Elizabeth Gravitt, a senior reporter with Forbes magazine, e-mailed asking about historical farmland values by state, specifically in the Midwest. She was given information about the Iowa farmland values survey and contact information for Mike Duffy, professor of economics and extension farm management specialist, as well as information available at the National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Bruce Babcock, professor of economics and director of CARD, spoke with Philip Brasher of the Des Moines Register about food prices, the influence of ethanol, and corn prices should federal ethanol subsidies be eliminated. He also talked to Jacqui Fatka, farm policy editor at Farm Futures magazine, about future ethanol policy.

Mark Robison, data desk editor, Reno Gazette-Journal, contacted News Service and University Professor of Economics Peter Orazem asking a question about the implications of the study by ISU economists on adverse effects of its taxes on labor productivity. Robison said Nevada had the least negative tax rate on worker productivity in the ISU study, but soon after the data in this study, Nevada zoomed to the worst unemployment in the nation, where it’s sat for a while now. He wanted to know if Orazem found any significant correlation between the low taxes and high unemployment? Orazem answered his question and also was contacted by WHO-AM in Des Moines about doing an interview on the study. The contacts were the result of a News Service release.

News Service was contact by Howard Schneider of the Washington Post looking for an agricultural economist and an agronomist to explain how weather patterns impact yields (agronomist) that eventually impact markets (agricultural economist). Schneider was put in contact with Roger Elmore from agronomy to explain the yield side and with Chad Hart ISU grain markets specialist to discuss markets.

Courtesy of Jackie King, ISU News Service.