps in the US, statistical discrimination by banks in India, and male-female wage gaps in China.

When: Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Time: 9:00 am Central Time 
Speaker: Prashant Bharadwaj, University of California, San Diego

This virtual session hosted by AAEA's SAS Section will feature guest speaker Prashant Bharadwaj. Prashant Bharadwaj is a Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of California, San Diego. Prof. Bharadwaj holds research affiliations with BREAD, CEGA, CERP, and the NBER. He is currently an Associate Editor at the Journal of Development Economics and the Journal of Health Economics and the Editor-in-Chief at Economic Development and Cultural Change. His research spans topics in development and labor economics. Prof. Bharadwaj received his BA in Economics from the University of Chicago in 2004 and his PhD in Economics from Yale University in 2009.

Register now: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ghXvq3bPQBSA7fRoNDrVqw

*Space is limited. If you can no longer attend please cancel your registration. To register, you must be a current AAEA member.