WERA72: Agribusiness Scholarship Emphasizing Competitiveness

(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)

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Annual/Termination Reports:

[08/02/2025]

Date of Annual Report: 08/02/2025

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 06/03/2025 - 06/05/2025
Period the Report Covers: 06/08/2024 - 06/07/2025

Participants

Serhat Asci (CSU Fresno), Chinoso Etumna (Kentucky State University), Jake Smith, (University of Nebraska Lincoln), Jason Liang (Fresno State), Phil Kenkel (Oklahoma State), Annette Levi (CSU Fresno), Todd Lone (CSU Fresno), Sayed Saghaian (University of Kentucky), Srini Konduru (CSU Fresno), Abdelaziz Lawani (TSU), Andreas Westphal (UCR), Wulantuoya Bao (UGA), Desmond NG (Texas A and M), Mallvinder Kahal (Fresno State), Stamatina Kotsakou (CalPoly), Aaron Johnson (Kansas State) , Hovannes Kulhandjian (Fresno State), David Ripplinger (NDSU), Tanner McCarty (USU), James Stearns (Oregon State), Na Zuo (University of Arizona), Logan Britton (K state), Eric Belasco (Montana State University), Jennifer Clark (University of Florida)

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

On June 4 and 5, the 2025 WERA-72 Annual Meeting was held in Fresno, California, on the California State University, Fresno campus. The annual meeting gathered more than twenty agribusiness scholars, educators, extension specialists, and industry practitioners from across the U.S. and beyond to share research, exchange ideas, and explore emerging trends in agricultural economics and agribusiness education.

The meeting opened with welcome remarks from Jordan College Dean Rolston St. Hilaire, followed by a keynote talk from Zachary Fraser, CEO of American Pistachio Growers, who discussed current trends and challenges in tree nut production and marketing. A panel session brought together academic and industry voices—including representatives from UC Riverside, Atlas Almonds, and Fresno State—to explore the intersection of research and real-world practice.

The afternoon featured selected paper presentations on diverse topics such as AI-assisted wheat grading, consumer demand for plant-based meat, subscription-based retail models, and experimental approaches to PACE programs. A poster session highlighted ongoing work in circular economy practices in agritourism, risk management in dairy, market linkages in California’s almond industry and several agricultural technology developments (including Machine Learning and robotics). Attendees also participated in a focus group discussion on the future of agribusiness teaching lead by Aaron Johnson.

On June 5, the group convened for the WERA-72 business meeting, followed by an invited talk from Laura Ramos and Charles Hillyer of Fresno State’s water and irrigation institutes, who spoke on water and climate challenges in California agriculture. The meeting concluded with an agribusiness tour to several key regional sites, including the USDA-ARS station in Parlier, Dave Wilson Nursery, and Sun Valley Packing.

The 2025 meeting fostered meaningful dialogue and collaboration, reinforcing WERA-72’s role in advancing agribusiness scholarship and outreach across the Western region and beyond. A detailed meeting agenda is attached with the report.

The WERA-72 Business Meeting was taken place on June 4, 2024, from 8:30 to 10 am during the annual meeting. Fourteen members attended in person and five members participated virtually on Zoom. Key Takeaways from the business meeting is summarized below and a detailed business meeting minute is attached with the report.

Key Takeaways from the 2025 business meeting:

Approval of Previous Minutes:

The 2024 business meeting minutes were approved.

Administrative Advisor Remarks:

Dr. Eric Belasco provided updates on WERA’s annual reporting and activities over the past year.

Chair Report (Serhat Asci):

Summarized the annual report and key accomplishments, including a webinar with 100 attendees and four industry panelists on student recruitment.

Emphasized continued outreach, NIMMS registration, and publication reporting for the annual report.

Treasurer’s Report (David Ripplinger):

Meeting expenses were mainly food and outreach tools (e.g., SurveyMonkey).

On-campus meetings help control costs; Fresno meeting kept the budget in the black.

Remaining funds exist at Purdue.

Attendance Trends:

Attendance has stabilized around 20+ post-COVID, compared to a peak of 32 in Boise.

Potential future locations such as Las Vegas discussed, balancing cost, access, and partnership opportunities.

Communication Report (Jennifer Clark):

Explored alternative tools to Mailchimp and possibility of developing a WERA-72 website.

Volunteered to lead communication and outreach efforts; focus on inviting new faculty and graduate students.

Expanding Participation:

Ideas included competitions or pre-conference student presentations to attract graduate students.

Consideration of case competitions or business engagement to increase student value and industry relevance.

Hybrid Meeting Options:

Members discussed incorporating virtual components strategically—especially for industry or panel sessions.

Collaborative Partnerships:

Discussion on potential partnerships with other multistate projects (e.g., SARE, Farm Credit, AAEA).

Suggestions included shared meetings or pre-AAEA conferences.

Webinar Planning:

Group approved launching a series of summer and pre-conference webinars.

Focus will include graduate student and early-career scholar presentations.

Elections:
1. Tina Kotsakou was elected as Secretary.
2. Abdelaziz Lawani was elected as President-Elect.

2026 Annual Meeting:
1. Tentative location and date: Logan, Utah – June 3-4.
2. Meeting planning to coordinate with other conferences to maximize attendance.

Special Issues and Publications:
1. Updates provided on ongoing AETR special issues.
2. Members encouraged to propose new ideas and submit research to upcoming collections.

Adjournment:
The meeting concluded at 10:04 AM on June 5, 2025.

Attached file: 2025 annual meeting agenda and business meeting minute

Accomplishments

Accomplishments The WERA-72 Coordinating Committee made significant progress toward its mission of advancing agribusiness scholarship through collaborative, multi-state activities. This year’s outcomes highlight stronger engagement between academia and industry, improved knowledge dissemination, and enhanced coordination across teaching, research, and extension. The specific short-term outcomes, outputs, and activities of 2024–2025 are summarized below. Short-term Outcomes: <ul> <li>Increased awareness of regional food supply chain for the annual meeting participants. We recognize that relevant and key issues facing agribusiness evolve temporally and vary regionally. To meet new needs in agribusiness, WERA-72 continues the strong tradition in building industry connections and bringing the gap between industry and academia. In 2025 annual meeting, industry partners from the American Pistachio Growers were actively engaging in the meeting program through the Keynote Talk on tree nuts production and marketing, the industry-academia panel discussion on challenges, opportunities and talent gaps of agribusinesses in uncertain times, and facilitating a local agribusiness tour in San Joaquin Valley, exploring the production of fresh produce in the Central California.</li> <li>Identification of critical/key research and education issues. The annual meeting continues the tradition of discussing critical issues and works in progress. In 2025 annual meeting, key research and education issues identified and discussed including Water and climate issues in California, Attitudes of Wheat Elevator Mangers toward AI Assisted Wheat Grading Decision Aids, Effects of Households’ Health Status and Diet Concerns on Demand for Plant-Based Meat, Subscribe and Save: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Amazon’s Subscription Program, and Understanding Farmers’ Willingness to Accept PACE Programs: Theoretical and Experimental Approach, Integrating Circular Economy Principles in Agritourism: Estimating Waste and Carbon Footprint Indicators for Sustainable Tourism, Risk Management in Dairy: Modeling Perspective and Practice by Dairy Producers, The Price Discovery in California Almond Market: New Linkages to Almond Trading with China and India.</li> <li>Address the talent gap in agribusiness through teaching scholarship and innovations in agribusiness education programs. Focus group discussion on the future of agribusiness teaching conducted by Aaron Johnson provided several key factors to understand how to improve teaching scholarships and adopt agribusiness teaching programs for changing student demographics. Stakeholder engagement continues to leverage increased involvement through Cooperative Extension with our faculty supporting case study methodology as an approach for conducting agribusiness research, connecting industry professionals’ concerns and strategic decisions with agribusiness faculty and their students in the classroom. New case study opportunities, Fostering Talent Cultivation through Industry-Education Integration in Agricultural Universities: Evidence from Qingdao Agricultural University, China, were presented and discussed in the 2025 annual meeting.</li> <li>Greater coordination of agribusiness research projects, educational programs, and extension programs across states and regions as well as greater and more timely dissemination of research results and information. WERA-72 committee also has a deep culture to be intentional in their invitational process to invite diversity within our meetings, specifically focusing on outreach for graduate students and new faculty across Land-grant, non-Land grant, and HBCU’s to present new research ideas, discuss works in progress, and for professional development experiences, including peer-feedback, prior to attending other national conferences. Professional relationships developed between attendees are evidenced through increased engagement with participants at other national academic and industry-related conferences. Jennifer Clark has agreed to continue the role as the communication officer to further deploy effective communication strategies in facilitating coordination and dissemination.</li> </ul> Outputs: <ul> <li>August 2024 and ongoing: WERA-72 participant, Na Zuo, faculty from the University of Arizona, started serving as the co-editor in Applied Economics Teaching Resource (AETR), an AAEA journal along with Jason Bergtold, faculty from Kansas State University.</li> <li>March 2024 and ongoing: WERA-72 participants, Aaron Johnson, faculty from Kansas State University and Tanner McCarty, faculty from Utah State University serve as guest editors for a special issue in Applied Economics Teaching Resource (AETR), an AAEA journal, on the topic of Designing Agribusiness Education for Changing Student Demographics and Employer Needs. The special issue has attracted 21 abstracts by January 2024 and 12 manuscripts are under review. Publications are expected in 2025-26.</li> <li>In July 2025: WERA-72 participants, Na Zuo, faculty from University of Arizona, Jason Bergtold, faculty from Kansas State University, and Jennifer Clark, faculty from University of Floria, collaborating with faculty from Tuskegee University, North Carolina A&T University, Oklahoma State University, and University of Tennessee, Martin have continue the 2nd <a href="https://www.aetrjournal.org/teaching-academy">AAEA Teaching Academy</a>. The 2025 AAEA Teaching Academy includes a full-day workshop on July 26, 2025, at Denver pre- AAEA annual meeting, and a year-round periodical virtual workshops and webinars for disseminating teaching methodology, theory, and practice specific to agricultural economics that would include agribusiness teaching. The 2025 Teaching Academy has attracted 48 participants as trainees and more than 10 experienced agribusiness educators serving as primary mentors. The trainees are the majority graduate students and early career professionals in Agricultural Economics. For example, 29 graduate students, 4 post-docs and 10 assistant, 3 associate and 2 full professors are among the 48 participants. The 2025 AAEA Teaching Academy is sponsored by the <a href="https://www.aaea.org/trust">AAEA Trust</a></li> <li>Twenty-four publications, nine awarded grants and research/extension reports, and twenty-three invited presentations and outreaches from WERA-72 participants are included in the publication list.  Efforts will be made to develop and synthesize a more comprehensive list of research project outputs associated with WERA-72 milestones.</li> </ul> Activities:  <ul> <li>Tree nuts production and marketing was the central focus of the 2025 WERA-72 annual meeting. Zachary Fraser, CEO, American Pistachio Growers, gave the Keynote Talk on the current state of the tree nuts industry with emphasis on pistachios. Zachary Fraser, President and CEO of American Pistachio Growers, highlighted the rapid growth of U.S. pistachio production, which has significantly increased over the past decade and is projected to continue rising. He emphasized the importance of protecting and expanding export markets through trade promotion, resolving tariffs and non-tariff barriers, and ensuring fair treatment of specialty crops in federal policy. His presentation also outlined key policy priorities at both state and federal levels, including water access, regulatory reform, transportation, and science-based solutions to support continued industry growth.</li> <li>Srinivasa Konduru, professor of agribusiness and the chair of the agribusiness department at California State University, Fresno moderated an industry and academia panel on academia-industry collaborations in California’s tree nut sector. The panel included Zachary Fraser, CEO, American Pistachio Growers, Andreas Westphal, Professor of Cooperative Extension, UC Riverside and Mallvinder Kahal, Grower, Atlas Almonds and adjunct faculty for industrial technology. Meeting participants discussed with the panel on how universities could work together to help prepare students for careers in agriculture from agricultural business programs and increased demand from employers for industry-ready hiring candidates.</li> <li>Twelve selected papers are presented and discussed at the 2025 WERA-72 annual meeting, among which seven were poster presentations. Topics range from consumer Willingness to Pay studies on novel food products, Agricultural Marketing related to local, state brand, and/or climate smart food, growers’ experience, perceptions and behavioral adaptation to climate change and case study on cooperative growth in the Agri-Food value chain. </li> <li>Ten annual meeting participants joined the local Agribusiness Tour, visiting the UC Kearney Research Facility, then USDA-ARS Parlier, Dave Wilson Nursery, and Sun Valley Packing. The focus of the agribusiness tour was the research on the central valley agriculture and stone fruits nursing and packaging.</li> <li>Beyond the annual meeting, WERA-72 participants continue advancing the Agribusiness scholarship through serving editors and co-editors of special issues in journals with topics related to Agribusiness research, teaching and extensions. For example, the special issues of “Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics in the Classroom and the Academy”, and “Designing Agribusiness Education for Changing Student Demographics and Employer Needs” in AETR.</li> <li>Beyond the annual meeting, WERA-72 participants continue leading the AAEA Teaching Academy in enhancing teaching in Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics education.</li> </ul> Milestones:  <ul> <li>WERA-72 committee will continue to host a multi-day WERA-72 annual meeting in 2026.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>WERA-72 committee will explore and identify effective communication channels in further engaging the participants, facilitating coordination and dissemination in 2025/ Develop new ways to disseminate Case Study related information and research project findings involving agribusiness research, extension projects, and scholarly teaching to interested parties. This will include greater use of the project website that catalogs past and ongoing research, as well as the potential utilization of new tools that may provide for greater discussion of current issues and the dissemination of research results.</li> <li>WERA-72 participants will continue working to propose and lead special issues of peer-reviewed journals related to specific themes from the WERA-72 objectives in 2025/2026.</li> <li>WERA-72 participants will continue to facilitate the development of collaboration and scholarly output reflecting quality research, teaching and extension programs in agribusiness and economic development through collaboration in integrated and multi-state work in 2025/2026.</li> </ul>

Publications

Publications Publications Herchenbach, J. S., Briggeman, B. C., Bergtold, J., Shanoyan, A., Low, S., Miller, B. (2024). A Skills Gap Analysis of Farmer Directors of U.S. Farmer Cooperatives. Agribusiness: An International Journal. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.21997">https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.21997</a> Rachna Tewari, Na Zuo, Maria Bampasidou, Anthony Delmond, Tanner McCarty, Joey Mehlhorn, Scott Parrott, Jerrod Penn, Ross Pruitt, and Christiane Schroeter, 2024, “Innovate to Lead: Curriculum Innovations to Meet Students' Needs in Applied Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Programs”. Applied Economics and Teaching Resources, 7: <a href="https://doi.org/10.71162/aetr.206016">https://doi.org/10.71162/aetr.206016</a>. Etumnu, C. (2025). Subscribe and Save: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Amazon's Subscription Program. Agribusiness. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.22052">https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.22052</a>. Huang K-M, Etienne X, Sant’Anna AC. How Do Preference and Perception of Risks Affect Willingness-To-Pay for Food Safety? Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Published online 2025:1-30. doi:10.1017/aae.2025.14 Kim, K., Sant’Anna, A. C.1, & Demko, I. 2024. "Minority-Owned Agricultural Businesses and Challenges with the Paycheck Protection Program: Seeking Ways to Reach Farmers." Applied Economics Teaching Resources. v6, p.1-6 Saghaian, S., H. Mohammadi, S. Eydizadeh, H. Mirzaei, E. Azam R., and M. Asadpour Galougahi. (2025). “Analyzing the Competitiveness of Iran’s Food and Beverage Industries Using Porter’s Diamond Model.” Open Journal of Social Sciences, 13(5), 688-700. doi: 10.4236/jss.2025.135039.  Alizadeh, P., H. Mohammadi, N. Shahnoushi, and S. Saghaian. (2024). "Effects of Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors on Meat Consumption Pattern in Iran: A Demand System Approach", AGRIS online Papers in Economics and Informatics, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 3-15. ISSN 1804-1930. DOI 10.7160/aol.2024.160301. Mahmoudi, M.; H. Mohammadi, H.; S. Saghaian; A. Karbasi. (2024). “Factors Affecting the Waste of Selected Agricultural Products with an Emphasis on the Marketing Mix.” Agriculture, 14, 857; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14060857. Karamian, F., and S. Saghaian. (2024). “Analysis of Barriers Facing Rural Women's Entrepreneurship in Kermanshah Province: An Application of the Grounded Theory.” Journal of Education and Management of Entrepreneurship, 2(2): 1-17. DOI: https://civilica.com/doc/1848579. Reid, K. and M.A. Boerngen.  Technology in agricultural appraisals – adapt, survive, & thrive. 2024.   Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers 2024 Suppl: 22-23. Tibbs, R. and M.A. Boerngen.  2024.  Discovering farmers’ views of on-farm precision experimentation.  Agricultural & Environmental Letters 9:e20130.  <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ael2.20130">https://doi.org/10.1002/ael2.20130</a> Shear, H.D., R. Saha, M.R. Taylor, and M.A. Boerngen.  Farm management education: Insights from industry stakeholders.  2024.  Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers 2024:130-140. Boerngen, M.A.  2024.  Grain marketing simulation improves students’ knowledge and confidence.  NACTA Journal 68, Suppl. 1:80. Lawrence, J.L., M.A. Boerngen, and D.W. Lugar. Evaluating student stress in relation to a short-term study abroad program in animal science. NACTA Journal, Upcoming. Hobbs Jr., L., A. Shanoyan and J.S. Bergtold. “Pet Obesity Causes and Opportunities in the Pet Food Industry.” International Food and Agribusiness Management Review (2024): Online at: <a href="https://brill.com/view/journals/ifam/aop/article-10.22434-ifamr1184/article-10.22434-ifamr1184.xml">https://brill.com/view/journals/ifam/aop/article-10.22434-ifamr1184/article-10.22434-ifamr1184.xml</a>  Bergtold, J.S. and A. Shanoyan. “Assessment of Group Formation Methods in Group-Based Learning Activities.” Frontiers in Education (2024) 9: 1362211. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1362211">https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1362211</a>. Rossi, J., Pierce, T., Zhao, S., & Woods, T. (2025). Understanding consumer values of participants in a cost-offset community supported agriculture (CSA) program. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 14(3), 393–413. <a href="https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.143.033">https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.143.033</a> Zhao, Shuoli, Azita Varziri, and Timothy Woods, (2025), “Consumer Preferences Toward Local vs. Carbon: A Study of Value-added Dairy Products”, Agricultural Economics, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.70044">https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.70044</a> Zhao, Shuoli, Azita Varziri, and Timothy Woods, (2024), “Cage-Free, Free-Range, or Pasture Raised? Consumer Preferences for Happy Hens”, Agribusiness: an International Journal.  <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.21985">https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.21985</a> Codjia, Clement, Timothy Woods, and Yuqing Zheng (2024), “Mandatory nutrition attributes labeling and consumer demand: a structural approach analysis of the U.S. soft drink market”, Agricultural and Food Economics, JAFE-D-23-00450R2 12.15:1-25, May 2024.  <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40100-024-00309-7">https://doi.org/10.1186/s40100-024-00309-7</a> Rossi, Jairus & Tim Woods (2024), “Placing Community Supported Agriculture in Local Food Systems”, International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 22(1), February, 2024. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2024.2318936">https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2024.2318936</a> Hovhannisyan, V., and S. Asci, (2024). “Urbanization and economic growth in China: empirical evidence based on a SIVQR approach.” China Agricultural Economic Review. doi: 10.1108/CAER-08-2023-0234. Reddy, K., V. Paramesha, K. Kumar, S. Asci, et al. (2024) “Econometric Modeling of Tobacco Exports in the Milieu of Changing Global and National Policy Regimes: Repercussions on the Indian Tobacco Sector.” Frontiers in Environmental Economics, 2:1216153. doi: 10.3389/frevc.2023.1216153. Hovhannisyan, V., A. Khachatryan, and S. Asci, (2025). “A Comprehensive Analysis of Urban-Rural Differences: The Case of Food Consumption in China.” European Review of Agricultural Economics. Upcoming. Presentations Herchenbach, J. S. (Author & Presenter). Nebraska section of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, "The Changing Agricultural Landscape," Kearney, NE. (September 27, 2024). Na Zuo*, “Make Teamwork Work: The Project Manager/Private Contractor Approach”, UA Inaugural Teaching Exchange Symposium, Virtual Online, March 26, 2025 Na Zuo*, “Authentic Learning with Authentic Data”, AAEA Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA, July 28-30, 2024 Na Zuo, “Campus Pantry and Campus Closet User Feedback Survey, 2023”, presentation given to the Basic Needs Coalition at UA, Feb. 7, 2024. Saghaian, S. (presenter), H. Mohammadi, S. Eydizadeh, H. Mirzaei, E. Azam R., and M. Asadpour Galougahi. (2025). “Analyzing the Competitiveness of Food and Beverage Industries Using Porter’s Diamond Framework: The Case of Iran.” 35th Annual IFAMA World Agribusiness Conference and Symposium, 22-26 June, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.  Saghaian, S. (invited presentation). (2025). “The Business Role in Sustainability.” Invited lecture, South China Agricultural University, April 22, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Saghaian, S. (invited presentation). (2025). “Industrialization in the Developing Economies.” Invited lecture, South China Agricultural University, April 23, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.  Saghaian, S. (presenter), H. Mohammadi, S. Eydizadeh, H. Mirzaei, E. Azam R., and M. Asadpour Galougahi. (2025). “The Competitiveness of Iran’s Food and Beverage Industries.” The 7th International Conference on Economics and Business Research (ICEBR 2025), April 19-21, Guilin, China.   Saghaian, S. (presenter), S. Yarmand, H. Mohammadi, and M. Dehghani1. (2024). “Export Sustainability in Small and Medium Enterprises in the Agricultural Sector.” International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE2024-IAAE), 2-7 August, New Delhi, India. Saghaian, S. (presenter), H. Mohammadi, and M. Mohammadi (2024). “The Effects of Agricultural Product Exports on Environmental Quality.” IFAMA 2024 World Conference and Symposium, 17-20 June, Almeria, Spain. Asci, S. and H. Kulhandjian (2024), “Almonds and Pistachios: Sustaining Legacy, Innovations, and Nutritional Advancements in California.” 16th International Conference on Precision Agriculture. July 21-24, 2024, Manhattan, Kansas. Asci, S., S. Konduru, S. Pooya and L Herzig. (2024), “Comprehensive Nutrition Intervention Program emphasizing fruit and vegetable consumption to reduce food insecurity in Central Valley of California.” Selected paper presented at the WAEA annual meeting. June 2024, San Francisco, California. Sutherland, M., and S. Asci (2025), “Consumption of Fresh Produce and its Correlation to Food Insecurity in the Central Valley.” 2025 World Ag Expo, Feb. 11, Tulare, CA. (Oral) Sutherland, M., and S. Asci (2025), “Consumption of Fresh Produce and its Correlation to Food Insecurity in the Central Valley.” 46th Annual Central California Research Symposium, Apr 23, Fresno, CA. (Poster) Asci, S., S. Konduru, S. Pooya and L Herzig. (2025), “Comprehensive Nutrition Intervention Program to Reduce Food Insecurity in Central Valley of California.” Selected paper presented at the 35th West Indies Agricultural Economics Conference. July 2025, Georgetown, Guyana, S.A. Asci, S. and A. Levi. (2025), “International Walnut Market Trends and Challenges” Tri County Walnut Day, February 6, 2025, Tulare, California. National/International Outreach Whyte, Anna, Rural Tax deliverables, online at RuralTax.org and Farmers.gov, January 2024-present Na Zuo, Co-Editor, Applied Economics Teaching Resources, July 2024 – June 2028 Na Zuo, Co-Chair, Steering Committee of the inaugural Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Teaching Academy, 2024-present Na Zuo, Organizer, 2024 AAEA Teaching Academy, Pre-conference Workshop of the AAEA Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, July 27, 2024 Na Zuo, Chair-Elect, Chair, and Past-Chair, Teaching, Learning, and Communications Section (TLC), AAEA, August 2022 to July 2025 Na Zuo, Secretary, Chair-Elect, Chair, and Past-Chair, Executive Board of Western Education and Research Activities Committee on Agribusiness (WERA-72), 2021-2025 Na Zuo, Organizer and the Host, WERA-72 Annual Meeting, June 4-5, Tucson Arizona Grants and Research/Extension Reports “AAEA Teaching Academy: Opportunities to Improve Pedagogy and Teaching in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness”, PI: Na Zuo. Funded $40,000 proposal to the AAEA Trust Fund, 2024 and 2025 “Cultivating Impactful Teaching:  An Innovative Agricultural Economics Teaching Academy.”, PIs: Hannah Shear, Jason Bergtold, and Na Zuo. Funded $7,000 proposal of an Association of Public Land-grant University (APLU) Interinstitutional Innovative Teaching Award, 2024-2025 “USAID Niger Resilience and Agribusiness Master’s Program (N-RAMP)”, PI: Mamadou Baro, co-PI: Kevin Fitzsimmons, with a team of UA faculty and Niger partners, where Na Zuo serves as the Agribusiness curriculum and teaching specialist. Funded $6,950,185 proposal to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), October 2023 – September 2028 (Rescinded in Feb. 2025 due to changes in federal government) Alcorn State University- Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center – Sub-Award ($68,347). “Documenting Tech Access and Precision Ag Adoption” Sant’Anna, A.C. (PI). Approved April, 2025. Guo, K. Kiesel, S. Kotsakou, and R. J. Sexton 2024. Five-Year Evaluation of The Hass Avocado Board’s Promotion Programs: 2018 – 2022. Woods, Tim, and Alba J. Collart. “<a href="https://southernagtoday.org/2025/01/02/where-does-my-food-come-from-what-google-searchers-want-to-know/">Where Does My Food Come From? What Google Searchers Want to Know.</a>” Southern Ag Today 5(4.5). January 24, 2025. <a href="http://where-does-my-food-come-from-what-google-searchers-want-to-know/">Permalink</a> Woods, Tim. “<a href="https://southernagtoday.org/2024/12/02/cooperative-grocers-positioning-strategically-to-deliver-community-value/">Cooperative Grocers Positioning Strategically to Deliver Community Value.</a>” Southern Ag Today 4(51.5). December 20, 2024. <a href="http://cooperative-grocers-positioning-strategically-to-deliver-community-value/">Permalink</a> Asci, S. (PI), G. Banuelos and K. Vang. “The recycled use of saline effluent produced from reverse osmosis on the irrigation of different plant species.” CSU-Agricultural Research Initiative-ARI, 2024-2027. Asci, S. and A. Levi. “<a href="https://wcngg.com/2025/05/02/international-walnut-market-trends-and-challenges-for-california/">International Walnut Market Trends and Challenges for California</a>” West Coast Nut. May 2, 2025.

Impact Statements

1. Paper and poster presentations led to new research directions on key issues such as sustainable production, AI in agricultural grading, plant-based consumer preferences, and extension-focused case studies. These outputs promote applied knowledge generation and transfer across institutions and stakeholder groups.
2. Site visits and panel discussions on California’s nut sector deepened participants’ awareness of region-specific food system challenges, workforce issues, and innovation. These learning experiences better equip educators and researchers to align their work with real-world agribusiness concerns.
3. WERA-72 strengthened its network of agribusiness scholars, enabling cross-state collaborations. Communication efforts, including planned website development and webinar series, aim to improve the dissemination of research outputs and teaching tools—making WERA-72 more accessible and impactful year-round.
4. Special issues in peer-reviewed journals edited by WERA-72 members are stimulating national discussion around agribusiness teaching and analytics. These publications are helping reshape academic and pedagogical approaches, ultimately leading to innovation in classroom practice and industry engagement.
5. The group prioritized engagement with graduate students, early-career faculty, and underrepresented institutions. Planned competitions, presentation opportunities, and mentorship initiatives are creating pathways for long-term involvement, strengthening the future of agribusiness education and research.
6. Efforts to streamline email communications, update mailing lists, and improve coordination tools such as Qualtrics surveys and Mailchimp campaigns demonstrate a commitment to transparency and inclusion. These strategies contribute to broader participation and clearer communication of ongoing efforts.
7. The committee is developing strategies to pursue collaborative funding, including potential partnerships with organizations like SARE and Farm Credit. These efforts will help translate WERA-72 priorities into grant-supported projects with long-term impact on food systems and rural development. Grants, contracts and/or other resources obtained by one or more project members are listed in the publications section.