(From Jackie Kings daily E-Media recap, ISU News Service)

Chad Hart, assistant professor of economics and grain markets specialist, has taken a few calls recently from reporters: John Pocock, Corn and Soybean Digest, about the soybean market and the acreage competition for 2011; Kurt Allemeier, Quad City Times, about food prices; and Orlan Love, Cedar Rapids Gazette, about crop prices and demand.

An associate scientist in economics and staff member in ISU's Regional Economics and Community Analysis Program, Dave Swenson was interviewed by Tom Beaumont, Washington political reporter, The Des Moines Register, who asked him questions about which measure of employment gain should be used to evaluate the likelihood of Gov. Branstad's goal of creating 200,000 jobs and a 25 percent rise in personal income over the next five years. Lynda Waddington, a reporter with The Iowa Independent, also asked Swenson about the governor's staff comments that government workers make significantly more than private sector workers. Swenson pointed out that based on his research using Public Use Micro-Sample data of Iowa workers -- from the ongoing American Communities Survey -- on a full-time and full year basis and controlling for education levels, the private sector significantly out-paid the public sector and that gap increased as education level increased.

News Service was contacted by Laura Millsaps of the Ames Tribune looking to speak with David Frankel of economics about  a study Frankel did on segregation in schools. Millsaps was put in touch with Frankel. The contact was the result of News Service release.