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Babcock appears on Colbert Report

[Posted Jul 30, 2012]
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The relentless heat and lack of rain may not feel like a joke in Iowa, but that didn’t stop Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert from making light of the situation when he spoke with ISU’s Bruce Babcock on the recent July 24th show.

Babcock spoke with Colbert, live via satellite from Johnston, about how the drought will have an effect on a large number of agricultural commodities from eggs to ethanol. Babcock indicated that the recent drought would have a large effect on Iowa’s corn crop, which is a primary ingredient of livestock feed, and would therefore drive up the price on beef, pork, chicken, and chicken eggs.

You can see Babcock’s interview by clicking on the image, or here at: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/416886/july-24-20...

Weekly Media Connections for the Department of Economics

[Posted Jul 30, 2012]
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Mike Duffy spoke with NPR on drought related issues.

Dave Swenson was interviewed by Sue Danielson, assistant news director, WHO Radio in Des Moines, on converting prime farmland to a proposed fertilizer factory in Scott County. Additional contacts:

Grad student Meyer recent recipient of bio-renewable energy grant

[Posted Jul 18, 2012]
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Kevin Meyer (pictured left), a second year Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at Iowa State University, is the most recent recipient of the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF). Meyer will receive three years of financial support for his doctoral studies in the economics and management of bio-renewable energy.

The fellowship is part of a $234,000 competitive grant from the USDA NIFA, and was procured by Department of Economics faculty John Beghin, GianCarlo Moschini, and James Bushnell (now at UC Davis). It is designed to support the doctoral training and research of three individual Ph.D. students of US nationality, each for a three-year period. Fellows will receive multidisciplinary training in economics, with statistics, ecology, and bio-renewable resources and technology as complementary fields. They will also gain industry experience through internships with firms or government agencies associated with ISU's Bio-based Industry Center.

Weekly Media Connections for the Department of Economics

[Posted Jul 16, 2012]
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  • John Beghin spoke with Timothee Donargmaye of Voice of America Radio (its French program for Africa) and answered questions from callers about the drought impact on US midwest agriculture and food prices.

  • Mike Duffy spoke with US News and World Report and CNN on the impact of the drought on farmers and land values. He also spoke with Iowa magazine on the overall economy and potential for beginning farmers.

  • William Edwards spoke with Orlan Love of the Cedar Rapids Gazette on crop insurance coverage for drought damaged corn.

  • Ron Prescott spoke with WHO radio on back-to-school retail purchases.

  • Dave Swenson spoke with Sue Danielson, WHO Radio, on converting prime farmland to a proposed fertilizer factory in Scott County. Additional contacts:
    - River to River, IPR, on the importance of manufacturing to Iowa and to specific Iowa communities
    - Donnelle Eller, Des Moines Register, on a story interpreting income gains to Iowa households using Department of Revenue tax filings
    - Trent Rice, KASI, on the economic impact of the drought.

CVC microloan program boosts small business startups

[Posted Jul 13, 2012]
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A good small business idea with strong planning behind it isn't always a shoe-in for a traditional conventional loan. Five years ago, the Community Vitality Center (CVC), a center of ISU's Department of Economics, led the development of a statewide program called Iowa MicroLoan as a way to kick-start some entrepreneurial small business ideas that might otherwise not have a chance.

"We looked beyond the normal standards constrained by tighter underwriting regulations resulting from the global credit crisis, to see that the person and the quality of their business idea had a workable business and cashflow plan," says Mark Edelman, CVC director.

Weekly Media Connections for the Department of Economics

[Posted Jul 10, 2012]
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Chad Hart spoke with Biz Asia America (CCTV in Chicago), regarding the heat wave and the potential impact on the global food supply.

Duffy comments on strength of local foods movement

[Posted Jul 05, 2012]
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The movement toward local food is creating a new economic laboratory for American agriculture. With a growing number of small-scale local farmers, the result is as much about dollars as dinner. “How you make it pay is to get closer to the customer,” said Michael Duffy (left), Department of Economics. Learn more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/us/small-scale-farmers-creating-a-new-...

Gridlock in D.C. may give edge to renewables, says Babcock

[Posted Jul 05, 2012]
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Advocates of wind, ethanol and other renewable energy resources have the upper hand in the growing battle to overhaul U.S. energy policy, according to Bruce Babcock, Department of Economics. “This Congress seems unable to make a national energy policy. The renewable fuels have an advantage in that they are part of current law, and it’s always easier to maintain current law than it is to change it.” Learn more at: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120702/BUSINESS01/307020017?s...

Marian Heady, wife of Earl Heady, passes

[Posted Jul 03, 2012]
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Marian Heady (left), the wife of Earl Heady, passed away on June 30 in Ames, Iowa, at the age of 93. She played a significant role in her husband's career in the Department of Economics, supporting and nurturing the graduate students who studied under him. Read more about Marian Heady at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/desmoinesregister/obituary.aspx?n=marian-heady&pid=158343459

Weekly Media Connections for the Department of Economics

[Posted Jul 03, 2012]
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Ron Prescott spoke with KASI radio, Radio Iowa, The Ames Tribune, and The Des Moines Register regarding predicted fourth of July retail sales results in Iowa.

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