Teaching/Research Interests | Education | Professional Experience

Selected Publications | Professional Associations | Honors and Awards

Office:

382B Heady Hall, Department of Economics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011-1070

Tel: (515) 294-6132 Fax: (515) 294-6644 Email: jmirski@iastate.edu

Teaching/Research Interests

Natural Resources and Environment, Health and Risk Assessment, Productivity Analysis

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Education

Ph.D., Economics, Harvard University, 1975. Thesis topic, "The Demand for Agricultural Crop Chemical Under Alternative Farm Program and Pollution Control Solutions."

A.M., Economics, Harvard University, 1969.

B.S., Agricultural Business, Iowa State University, 1966.

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Professional Experience

Iowa State University

Professor (2000-present).
Professor and Chair (1995-2000).

Economic Research Service (USDA)

Director, Resources and Technology Division (1984-1995; on detail 1990-91). Developed, led, staffed, and managed a $12 million policy research and analysis program in environmental, resource, and technology economics. Major policy and research contributions made in the areas of soil conservation, natural resource management, water quality, food safety, global change, productivity, and technology.

Office of the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA)

Executive Coordinator of the Secretary's Policy Coordination Council and Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture (1990-1991). Worked with under and assistant secretaries and other federal agency administrators to develop and implement cross-cutting programs on water quality, food safety, rural development, pesticide policy, and workforce diversity and to evaluate the economic impacts of these programs.

Iowa State University

Assistant Professor (1975-80). Associate Professor (1980-1984). Taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Natural Resource and Environmental Economics and undergraduate courses in Farm Management and Production Economics. Developed research program on the economics of resource use including energy, water quality, land management and conservation, and agricultural research decision making.

Resources For the Future

Gilbert F. White Visiting Fellow (1981-82). Faculty Improvement Leave.

Harvard University

United Nations Study of the Impact of Prospective Environmental Issues and Policies on the International Development Strategy. Project directed by Professor Leontief to assess the impact of applying environmentally inspired policies to the world economy while at the same time trying to achieve economic development and to meet the world food, industrial output, and energy demands. Developed the agricultural model and database for the study. Consultant (1973-75).

Teaching Fellow (1969-71). Taught Principles of Economics and Economics of African Development.

Economics Tutor (1969-71). Conducted tutorials for undergraduate economics majors.

Harvard Development Advisory Service (Summers 1967-68). Conducted an Oil Palm Evaluation and Projections Study for Developing Countries, and a Quantitative Study of Agricultural Development Under Conditions of Inflation in Argentina.

Northeastern University

Instructor (1971-74). Taught graduate courses in Regional Economic Development, Comparative Economic Development, and Public Finance and undergraduate courses in Economic Development and Public Finance.

Abt Associates Inc.

Consultant and Project Director (1973). Directed a contract for the Environmental Protection Agency of the feasibility of subsidizing federally-sponsored crop insurance and information services to control the use of pesticides. The primary focus was a simulation analysis of the feasibility of substituting crop insurance and information services for pesticide use through the application of decision theory and multivariate analysis to this environmental issue.

Consultant (1971-74). Conducted an evaluation of rural cooperatives funded under Section 232 of the Economic Opportunity Act and other public and private programs.

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Selected Publications
 

REFEREED PUBLICATIONS

Spatial Labor Markets and Technology Spillovers – Analysis from the U.S. Midwest (with D.C. Monchuk, D.J. Hayes and B.A. Babcock), Review of Agricultural Economics, Forthcoming.

A Dynamic Model of Acreage Allocation with General and Crop-Specific Capital (with P. Orazem). American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 76. August 1994. pp.

Understanding Farmland Price Changes (with R. Just). American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 75. February 1993. pp. 156-168.

U.S. Land Prices: Trends and Determinants (with R. Just). Agriculture and Governments in an Interdependent World, Proceedings of Twentieth International Conference of Agricultural Economists, Buenos Aires, Argentina, August 24-31, 1988. Allen Maunder and Alberto Valdes, Editors. Dartmouth Publishing Company. 1990. pp. 755-770.

Estimating the Implicit Price of Energy Efficiency Improvement in the Residential Housing Market: A Hedonic Approach (with T. Dinan). Journal of Urban Economics. Vol. 25. 1989. pp. 52-67.

Dynamic Corn Supply Functions: A Model with Explicit Optimization (with A. Tegene and W. Huffman). American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 70, No. 1. February 1988. pp. 103-111.

Monitoring the Economic Impacts of the Conservation Reserve. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. Vol. 43, No. 1. January-February, 1988. pp. 59-60.

Intertemporal Soil Resource Use: Is It Socially Excessive? (with J. Shortle). Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. Vol. 14. 1987. pp. 99-111.

An Indirect Test for the Specification of Expectation Regimes (with P. Orazem). The Review of Economics and Statistics. Vol. 68, No. 4. November 1986. pp. 603-609.

Effects of Risk Perceptions and Other Characteristics of Farmers and Farm Operations on the Adoption of Conservation Tillage Practices (with J. Shortle). Applied Agricultural Research. Vol. 1, No. 2. 1986. pp. 85-90.

Effects of Rising Relative Energy Prices on Soil Erosion and its Control (with L. Zinser, J. Shortle, and M. Monson). American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 67, No. 3. August 1985. pp. 558-562.

Agricultural Management Practices and Wildlife Related Recreation: Pheasant Hunting Recreation in Iowa (with R. Bender). Transaction North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. Vol. 49. 1984. pp. 325-333.

Obtaining the Optimal Fuel Conserving Investment Mix: A Linear Programming Approach (with T. Dinan). Resources and Conservation. Vol. 10. March 1984. pp. 271-286.

Impacts of Productivity Loss on Crop Production and Management in a Dynamic Economic Model. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 66, No. 1. February 1984. pp. 61-71.

Determination of Income, Production, and Employment Under Pollution Control: An Input-Output Approach (with J. Rhee). The Review of Economics and Statistics. Vol. 66. 1984. pp. 146-150.

Dynamic vs Static Models for Erosion Control Policy Research (with J. Shortle). Journal of Northeastern Agricultural Economics. Vol. 12. 1983. pp. 7-12.

Impact of Erosion Control Policies on Wildlife Habitat on Private Lands (with R. Bender). Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. Vol. 37. 1982. pp. 288-291.

An Economic Analysis of Expenditures on Agricultural Experiment Station Research (with W. Huffman). American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 63, No. 1. February 1981. pp. 104-118.

Sediment Damage and Farm Production Costs: A Multiple-Objective Analysis (with W. Boggess, K. Alt, and E. Heady). North Central Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 2, No. 2. July 1980. pp. 107-112.

Uncertainty and the Choice of Agricultural Pollution Abatement Policy (with K. Alt). Agricultural Economics Research. Vol. 31, No. 4. October 1979. pp. 48-50.

Effects of Energy Price Rises, Energy Constraints, and Energy Minimization on Crop and Livestock Production Activities. North Central Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 1, No. 1. Jan. 1979. pp. 1-14.

Policy Costs in the Theory of Externalities and the Selection of Nonpoint Pollution Policy (with K. Alt). The Journal of Economics Vol. 4. 1978. pp. 159-162.

Insecticide Requirement in an Efficient Agricultural Sector (with O. Dixon and P. Nixon). The Review of Economics and Statistics. Vol. 55, No. 4. November 1973. pp. 423-432.
 

NONREFEREED PUBLICATIONS (Journals, Books, and Book Chapters)

Perspectives in World Food and Agriculture Vol. 2: 2005. John Miranowski and Colin Scanes, Editors, Blackwell Professional Publishing, Ames, IA, 2005, 352 pp.

The Environment and the 1995 Farm Bill: Discussion. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, December 1996.

Agricultural and Resource Economics. G. Carlson, D. Zilberman, and J. Miranowski, Editors. Oxford University Press. New York. 1993. 528 pp.

Agricultural Resource Economics: An Overview (with G. Carlson). Agricultural and Environmental Resource Economics. G. Carlson, D. Zilberman, and J. Miranowski, Editors. Oxford University Press. New York. 1993. pp. 3-27.

Economics of Land in Agriculture (with M. Cochran). Agricultural and Environmental Resource Economics. G. Carlson, D. Zilberman, and J. Miranowski, Editors. Oxford University Press. New York. 1993. pp. 392-440.

Cropland Allocation Decisions: The Role of Agricultural Commodity Programs and the Reclamation Program (with M. Moore and D. Negri). The Economics and Management of Water and Drainage in Agriculture. A. Dinar and D. Zilberman, Editors. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Boston. 1991. pp. 575-596.

The Effects of Commodity Programs on Resource Use (with J. Hrubovcak and J. Sutton). Commodity and Resource Policies in Agricultural Systems. Richard E. Just and N. Bockstael, Editors. Springer-Verlag. New York. 1991. pp. 275-292.

Limitations in Evaluating Environmental and Agricultural Policy Coordination Benefits (with J. Hrubovcak and M. LeBlanc). The American Economic Review. Papers and Proceedings. Vol. 80, No. 2. May 1990. pp. 208-212.

Productivity and Resource Use Impacts of Environmental Regulations on the Agricultural Economy (with R. Shoemaker and E. Ball). The Role of Exaction on Controlling Pollution, Frederick Stoecker, Editor. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Property Taxation Series No. RPR-15. 1987. pp. 107-122

Economic Issues in Public and Private Approaches to Preserving Pest Susceptibility (with G. Carlson). Management of Resistance to Pesticides: Strategies, Tactics, and Research. National Academy of Sciences. Washington, D.C. 1986.

Targeting Conservation Programs: A Discussion. In Soil Conservation: Assessing the National Resources Inventory. Volume 2. National Academy of Sciences. Washington, D.C. 1986.

A Midwestern Perspective on Targeting Conservation Programs to Protect Soil Productivity. Soil Conservation: Assessing the National Resources Inventory. Vol. 2. National Academy of Sciences. Washington, D.C. 1986. pp. 293-295.

Tax Credits As Incentives for Soil Conservation. Technical Papers on Soil Conservation in America--What Do We Have to Lose? Technical Volume II. American Farmland Trust. Washington, D.C. 1986.

Macro-economics of Soil Conservation. Conserving Soil: Insights from Socioeconomic Research, S. B. Lovejoy and T. L. Napier, Editors. Soil Conservation Society of America. Ankeny, IA. 1986.

A Framework for Analyzing the Productivity Costs of Soil Erosion in the United States (with P. Crosson, P. Dyke, and D. Walker). Soil Erosion and Crop Productivity, R. L. Follett and B. A. Stewart, Editors. ASA-CSSA-SSA. Madison, WI. 1985. pp. 481-503.

Issues in Water Resource Economics: Discussion. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 67, No. 5. December 1985. pp. 1244-1246.

Implicit Prices of Soil Characteristics for Farmland in Iowa (with B. Hammes). American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 66, No. 5. December 1984. pp. 745-749.

Micromodeling: A Systems Approach at the National Level. Proceedings of a Conference on Modeling and Evaluating Policy and Institutional Impacts and Farm Firms: Theory, Research Policy, and Extension Applications. Ken Baum and Lyle Schertz, Editors. Westview Press. Boulder, CO. 1983.

Best Management Practice Implementation Economics and Farmer Decision Making (with K. Alt). Agricultural Management and Water Quality, Frank Schaller and George Bailey, Editors. Iowa State University Press. Ames, IA. 1983. pp. 374-384.

Training Cost and Exports (with O. Doering and A. Schmitz). Increasing Understanding of Public Problems and Policies. Farm Foundation. Oak Brook, IL. 1983.

Agricultural Impacts on Environmental Quality. Water Resources Research: Problems and Potentials for Agriculture and Rural Communities, Ted L. Napier, Donald Scott, K. William Easter, and Raymond Supulla, Editors. Soil Conservation Society of America. Ankeny, IA. 1983. pp. 117-134.

More Federal Government Involvement in Soil Conservation. Increasing Understanding of Public Problems and Policies-1982, Charles Beer, Harold Guither, Walter Armbruster, and R. J. Hildreth, Editors. Farm Foundation. Oak Brook, IL. 1982. pp. 66-71.

National Research Council, Impacts of Emerging Agricultural Trends on Fish and Wildlife Habitat. National Academy of Sciences. Washington, D.C. 1982. (Co-Author)

Commentary: Soil Protection: Why, By Whom, and For Whom? (with P. Crosson). Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. Vol. 37, No. 1. January-February 1982. pp. 27-29.

Economic Future for Agriculturally Derived Alcohol. Proceedings of Moonshine to Motor Fuel: A Workshop on Regulatory Compliance for Fuel Alcohol Production. M. Salk, F. Sharples, and McBrayers, Editors. Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Oak Ridge, TN. October 1981.

Estimating the Relationship Between Pest Management and Energy Prices, and the Implications for Environmental Damage. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 62, No. 5. December 1980. pp. 995-1000.

Economic Feasibility of Methane Generation and Livestock and Crop Waste Recycling for a Typical Iowa Family Farm (with E. Pidgeon and D. Peterson). Agriculture and Energy, William Lockeretz, Editor. Academic Press. New York. 1977. pp. 469-477

The Economics of Cocoa Production (with J. Simmons). Cocoa Production: Economic and Botanical Perspectives, John Simmons, Editor. Praeger. New York. 1976.
 

MONOGRAPHS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Energy Demand and Capacity to Adjust in U.S. Agricultural Production, Proceedings of the Agricultural Outlook Forum 2005, USDA, Office of the Chief Economist, Washington, DC, February 24, 2005.

Foreword. Agriculture in the 21st Century--Surviving and Thriving, College of Agriculture, Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, and University Extension, March 1999 (with C. Phillip Baumel).

Summary and Conclusions.  Chapter 10 in Agriculture in the 21st Century--Surviving and Thriving, College of Agriculture, Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, and University Extension, March 1999.

Foreword. Iowa's Pork Industry--Dollars and Scents, Pm-1746, Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station and University Extension, Iowa State University, January 1998.

Analyzing the Costs and the Benefits. Chapter 11 in Iowa's Pork Industry--Dollars and Scents, Pm-1746, Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station and University Extension, Iowa State University, January 1998.

Foreword. Managing Change-Managing Risk: A Primer for Agriculture,Pm-1695, Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station and University Extension, Iowa State University, January 1997 (with C. Phillip Baumel).

The Economist's Role in the Agricultural Sustainability Paradigm. Proceedings of the AAEA Preconference on Sustainable Agriculture, San Antonio, Texas, July 1996

Economic Implications of Sustainable Agro-Forestry Systems. Forestry, Agriculture and the Environment, OECD Documents, 1995, pp. 45-54

Economic Implications of Sustainable Agriculture. Proceedings of Great Plains Agricultural Council, Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 5-7, 1990. pp. 107-125

Investments in Soil Conservation and Land Improvements: Factors Explaining Farmers' Decisions (with E. Nielsen and M. Morehart). AER-601. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. January 1989. 36 pp

Capital Goods Investments and Costs in U.S. Production Agriculture. Proceedings of Farm Machinery Distribution Systems for the 21st Century, An Exploratory Conference. The Ohio State University. March 27-28, 1988. pp. 60-64

Risk Management Research: Is it Policy Relevant? (with K. Reichelderfer). Incorporation of Risk in Analysis of Farm Management Decisions Affecting Natural Resource Use. Agricultural Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. Special Report 821. February 1988. pp. 65-71

Risk Management Research on the Agricultural-Natural Resource Interface: Is It Policy Relevant? (with K. Reichelderfer). Risk and Natural Resources, Proceedings of a Regional Workshop, October 1986, Southern Natural Resource Economics Committee, Southern Rural Development Center, and Farm Foundation. SNREC Publication No. 24. September 1987. pp. 19-28

Resource Conservation Programs in the Farm Policy Arena (with K. Reichelderfer). Agricultural- Food Policy Review: Commodity Program Perspectives. AER-530. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. July 1985. pp. 202-22

Domestic Farm Policy Environment: The Resource Base. Outlook '85 Proceedings. U.S. Department of Agriculture. December 1984. pp. 67-71

Effect of Agricultural Land Use Practices on Stream Water Quality: Economic Analysis (with M. Monson, J. Shortle, and L. Zinser). Final report prepared for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. National Technical Information Service PB83-217836. U.S. Department of Commerce. 1983

How Farm Soil is Sliding into the Pork Barrel (with C. Leman). Christian Science Monitor. November 3, 1982

Impacts of Soil Loss on the Productivity of Agricultural Land (with R. Cruse, H. Johnson, and J. Timmons). Final Report prepared for Resources For the Future. December 1982

Overlooked Variables in BMP Implementation: Risk Attitudes, Perceptions, and Human Capital Characteristics. Perceptions, Attitudes, and Risks: Overlooked Variables in Formulating Public Policy on Soil Conservation and Public Policy. Staff Report AGES 820129. USDA. February 1982. pp. 7-18

Experiment Station Expenditures: State Share and Population Effects (with W. Huffman). Evaluation of Agricultural Research Proceedings of a Workshop Sponsored by NC-148. Miscellaneous Publication 8-1981. Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Minnesota. April 1981

Issues in the Selection of Appropriate Policy Instruments to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution (with K. Alt). Proceedings of a Symposium on Agriculture and Water Quality Improvements: What are the Implementation Costs and Policy Issues? Economic Report Series No. 18, Department of Economics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. December 1980. pp. 27-36

Energy Use in the Food and Fiber System, John A. Miranowski, Editor. Economic Report Series No. 14, Department of Economics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. September 1980. 118 pp

Solar Grain Drying with a Combination Desiccant/Low-Temperature System (with C. Bern, M. Anderson, and W. Wilcke). Paper No. 79-3022, Joint Meeting of American Society of Agricultural Engineers and Canadian Society of Agricultural Engineering, June 1979. 10 pp

Economic Implications of 208 Planning on the Agricultural Economy. The Economic Impact of Section 208 Planning on Agriculture: Proceedings of Seminar. Great Plains Agricultural Council Publication No. 86. January 1978. pp. 75-98

Social Costs and Effectiveness of Alternative Nonpoint Pollution Control Policies (with K. Alt and E. Heady), Ray Loehr, Editor. Proceedings, Cornell Waste Management Conference. Ann Arbor, MI: Ann Arbor Science Publishers. 1979

Theory and Practice of Allocating Water-Polluting Rights (with K. Alt). Legal, Institutional and Social Aspects of Irrigation, Drainage, and Water Resources Planning and Management. Proceedings of a National Specialty Conference, Amer. Soc. Civil Engr. 1979

The Role of an Anaerobic Digester on a Typical Central-Iowa Farm (with R. Smith, R. Fehr, and E. Pidgeon). Food, Fertilizer and Agricultural Residues. Proceedings, Cornell Agricultural Waste Management Conference. Ann Arbor, MI: Ann Arbor Science Publishers. 1978

Energy Relationships for a 320-Acre Iowa Farm: An Attempt to Increase Production of Grain and Meat While Rendering the Farm Energy Self-Sufficient by Generating Methane Through Anaerobic Fermentation of Residues (with R. Smith and R. Vetter). Final Report to ARS, USDA, Grant No. 12-14-1001-597. August 1977

Methane Generation and Waste Recycling for an Iowa Farm: An Economic Summary. Proceedings, NCR Extension Agricultural Engineers' Workshop. May 1976

Crop Insurance and Information Services to Control Use of Pesticides (with F. Ernst and F. Cummings). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Socioeconomic Environmental Studies Series. September 1974. 84 pp.
 

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Review: The Economics of Natural Environments, John V. Krutilla and Anthony C. Fisher, Editors, Johns-Hopkins University Press, 1975. The Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. Vol. 32, No. 3. May-June 1977.

Book Review: The Principles of Practical Cost-Benefit Analysis, Robert Sugden and Alan Williams, Editors. Journal of Economics. Vol. 5. 1979.

Book Review: The Economics of Agricultural Production, Edward Witkowski and Arnold Wells, Editors, Alfred Publishing Company, 1979. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 6. 1980.

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Professional Associations

American Agricultural Economics Association, Executive Board, 1987-1990

Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Board of Directors

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Honors and Awards

Chair of the Department of Economics, Iowa State University, 1995

U.S. Department of Agriculture: USDA Distinguished Service Honor Award for Biofuels Program Development (1993), USDA Superior Service Honor Award to Division for Workforce Diversity (1992), SES Performance Review Board Bonus Awards (1988-1992), Visiting Lecturer at the University of California-Berkeley (1987).

Iowa State University (faculty): Gilbert F. White Fellowship (1981-82), EPA Water Quality Research Grant (1979-81), Resources for the Future Research Grant (1981-82), ERS Cooperative Research Agreement (1978-79).

Harvard University: Graduate Prize Fellowship, George Chase Christian Scholarship.

Iowa State University (undergraduate): Graduated with Honors, Honors Program Recognition, Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Zeta, Cardinal Key, Ralston Purina Scholarship, Eli Lilly Advanced Curriculum Scholarship.

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Last Revised: 08/03/2006 (cp)