Home

News

Stone and Artz study Iowa communities 15 years before and after Wal-Mart

[Posted May 11, 2012]
in

Ken Stone, an Iowa State emeritus economics professor; and Georgeanne Artz, a visiting assistant professor of economics in ISU's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, have authored a new study comparing retail sales in Iowa communities 15 years before and after Wal-Mart's entry into a community. While host towns showed moderate increases in total retail sales in the 15 years following the stores' opening, the study found that neighboring communities without Wal-Mart stores have also seen their sales largely stabilized during the same 15-year period. Read the full story here by Mike Ferlazzo, ISU News Service: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/may/WalMart

Weekly Media Connections for the Department of Economics

[Posted May 09, 2012]
in
  • William Edwards spoke with Jean Simmit, Agri-News; Matt Wilde, Waterloo Courier; Doug Cooper, WHO radio, regarding the new ISU cash rental rates survey.
  •  Ron Prescott spoke with Patt Johnson of the Des Moines Register, and a reporter from WHO, on Mother's Day retail sales projections.
  • Dave Swenson was interviewed by Bill Petroski,a business reporter with The Des Moines Register, who had a question about increased miles traveled on Iowa highways as an indicator of whether the economy was recovering.  Given the fact there was something of a run-up in gas pr

Prescott, retail specialist, forecasts a happy Mother's Day ahead for Iowa retailers

[Posted May 03, 2012]
in

Ron Prescott, the retail and small business specialist with Iowa State's Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development and Department of Economics, reports that new National Retail Federation data projects that Iowa retailers should see an increase in their Mother's Day sales. Sales nationally may peak at $152.52 per person, which Prescott says is an 8.4 percent increase over last year. Read the full release at:http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/may/mothersday

Welcome Lee Schulz, assistant professor and extension livestock economist

[Posted May 03, 2012]
in

The Department of Economics wishes to welcome Lee Schulz, who will serve as assistant professor and extension livestock economist at Iowa State University.

Schulz brings with him interests and experiences which span issues throughout the meat supply chain. Through applied research and first-hand knowledge with livestock production, he has expertise in topics including animal identification and traceability, fed cattle trade, feeder cattle pricing, animal welfare and handling, meat demand, and price risk management and analysis. His research on a host of livestock economic issues has resulted in multiple publications and numerous outreach contributions.

Schulz grew up on a cow-calf farm in central Wisconsin. He obtained a BS from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, an MS from Michigan State University, and a PhD from Kansas State University.

USDA Awards Grant to Center for Agricultural and Rural Development

[Posted May 03, 2012]
in

The Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) is the recent recipient of a $768,000 competitive grant through the US Department of Agriculture. The grant is directed toward the continuation of CARD's work in policy analysis, with its focus on farm and agriculture; the environment; rural economies; and consumer, food and nutrition. The award also marks CARD’s successful transition away from congressional funding towards competitive grants, showing its capacity to thrive in a post earmark environment.

Iowa State Professor Cathy Kling, interim director of CARD, says that while the recent shift away from earmarks posed some new challenges, the center’s ability to compete effectively for grant funding highlights the significance of their work.

Wednesday's Environmental/Resources Department Workshop with Ruiqing Miao, Iowa State University

[Posted May 03, 2012]
in

Ruiqing Miao, Iowa State University, will present Wednesday's Environmental/Resource Economics Workshop entitled "Land Use Consequences of Crop Insurance Subsidies and Sodsaver," starting at 12 PM in 468D Heady Hall.

Iowa State NAMA Chapter Wins National Agri-Marketing Competition

[Posted Apr 26, 2012]
in

The Iowa State National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) chapter won first place in the association’s Student Marketing Team Competition, held in conjunction with the association’s annual conference and trade show April 17-20 in Kansas City, Mo.

To compete, students developed a business plan and professional presentation to market a new product or service. This year the team marketed Caridea Farms fresh Iowa-raised shrimp. The team was judged by a panel of marketing and agribusiness professionals. The chapter’s marketing team advanced to the final round of competition, ultimately beating out 29 other universities for the first place honors. This is the first time Iowa State University has won the national competition.

Wednesday's Environmental/Resource Department Workshop with Yongjie Ji, Iowa State University

[Posted Apr 26, 2012]
in

Yongjie Ji, Iowa State University, will present Wednesday's Environmental/Resource Department Workshop entitled "Modeling Recreation Demand when the Access Point is Unknown," starting at 12 PM in 568D Heady Hall.

Abstract: Modeling riverine type of recreation activities often suffers the lack of detailed information about the household or individual travel cost partly because we do not know the true access points.

Weekly Media Connections for the Department of Economics

[Posted Apr 26, 2012]
in

Dave Swenson was interviewed by Ryan Foley, a reporter from The Associated Press Iowa City Bureau, for a story on the household income gap between recently more prosperous farmers and typical rural area wage-earners. Foley was interested in how to measure the differences and what the differences meant for cities and public services.

Jacobs takes on new role in cooperatives

[Posted Apr 24, 2012]
in

Keri Jacobs, assistant professor with the Department of Economics, will fill a research and extension position focused on the economics of cooperatives and working with Iowa cooperatives to address emerging issues Jacobs joined the ISU faculty in 2010 with interests in economics related to agricultural business, land-use decisions and agricultural policy.

The Iowa Institute for Cooperatives, which represents 150 cooperatives in the state, has expressed its commitment to support Jacobs’ research and extension program. The nonprofit association currently is undertaking a fundraising project with a goal of $1 million. Jacobs will begin serving in the position on August 15.

Syndicate content