Annual/Termination Reports:

[08/15/2005] [04/17/2007] [03/31/2008] [01/07/2009] [08/14/2009]

Report Information

Participants

Allen, Albert -- Mississippi State University; Baker, Greg -- Santa Clara University; Batista, Juan -- Industry Speaker; Boessen, Chris -- University of Missouri; Capps, Jug -- Texas A&M University; Clark, Kristal -- Cal Poly Pomona; Combs, Jerry -- USDA-REEARS; Crooks, Anthony -- USDA-RCBS; Dennis, Jennifer -- Purdue University; Estes, Ed -- North Carolina State University; Garcia-Vega, Jose -- Universidad de Monterrey; Gauthier, Wayne -- Lousiana State University; Ge, Jiaoju -- University of Florida; Gloy, Brent -- Cornell University; Goldsmith, Pete -- University of Illinois; Gonzalez, Galen -- Cal Poly Pomona; Govindasamy, Ramu -- Rutgers University; Hine, Sue -- Colorado State University; Hooker, Neal  The Ohio State University; Houston, Jack -- University of Georgia; Jaenicke, Ted -- Penn State University; Johnson, Aaron -- Oregon State University; Kenkel, Philip -- Oklahoma State University; Love, Leigh -- University of Florida; Litzenberg, Kerry -- Texas A&M University; Lyford, Conrad -- Texas Tech University; Markosyan, Armen -- Washington State University; Martens, Bobby -- Purdue University; Martinez, Lourdes -- Michigan State University; Miljkovic, Dragan -- North Dakota State University; Nganje, William -- North Dakota State University; Parcell, Joe -- University of Missouri; Pereira, Filipe -- University of Illinois; Peterson, Chris -- Michigan State University; Phillips, Jon -- Cal Poly Pomona; Rainey, Ronald -- University of Arkansas; Rude, Anthony -- Cal Poly Pomona; Stegelin, Forrest -- University of Georgia; Sterns, James -- University of Florida; Torok, Steve -- University of Wyoming; Turvey, Calum -- Rutgers University; Wachenheim, Cheryl -- North Dakota State University; Ward, Ruby -- Utah State University; Wolverton, Andrea -- University of Missouri; Wysocki, Al -- University of Florida.

Brief Summary of Minutes

BRIEF SUMMARY OF MINUTES FROM THE 2005 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE WERA-72

Dates: June 20 and 21, 2005
Location: Boardwalk Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Presiding Chair: Cheryl Wachenheim, Associate Professor, North Dakota State University

The meeting began with a reception in the Presidents suite. Monday morning was a buffet breakfast. This was followed by a welcome and opening comments by the Chair, and the appointment of a nomination committee charged to fill a slate of candidates for Treasurer, Secretary, and Communications Officer.

The introduction was followed by a presentation entitled Health as a Consumer Value? by Dr. Gerald Combs, Jr., the Center Director of the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, ARS, USDA. Paper session #1 followed with Childhood Obesity: Causes, Consequences, and Potential Solutions by Greg Baker; Impact of Changes in Dietary Preferences on U.S. Retail Demand for Beef: Health Concerns and the Role of Media by Dragan Miljkovic; Consumer Acceptance of Foods Genetically Modified to Provide Consumer-Level Benefits by Cheryl J. Wachenheim; and Its Going to the Dogs: Greenies®, Identifying Changes in Consumer Food Preferences by Joe L. Parcell.

After lunch, paper session #2 on consumers and niche markets included the following presentations: The Affect of Low-Carbohydrate Diets and Other Factors on Food Purchasing Behavior by Jon C. Phillips; Willingness to Pay for Low-Carbohydrate Bread by William Nganje; and Can Niche Agriculturalists Take Notes from the Craft Beer Industry? By Andrea Woolverton.

Ruby Ward next led a discussion of development of research and extension programs in the area of
agribusiness by assistant professors and what this may mean for tenure and mentoring.

Next, session #3 included papers on grocery retailer behavior in todays markets. The papers were Follow the Leader: Adoption Behavior in Food Retailers Decision to Offer Fresh Irradiated Ground Beef by Edward C. Jaenicke; Consumer Preferences and Pricing Strategies in the Meat Case by Christian R. Boessen, Joe L. Parcell and Michael E. Sykuta; E-Grocery Market Coverage: Does the E Stand for Easy? By Neal H. Hooker; and Supercenters and Grocery Sales: A Spatial Analysis By Bobby J. Martens.

A reception in the Presidents suite ended the evening.

Tuesday began with a sit-down breakfast followed by paper session #4 on Linking Industries and Consumers. Papers presented included The Diet Culture Phenomenon and its Effect on the United States Orange Juice Industry by Leigh Ann Love; An Investigation of Traceability Issues In the Hard Red Winter Wheat Marketing System by Phil Kenkel; and Predicting Food Safety Losses in Turkey Processing by William Nganje.

Paper session #5 on Produce Supply Issues and Challenges (S222 session) followed including Returns to Investment Analysis on State Agricultural Promotional Program: The Case of Jersey Fresh. By Dr. Ramu Govindasamy; An Assessment of Direct Marketing Venues for Indiana Fruit Growers by Dr. Jennifer
Dennis; Fresh Produce Supply Chain Trade Practices. Dr. Lourdes Martinez; and Cost-Benefit Analysis of New Shipping Technology Applied to International Tomato and Mango Supply Chains by Jiaoju Ge.

A working lunch followed. Juan Batista led the group through a discussion entitled Added Value through Partnership: Galaxy Nutritional Foods and Academia.

The business meeting followed. The nominating committee submitted a slate of candidates. Each was elected by unanimous consent of the body. Those elected include William Nganje, North Dakota State University, Secretary; Sue Hine, Colorado State University, Treasurer; and Conrad Lyford, Texas Tech University, Communications Officer. Al Wysocki presented the Treasurers Report. Prior to the annual meeting there was $8,313 in the account. Peter Goldsmith led a discussion about the possibility of creating a scholarship in honor of the memory of Max Wortman, long-time supporter of the organization. Cheryl Wachenheim led a brief discussion about the possibility of creating an annual award to recognize outstanding work (research, presentation, published journal article, etc.) by the membership. Members should provide any feedback they have to Peter or Cheryl. The tentative dates chosen for the 2006 meetings are June 18 to 20, 2006. James Sterns led a brief discussion on the desire by the Executive Committee to document some of the early history of the organization, on the need for those attendees who worked at Land Grants to get registered as Appendix E participants, and about plans for next years program. Plaques recognizing the service of several past officers were distributed.

The three-day meeting closed with paper session #6 on Production Agriculture in a Consumer-driven Market. Presentations included Ethanol firm survival in the new rural economy by Anthony Crooks; Value-Added Strategies to Meet Consumer Needs: The Case of Palouse Grain Growers, Inc. by Armenak Markosyan; and Negative Externalities and Industrial Legitimacy: the Case of the Illinois Livestock Industry by Peter Goldsmith, University of Illinois.

The meeting was adjourned.

Accomplishments

ACCOMPLISHMENTS<br /> <br /> We have continued to work on coordination of research, extension, and teaching projects among participating faculty, graduate students, government, and industry leaders that result in the publication of joint research papers and extension publications. We have also identified critical issues facing our industry such as presentation and marketing of food products with particular health attributes, obesity and its role on food product marketing and food product demand, and agribusiness supply channel efficiency. We had a number of presentations and discussion about research regarding issues related to agribusiness management and competitiveness. We have increased our information exchange among participants and others through the cataloguing of completed and ongoing research and extension projects and products on the coordinating committees home page. We developed a new office for communications among the board members. Finally, we increased quality and output of research and extension products through participant collaboration in integrated and multi-state work. <br /> <br /> Work will continue in the stated objective areas. <br />

Publications

SELECTED JOURNAL ARTICLES<br /> Baker, Gregory A. and Michael Mazzocco. Who Should Certify the Safety of Genetically Modified Foods? International Food and Agribusiness Management Review Vol. 8, No. 2 (2005). <br /> Berning, Casie, Stan Ernst and Neal H. Hooker. 2005. Are E-Grocers Serving the Right Markets? Choices. http://www.choicesmagazine.org/ 20(1): Spring pp. 77-79<br /> Boland, M.A., and J.T. Akridge. 2004. Undergraduate Agribusiness Programs: Focus or Falter. Review of Agricultural Economics. 26(4):564-578.<br /> http://econpapers.repec.org/article/blaragrec/v_3A26_3Ay_3A2004_3Ai_3A4_3Ap_3A564-578.htm<br /> <br /> Calum Turvey, Cesar Escalante, and William Nganje. Developments in Portfolio Management and Risk Programming Techniques for Agriculture. Review of Agricultural Finance (Accepted for Publication in Special Issue, May, 2005). <br /> <br /> Cannon L. Stephanie, Allen F. Wysocki, and Gary F. Fairchild. (2004). Selling the Satisfied Customer: A Pioneer(r) Hi-Bred International, Inc. Selling Case. Journal of Applied Case Research. 5(1), 13 pages.<br /> <br /> Christou, Andreas, Richard Kilmer, James Sterns and Shiferau Feleke. Derived Demand for <br /> Disaggregated Cheese Products. Agribusiness: An International Journal, 21:1 (Winter 2005):1-16.<br /> Dahl, Bruce, William Wilson and William Nganje. Stochastic Analysis of Variety Selection and Release Decision. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. Vol. 29, No. 1 (April): 94-111, 2004.<br /> DeVuyst, C. and C.J. Wachenheim. 2005. Genetically enhanced sugarbeets: To be or not to be? Review of Agricultural Economics 27(1), pp 105-116.<br /> Ernst, Stan and Neal H. Hooker. Signaling Quality in an E-Commerce Environment: The Case of an Emerging E-Grocery Sector. Forthcoming in Journal of Food Products Marketing. 21 pp<br /> Fonsah, E. G., G. Krewer, K. Harrison and M. Bruorton (2004) Risk Rated Economic Returns Analysis for Southern Highbush Blueberries in Soil in Georgia. Accepted HORTTECH-00331. <br /> <br /> Fulton, Joan, Susan Hine, Jennifer Vandeberg, and Kevin McNamara (2004) Case Study: A Local Cooperatives Financial and Strategic Analysis of the Evaluation of Potential Merger Partners. Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing, Volume7, Issue 3.<br /> <br /> Hall, C.R. 2004. Impacts of Technology on the Development, Production, and Marketing of Nursery Crops Acta Hort. (ISHS) 630:103-111, www.actahort.org/books/630/630_12.htm.<br /> <br /> Henderson, J., F. Dooley, and J. T. Akridge. 2004. Internet and e-commerce Adoption by Agricultural Input Firms. Review of Agricultural Economics. 26(4):505-520. <br /> http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9353.2004.00196.x/full/<br /> <br /> Klingeman, William, David Eastwood, John Brooker, Charles Hall, Bridget Behe, and Patricia Knight. Consumer Survey Identifies Plant Management Awareness and Added Value of Dogwood Powdery Mildew Resistance, HortTechnology, Volume 14, Number 2, April-June 2004.<br /> <br /> Knudson, William, Allen F. Wysocki, Joseph Champagne, and H. Christopher Peterson. (2004). Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Agri-Food System. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 86(5), 1330-1336. <br /> <br /> Lesch, William C., Cheryl J. Wachenheim, and Bård S. Stillerud. Biotechnology: The Healthy Choice? Health Marketing Quarterly 22(3) (forthcoming).<br /> Lim, Heejin, Julia Heilig, Stan Ernst, Richard Widdows, and Neal H. Hooker. 2004. Tracking the Evolution of E-Grocers: A Quantitative Assessment. Journal of Food Distribution Research. 35(2): pp. 66-82.<br /> Loureiro, Maria L. and Susan Hine. (2004) Preferences and Willingness to Pay for GM Labeling Policies. Journal of Food Policy, Volume 29, Issue 5, Pages 467-483.<br /> Miljkovic, Dragan, William Nganje, and Helene de Chastenet. Economic factors Affecting the Increase in Obesity in the United States: The Differential Response to Price, Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics (Accepted for Publication in May of 2005).<br /> <br /> Nganje, William, Kaitibie, S. and A. Sorin. HACCP Implementation and Economic Optimality in Turkey Processing. Special Issue of Agribusiness, An International Journal (Accepted for Publication, March, 2005).<br /> <br /> Nganje, William and Simeon Kaitibie, and Thomas Taban. Multinomial Logit Model Comparing Consumers and Processors Risk Perception of Specialty Meats. Agribusiness, An International Journal, Vol. 21, No 3 (Summer 2005). <br /> <br /> Nganje, William, Dean Bangsund, Larry Leistritz, William Wilson, and Napoleon Tiapo. Estimating Regional Economic Impacts of Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat and Barley. Review of Agricultural Economics, Vol.26, No.3 (Fall):332-347, 2004.<br /> <br /> Nganje, William, William Wilson, and James Nolan. "Terrorism and the Grain Handling System in Canada and the United States. Current Agriculture, Food & Research Issues, A Journal of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society. Number 2, 37-48, 2004. <br /> <br /> Starbird, S. Andrew (with Vincent Amanor-Boadu). Minimizing the Value of Anonymity in Supply Chains in Hide or Confide?: The Dilemma of Transparency edited by G.J. Hoftede, H. Schepers, L. Spaans-Dijkstra, J. Tienekens, and A. Beulens. Doetinchem, The Netherlands: Reed Business Information, 2005.<br /> <br /> Starbird, S. Andrew. Supply Chain Contracts and Food Safety. Choices. Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 124-127. 2005<br /> <br /> Starbird, S. Andrew (with Vincent Amanor-Boadu). In Search of Anonymity in Supply Chains. Journal on Chain and Network Sciences. Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 5-16. 2005.<br /> <br /> Starbird, S. Andrew. Moral Hazard, Inspection Policy, and Food Safety. American Journal of Agricultural Economics.Vol. 87, No. 1, pp. 15-27. 2005.<br /> <br /> Starbird, S. Andrew (with Vincent Amanor-Boadu). The Value of Anonymity is Supply Chain Relationships in Dynamics in Chains and Networks edited by H.J. Bremmers, S.W.F. Omta, J.H. Trienekens, and E.F.M Wubben. Wageningen, The Netherlands: Wageningen Academic Publishers, 2004.<br /> <br /> Sterns, James, Allen Wysocki, Dorothy Comer, Gary Fairchild and Suzanne Thornsbury. The Cost of Delivering Courses via Distance Education. NACTA Journal, 49:2(June 2005):47-52.<br /> <br /> Sterns, James A., Kathy Manley, Michael T. Olexa, Gary Fairchild, and Allen F. Wysocki. (2005). Observations about the value of a Legislative Internship. NACTA Journal, 49(2), 23-26.<br /> <br /> Valluru, R., Jose, D. and Conley, D. Determinants of Off-Farm Income in Nebraska. Journal of the Nebraska Economics and Business Association, November 2004.<br /> <br /> Wachenheim, C.J. Changing Consumer Perceptions about Genetically Modified Foods. Journal of Food Products Marketing 12(1), pp. 30-44. <br /> <br /> Wachenheim, Cheryl J. 2004. How an Online Course Compares to Its Classroom Counterpart: A Preliminary Investigation. NACTA Journal (December): 20  26.<br /> <br /> Wachenheim, C.J. and W.C. Lesch. 2004. U.S. Executives Views on International Agribusiness Education in the United States; an IAMA Membership Survey. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 7(1): 42-59. <br /> <br /> Wysocki, Allen, Karl Kepner and James Sterns. Rockledge Gardens: An Independent Nursery Competing in a Chain-Dominated Marketplace. Journal of Applied Case Research, 6:1(January 2005):21-41.<br /> <br /> SELECTED BOOKS / BOOK CHAPTERS<br /> <br /> Ezumah, N.N and E. G. Fonsah (2004). Women in The Banana Industry: A Case Study of Tiko Banana Plantation, South West Province, Cameroon, In: Issues In Gender and Development Studies, New Gender Studies from Cameroon and Caribbean, African Books Collection, Vol. 1, Edited by Joyce Endeley, Ardener Shirley, Richard Goodridge and Nalova Lyonga, ISBN: 0-954538-46-3, pp 79-93.<br /> <br />

Impact Statements

1. Coordinated timely research, extension, and teaching projects among participating faculty, graduate students, government, and industry leaders to include drawing on the expertise of members.
2. Served as a forum for industry and government decision makers in management and staff research positions to interact with land grant researchers and extension specialists to share research results and discuss implications for enhancing agribusiness organizations in food production and distribution, the environment and economic well being.
3. Maintained and develop electronic communication methods that facilitate the exchange and dissemination of information among industry, government, and academia in the field of agribusiness.
4. Improved the quality and quantity of agribusiness related research and extension that is produced by participating scientists and institutions. Enhance the effectiveness of coordinating committee participants by facilitating integrated and multi-state research and extension programs and greater access to extramural funds.

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Report Information

Participants

" Ira Altman, Southern Illinois University
" Greg Baker, Santa Clara University
" Brian Briggeman, Oklahoma State University
" Jug Capps, Texas A&M University
" Anthony Crooks, USDA-RCBS
" Thorsten Egelkraut, Oregon State University
" Godfrey Ejimakor, North Carolina State A&T
" Matt Garrett, Cal Poly Pomona
" Brent Gloy, Cornell University
" Cyrus Grout, Oregon State University
" Bob Harris, Alliance Foods, Inc.
" Wes Harrison, Lousiana State University
" Neal Hooker, Ohio State University
" Fabian Jarrar, Universität der Bundeswehr-Helmut Schmidt U
" Aaron Johnson, Oregon State University
" Jennifer Keeling-Bond, Colorado State University
" Philip Kenkel, Oklahoma State University
" Linda Lehrke, North Dakota State University
" Kerry Litzenberg, Texas A&M University
" Todd Lone, Cal State Chico
" Conrad Lyford, Texas Tech University
" William Nganje, North Dakota State University
" Jon Phillips, Cal Poly Pomona
" Sayed (Mehdi) Saghaian, University of Kentucky
" Forrest Stegelin, University of Georgia
" James Sterns, University of Florida
" Cheryl Wachenheim, North Dakota State University
" Ruby Ward, Utah State University
" Glen Whipple, University of Wyoming
" Rick Whitacre, Illinois State University
" Tim Woods, University of Kentucky
" Al Wysocki, University of Florida

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting:
BRIEF SUMMARY OF MINUTES FROM THE 2005 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE WERA-72
Dates: June 18-20, 2006 Location: Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV Presiding Chair: Ruby Ward, Associate Professor, Utah State University
On Monday, June 19, at 8am, the meeting began with a welcome and opening comments by the Chair and Vice Chair, and the appointment of a nomination committee.

The meeting progressed as planned in the program until the next day (see attached program). This included 2 general session by Robert Harris, Alliance Foods, Inc. and 15 papers were presented. Applications of pod casting for teaching were illustrated as well as a panel discussion on teaching tips. There was a business meeting were at approximately 11:00am on Tuesday, June 20, the Chair called the body to order to conduct our annual business meeting. The following items were discussed.

1. The minutes from the previous years meetings were approved as submitted.

2. The nominating committee submitted a slate of candidate(s)??. Each was elected by unanimous consent of the body. Those elected are,
a. Wes Harrison, Louisiana State University, Secretary
b. Al Wysocki, University of Florida, Treasurer

3. Treasurers Report was presented by Al Wysocki via Pod Casting. He reported a beginning balance (pre-annual meeting) of $8,379.31, and a projected ending balance, post-meeting, of $8,153.31, including past registration fees of $$1,020.00 collected in 2006. He also reported that Sue Hines was able to perform the functions of Treasury because she took a new appointment with the Business School at Colorado State University and is no longer maintaining her Agribusiness focus. Al proposed we discuss strategies to sustain a 49 member attendance to break-even for subsequent years. He also mentioned the 80 room nights requirement at the Monte Carlo to enable us to meet at the same hotel in June, 2007 and receive needed discounts.

4. Special Item  Choices Magazine requested themes of 4-5 Agribusiness Finance papers (or in other related areas) for publication consideration. Questions arose about the feasibility of the entire group working on this proposal or delegating an individual to champion the endeavor.

5. The Chair led a discussion to determine the date for next years meetings. The body tentatively set the dates for our 2007 meetings as June 17 to 19, 2007.

6. The Chair reminded the membership that all participants needed to report their research, teaching and outreach activities for 2005/06 to Ruby Ward by September 1, 2006. She needs this information to complete the WERA-72 annual report.

7. James Sterns led a brief discussion on the desire by the Executive Committee to make the 2007 meeting special, marking 20years of existence of the organization. Suggestions were made to bring back the early founders like Steve Sonka and others to discuss the past and future of agribusiness research, teaching, and outreach. The Vice Chair will follow-up on these invitations.


8. Aaron Johnson, Oregon State University, led a brief discussion on travel incentives student sponsorship to the Food Distribution Research Society Meetings in October 14 and 15th, 2006. He encouraged faculty and their students to take advantage of this opportunity. For more information about this, contact Aaron.

9. A similar discussion on student support travel grant was initiated following point #8. The group agreed (did we vote of this ???) that all (or up to 5 students) presenting selected papers should receive $200 travel grant and pay no registration fee. The benefits to the group will be to encourage student participation and help satisfy the 80 room nights minimum requirement discussed in item #3.

10. Gregory Baker announced the possibility of reduced IAMA registration fee for faculty to encourage faculty participation.

Meeting was adjourned at noon, and the final research paper session of the day was completed as scheduled.
Attached is a copy of the minutes from the meeting and the program.

Accomplishments

ACCOMPLISHMENTS <br /> We have continued to work on coordination of research, extension, and teaching projects among participating faculty, graduate students, government, and industry leaders that result in the publication of joint research papers and extension publications. We have also identified critical issues facing our industry such as opportunities for university based research projects to compliment the industry. We also looked at RFID and implications for the food industry. We had a number of presentations and discussion about research regarding issues related to agribusiness management and competitiveness. We discussed teaching and learned from experts tips to enhance teaching of agribusiness programs and learned about new technology for teaching. We were able to network and discuss research and other issues at the meals, breaks and other times. Finally, we increased quality and output of research and extension products through participant collaboration in integrated and multi-state work. <br />

Publications

Sterns, James S. Presentation: "Constraining and Enabling Product Differentiation - A call for Subject Matter Research." A presentation as part of a selected organized symposium at the AAEA Annual Meeting, Long Beach, CA, July 24, 2006.<br /> <br /> Wysocki, Allen F. Presentation: "Helping Your Small Farmers to Develop a Business Plan." Presented at Annual IFAS Extension Symposium, May 18, 2006.<br /> <br /> Wysocki, Allen F. Presentation: Finding Niche Markets." Presented at the Suwannee Valley Twilight Field Day, May 23, 2006<br /> <br /> Wysocki, Allen F. Presentation: "Selling Basics-Communicating Value to Your Customers." Presented at the North Florida Research and Education Center Fall Field Day, November 2, 2006<br /> <br /> Ernst, Stan and Neal H. Hooker. 2006. Signaling Quality in an E-Commerce Environment: The Case of an Emerging E-Grocery Sector. Journal of Food Products Marketing. 12(4): pp. 11-26<br /> <br /> Ernst, Stan, Leslie Stoel, Neal H. Hooker, and Monica Skolmutch. 2006. IT and E-Commerce Use by Small Food Retailers: Preliminary Findings. Abstract in Journal of Food Distribution Research. 37(1): pp. 183-184<br /> <br /> Hooker, Neal H. and Wenjing Shang. 2006b. Using Consumer Information to Improve Recalls. Battelle/John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy Day. Working Paper 06-2<br /> <br /> Hall, Charles, Alan Hodges, and John Haydu. "Economic Impact of the Green Industry in the United States," HortTeachnology, accepted for publication., December 2005.<br /> <br /> B. Behe, J. Hardy, S. Barton, J. Brooker, T. Fernandez, C. Hall, J. Hicks, R. Hinson, P. Knight, R. McNiel, T. Page, B. Rowe, C. Safley, and R. Schutzki. 2005. "Landscape Plant Material, Size, and Design Sophistication Increase Perceived Home Value," Journal of Environmental Horticulture, 23(3):127-133.<br /> <br /> Brooker, John, David Eastwood, Charles Hall, Edmund Estes, Timothy Woods, James Epperson, and Forrest Stegelin, State Department of Agriculture Participation in Fresh Produce Marketing in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee, Journal of Food Distribution Research, Proceedings Issue, Research Updates, Volume 36, Number 1, March 2005.<br />

Impact Statements

1. 1. Coordinated timely research, extension, and teaching projects among participating faculty, graduate students, government, and industry leaders to include drawing on the expertise of members.
2. 2. Served as a forum for industry and government decision makers in management and staff research positions to interact with land grant researchers and extension specialists to share research results and discuss implications for enhancing agribusiness organizations in food production and distribution, the environment and economic well being.
3. 3. Maintained and develop electronic communication methods that facilitate the exchange and dissemination of information among industry, government, and academia in the field of agribusiness.
4. 4. Improved the quality and quantity of agribusiness related research and extension that is produced by participating scientists and institutions. Enhance the effectiveness of coordinating committee participants by facilitating integrated and multi-state research project.

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Report Information

Participants

Greg Baker, Santa Clara University
Vera Bitsch, Michigan State University
Ed Cabacungan, Cal Poly Pomona
E'licia Chaverest, Alabama A&M University
Duncan Chembezi, Alabama A&M University
Anthony Crooks, USDA-RCBS
Cody Dahl, University of Florida
Jennifer Dennis, Purdue University
Thorsten Egelkraut, Oregon State University
LaMonica Glinton, Alabama A&M University
Brent Gloy, Cornell University
Wes Harrison, Lousiana State University
Neal Hooker, Ohio State University
Aaron Johnson, Oregon State University
Philip Kenkel, Oklahoma State University
Greg Konsor, Conagra Foods (invited speaker)
Conrad Lyford, Texas Tech University
Umberto Medicamento, University of Arizona
Elvis Mokake, Arizona State University
Desmond Ng, Texas A&M
William Nganje, Arizona State University
Jon C. Phillips, Cal Poly Pomona
Sayed (Mehdi) Saghaian, University of Kentucky
John Siebert, Texas A&M
Christopher Shanahan, The Ohio State University
Forrest Stegelin, University of Georgia
James Sterns, University of Florida
Keah-Choon Tan, UNLV Dept of Management (invited speaker)
Dawn Thilmany, Colorado State University
Cheryl Wachenheim, North Dakota State University
Ruby Ward, Utah State University
Rick Whitacre, Illinois State University
Paul Wilson, University of Arizona
Jared Wolfley, Texas A&M
Al Wysocki, University of Florida

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary of Annual Meeting:
Highlights of the meetings program included the following:
" A presentation by an invited industry speaker, Greg Konsor, General Manager Grain Operations, ConAgra Ingredients, Emerging Agribusiness Issues and Global Marketing Strategies;
" Fourteen paper presentations by members, concerning a range of agribusiness research, teaching and extension scholarship (selected from a total of 24 paper proposals that were submitted in response to our call for papers in the Spring of 2007);
" Six additional proposal were invited to present posters during the program, 4 of which actually presented their posters at the meeting;
" Three panel discussions, two focusing on agribusiness research topics and one on agribusiness outreach/extension.
The Business Meeting was held from 8am to 9am, Tuesday, June 19, 2007. The meeting was chaired by James Sterns, University of Florida, with R. Wes Harrison, Louisiana State University, serving as Secretary. Highlights from this meeting included the following:
" The first order of business was approval of the 2006 minutes following a motion by Forest Steglin, University of Georgia, and a second by Cheryl Wachenheim, North Dakota State University;
" The nomination committee submitted two nominees for Secretary. The two nominees where Desmond Ng, Texas A&M University, and Jon Phillips, Cal Poly Pomona. There were no additional nominations from the floor and nominations were closed. After a few comments from each nominee a vote was taken and Desmond Ng was elected as the 2007/2008 WERA-72 Secretary;
" Brent Gloy, Cornell University, was the sole nomination for Treasurer. He has elected by acclamation following a motion by Greg Baker, Santa Clara University, and a second by William Nganje, Arizona State University;
" Al Wysocki, University of Florida, submitted a Treasury report for 2006/2007. WERA-72 had a beginning balance of $9,867.90 prior to the 2007 conference but with conference expenses running $3,042.77 over revenues, our post-conference ending balance is $6,825.13. Cheryl Wachenheim raised some concerns over two years of deficit spending and a discussion regarding conference registration fees and expenses ensued. After several minutes of discussion regarding the sustainability of paying for graduate student travel and increasing registration fees the participants agreed to discontinue graduate student travel scholarships and limit financial assistance for graduate students to complementary registration. Greg Baker also made a motion that registration fees be increased up to $200 (i.e. $150 to 200) based on executive committee discretion. The motion was seconded by Cheryl Wachenheim. The motion passed;
" The next item on the agenda was selecting a time and location for the 2008 WERA-72 conference. Several members of the group asked that we consider coordinating our annual meeting with the dates for the 2008 IAMA annual conference, which will be in Monterey, CA on June 14-17, 2008. The argument being that WERA-72 members attending both conferences could minimize time and travel expenses if the two conferences were in close proximity to one another. Greg Baker, Santa Clara University, offered to host the WERA-72 in Santa Clara, CA. A motion was made by Jon Phillips and seconded by Cheryl Wachenheim that the WERA-72 annual meeting be held June 19-20, 2008 in Santa Clara, CA. The motion passed;
" The Business meeting was adjourned, with William Nganje, Arizona State University, transitioning from his role as 2006/07 Vice-chair to become the 2007/08 Committee Chair.

Accomplishments

Accomplishments:<br /> Members of WERA72 noted that the 2007 meetings marked the 20th anniversary of the organizational meeting that led to the creation of this coordinating committee, which was initially known as the WRCC-72. Part of the program for the 2007 annual meeting included a review of the organizations accomplishments during its 20 years. With one founding member present (Greg Baker, Santa Clara U.), and another linked by telephone (Steve Sonka, U. of Illinois), and several others extending their regrets for their absences due to other commitments (Jay Akridge, Purdue U., Hoy Carman, UC-Davis, Roger Fox, U. of Arizona, Bill Gorman, New Mexico State, Kerry Litzenberg, Texas A&M, Lynn Robbins, U. of Kentucky, Andrew Starbird, Santa Clara U., and Michael Woolverton, Kansas State U.), comments were shared about how agribusiness has emerged as a dominant sub-discipline in agricultural economics. Major accomplishments that had their initial catalyst from this working group include,<br /> " The creation of the International Food and Agribusiness Association (IAMA) and its journal, International Food and Agribusiness Management Review.<br /> " The creation of the Agribusiness Economics and Management (AEM) Section within the American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA).<br /> " Masters of Agribusiness programs and/or Ph.D. fields in agribusiness at nearly twenty Departments of Agricultural Economics throughout the U.S.<br /> " The creation of the student agribusiness case study competitions at the annual meetings of both the American Agricultural Economics Association and the Food Distribution Research Society (approximately 12 years and 8 years running, respectively).<br /> Specific accomplishments for the reporting period include the successful completion of our coordinating meeting, as noted above. With 24 proposals submitted, and with 35 attending the conference (with an additional 40 others on the organizations listserv), the WERA72 continues to serve the vital function of linking agribusiness scholars. This is particularly important as many committee participants still have little support within their academic home departments, often being the only agribusiness scholar at their schools, despite the emerging importance of agribusiness as a sub-discipline within agricultural economics. <br /> It should be noted that IAMA with its international focus (and annual meetings typically outside the U.S.), often is not an accessible outlet or resource for WERA72 members, who rely on the WERA72 annual meeting to network with other agribusiness scholars and to learn about cutting edge research, teaching and outreach in agribusiness.<br /> In addition to the annual meeting, members presented agribusiness-focused research findings at the annual meetings of the Western Agricultural Economics Association, the Southern Agricultural Economics Association, the American Agricultural Economics Association, the Food Distribution and Research Society, and two members participated in an international forum on Innovation and System Dynamics in Food Networks in Innsbruck, Austria in February 2007. Many members also serve as thesis and dissertation committee chairs and members for graduate students conducting agribusiness-focused research.<br />

Publications

Impact Statements

1. 1. Continued to provide an accessible and mentoring environment for junior faculty and graduate students in agribusiness. Four graduate students presented papers at the annual meeting. Over the years, this has been an important role of the WERA72. For example, several of WERA72s current officers gave early career professional presentations at a WERA72 annual meeting, either as a graduate student or as a newly hired assistant professor.
2. 2. Continued to link university faculty with government agency personnel and industry leaders. The program at the annual meeting once again included an invited speaker from industry and one presentation by an USDA staff member. The WERA72 leadership has maintained this practice for many years now, and it is committed to continuing to use the annual meeting to facilitate these linkages.
3. 3. More generally, the WERA72 continues to facilitate the coordination and development of timely research, extension, and teaching projects among participating faculty, graduate students, government, and industry leaders, creating a pool of shared expertise in general area of agribusiness scholarship.
4. 4. Maintained and further developed our electronic communication methods, regularly using the organizations listserv to communicate timely announcements, including job postings, research grant opportunities, and calls for paper proposals with an agribusiness focus. Past presentations have also been posted on the organizations webpage, providing an institutional depository of past agribusiness scholarship.
5. 5. Improved the quality and quantity of agribusiness research, teaching and extension that is produced by participating members, as well as fostering integrated and multi-state projects among WERA72 participants.

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Report Information

Participants

Jim Lugg, Executive Vice President for Food Safety and Quality, Fresh Express(invited speaker)
Greg Baker, Santa Clara University
Vera Bitsch, Michigan State University
Al Wysocki, University of Florida
Anthony Crooks, USDA-RCBS
Brent Gloy, Cornell University
Jennifer Dennis, Purdue University
Wes Harrison, Lousiana State University
Aaron Johnson, University of Idaho
Heather C. Jonhson, University of Idaho
Elvis Mokake, Arizona State University
Desmond Ng, Texas A&M
William Nganje, Arizona State University
Ruby Ward, Utah State University
Ira Altman, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Tom Johnson, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Lisa House, University of Florida
Juan Batista, University of Florida
Wanki moon, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Dennis M. Conley, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Rich and Dar Knipe, University of Illinois
Tim Woods, University of Kentucky
Ken Hood, Mississippi State University
Nadezhda K. Novotorova, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Michael A. Mazzocco, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Renee Hugner, Arizona State University
Jessica Robinson, Arizona State University
Sayed Saghaian, University of Kentucky
Lucia Ono, University of Kentucky
Robert A. Collins, Santa Clara University
Kathryn Olson, University of Florida
Siny Joseph, University of Massachusetts
Nathalie Lavoie, University of Massachusetts
Pete D. Goldsmith, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Lisa Schapira, Texas A&M University
Kerry Litzenberg, Texas A&M University
Richard Steffen, Illinois State University
Patrick D. ORourke, Illinois State University
Andrew Starbird, Santa Clara University
Vincent Amanor-Boadu, Kansas State University
Winifred Scott, Arizona State University
Dragan Miljkovic, North Dakota State University
Jonathan Shephard, University of Kentucky
Glen Whipple, USDA/WERA-72 Liason Officer

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary of Annual Meeting:
Highlights of the meeting's program included the following:
" A presentation by an invited industry speaker, Jim Lugg, Executive Vice President for Food Safety and Quality, Fresh Express, -Emerging Food Safety Challenges-;
" Eighteen paper presentations by members, concerning a range of agribusiness research, teaching and extension scholarship (selected from a total of 30 paper proposals that were submitted in response to our call for papers in the Spring of 2008);
" Four additional proposal were invited to present posters during the program;
" Three panel discussions, two focusing on agribusiness research topics and one on agribusiness outreach/extension.
The Business Meeting was held from 8am to 9am, Friday, June 20, 2008. The meeting was chaired by William Nganje, Arizona State University with R. Wes Harrison, Louisiana State University, serving as Vice Chair, and Desmond Ng as Secretary. Highlights from this meeting included the following:

The 2008 WERA-72 annual business meeting was called to order at 8:00am on Friday, June 20th, 2008
Old Business Items
1. The first order of business was the approval of 2007 minutes following a motion by Greg Baker, Santa Clara University and Desmond Ng, Texas A&M University.
2. Registration fee to increase from $150 to $200 for next year's meeting was discussed. Members have agreed that such an increased will be made at the discretion of the executive officers.
3. Graduate students with accepted paper presentations were to be exempt from registration fees.
4. A proposal for a memorial fund for deceased members was submitted by Kerry Litzenberg, Student travel scholarships of amount $200 would be named after this memorial fund. The memorial fund recognizes past members who offered significant contributions to WERA-72. Past members identified were Vernon E. Schneider, Texas A&M University and Max Wortman, Iowa State University. The memorial fund proposal was discussed and amendments were suggested and adopted by Kerry Litzenberg. A motion by Kerry Litzenberg, Texas A&M University and seconded by Patrick O'Rourke, Illinois State University to approve the amended proposal was made. The motion was passed (see Appendices 1, 2 & 3).

New Business Items
5. For new business items, the first agenda was the selection of the time and location of 2009 WERA conference. Discussion had followed on the alternative locations in which Santa Clara and Las Vegas were considered. In presenting the Treasury report, Brent Gloy, Cornell University, provided discussion on the estimated balance for the 2008 meetings at Santa Clara University with a projected ending balance of $7,202.19 or approximately a net gain of $63 / person. An estimated net balance for a Las Vegas meeting was projected at a net cost of $159.64 / person. Discussion followed in which some members, especially those from the Eastern Regions, had expressed concern over the higher travel costs to Santa Clara. Patrick O'Rourk, Illinois State University, had made the motion to move the 2009 meeting to Las Vegas for June 7-9, while the 2010 meeting will be held in Santa Clara. The date for the 2010 meeting will determined at a later date. Motion was seconded by Greg Baker, Santa Clara University. Motion was approved.
6. The nomination committee for secretary - consisting of Drs. Kerry Litzenberg, Texas A&M University, Dennis Conley, University of Nebraska and Ruby Ward, Utah State University, nominated Tim Woods, University of Kentucky, for secretary. No additional nominations were presented from the floor and the nominations were closed. Nomination of Tim Woods as Secretary was followed by a motion by Brent Gloy, Cornell University, and Aaraon Johnson, University of Idaho. A vote was taken and Tim Woods was elected as the 2008/2009 WERA-72 Secretary
7. Brent Gloy, Cornell University, presented the Treasurer's report (see attachments). Overall report indicates a good financial standing with a positive estimated ending balance of $7,202.19.
8. For the development of the annual report, members' annual publication record was requested by Chair, William Nganje, Arizona State University. Reminders of such a request were to follow.
9. A plan to renew the WERA-72 proposal is due in 2009. Members are called upon to submit emerging research, teaching or extension related issues for the development of this plan. Details of this plan will be discussed and developed by the executive team.
10. Presented paper submissions had been requested to be submitted to Agecon search.
11. Other Matters: Denise Conley, University of Nebraska, had suggested that other regional meetings may be considered to be held in conjunction with WERA-72
12. For the WERA-72 2008 meetings, there were 37 attendees. Approximately, there were 27 faculty, 7 graduate students and 3 from government. Their names and affiliations are contained in the attachment titled WERA-72 2008 Final totals.


Appendix 1
Vernon E. Schneider - WERA-72 Graduate Student Travel Grant

Vernon E. Schneider, a 1963 Ph.D graduate form Oregon State University, was an early pioneer in agribusiness teaching and research. He is remembered as an outstanding teacher, an innovator in agribusiness curriculum development, and a visionary leader in international agribusiness relations. Schneider joined the Agricultural Economics Department at Texas A&M in 1973 where he was a faculty member and distinguished professor until his death in 1994. While at Texas A&M, Schneider taught several graduate and undergraduate course emphasizing agribusiness management and was a member of over 175 Ph.D, M.S. and Master of Agriculture graduate committees. Prior to joining the faculty at Texas A&M, Schneider served as staff economist to the National Commission on Food Marketing, Director of the Agricultural Research Center at Stanford Research Institute, and as president of the American Institute of Cooperation.

Dr. Schneider was a teacher and a leader in the development of agribusiness management educational programs. As a teacher, his primary focus was finding ways to link his students to agribusiness industries. He organized more than 19 field study tours to California, Washington, D.C., New York City and Mexico. He established internships and cooperative education programs with agribusinesses across the country and worked closely with agribusiness employers to place students. In 1987 and 1989, Schneider was the key organizer of a White House conference on agribusiness education to bring together educators, government officials and industry representatives to focus on agribusiness educational needs and program development. In addition to helping form the WERA-72 group (earlier called WRCC-72 as a Western Coordinating Committee), he also envisioned an international association to further the exchange of ideas among agribusiness professionals and educators around the world. Through his leadership, the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) was chartered and has grown to more than 1200 members from nearly 50 countries.

Vern Schneider was highly committed to facilitating development of young agribusiness faculty and would be proud to have a WERA-72 travel grant for graduate students named in his honor.



Appendix 2
Max S. Wortman, Jr. - WERA-72 Graduate Student Travel Grant

Max S. Wortman, Jr. was early adopter of case study methods in business education and a strong advocate of rural entrepreneurship as a path to sustainable economic development. He came to the study of agribusiness management by an unusual route. He received his BS in Civil Engineering in 1956 from Iowa State University and, in 1962, he received his Ph.D. in Business Administration (with specializations in industrial relations, management, labor economics, and statistics) from the University of Minnesota.

He went on to teach management at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, the University of Massachusetts, the U.S. Navy Postgraduate School, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Iowa. From 1981 to 1988, Professor Wortman was the William B. Stokely chair in management at the University of Tennessee. In 1988 he became a Distinguished Professor of Management at Iowa State University, and in 2002 he was elected president of the Iowa State Faculty Senate. He passed away suddenly in 2005.

Professor Wortman spent nearly 50 years amassing an impressive record of scholarship and community service. He published over 150 article and proceedings, nine books, and consulted or presented in more than 10 countries. He was the founding editor of the Academy of Management Review and was elected a fellow of the Academy of Management, the North American Case Research Association, the Institute for Certified Professional Managers, and the Decision Sciences Institute. In 2004, Professor Wortman received the first Lifetime Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship from the US Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), the premier organization for entrepreneurship education in the US.

As a founding member of WERA-72, Professor Wortman was equally well known for his challenging questions and his unfaltering support of young researchers. He befriended, encouraged, supported, and frightened thousands of colleagues and students during his half-century in business education. A WERA-72 Graduate Student Travel Grant named in his honor is a fitting tribute to his contributions to our committee.

Appendix 3
Proposal for Memorial of Deceased Contributors to WERA-72 submitted by Drs. Kerry Litzenberg and Andrew Starbird at 2008 Meetings at Santa Clara University on June 20th, 2008

WERA-72 Honoring our Past (HOP) Student Travel Scholarship Memorial Fund
Several former members of WERA-72 have made significant contributions to the creation and development of the professional activities of WERA-72. The purpose of this resolution is to provide a mechanism to honor these past members. This resolution establishes the process to create and maintain this honoring of our past members. Outlined bellow is the process to create these honors. Grants in the name of the HOP in the amount of $200 will be given to graduate students presenting papers at the annual WERA-72 meetings.
Originations of honoring our Past Memorials
Any past members of WERA-72 who is deceased may be honored by this designation by the following:
1) A written nomination of the person to include a paragraph about the persons professional career and contributions to WERA-72.
2) An original contribution of $250.
3) Annual contributions of at least $200. If the balance in any honorarium account drops below $250, no grant would be made for that year.
4) Selection of the grant to be decided by the executive committee.
5) When travel grants are awarded to graduate students from an HOP subaccount (i.e. in someone's name) the graduate student should be informed of their "namesake" when the travel grant is made and the paragraph about the HOP be sent to the graduate student.

Accomplishments

Accomplishments:<br /> Members of WERA-72 noted that the 2008 meetings marked the 21th anniversary of the organizational meeting that led to the creation of this coordinating committee, which was initially known as the WRCC-72. Agribusiness has emerged as a dominant sub-discipline in agricultural economics. Major accomplishments have been made to address emerging agribusiness issues; food safety/defense, business and financial risks, international supply chain issues, consumer demand for healthy foods, etc. The Association continues to work on plans to,<br /> " Improve the collaboration with the International Food and Agribusiness Association (IAMA) and its journal, International Food and Agribusiness Management Review.<br /> " Create an Agribusiness Economics and Management (AEM) Section within the American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA).<br /> " Expand Masters of Agribusiness programs and/or Ph.D. fields in agribusiness, with about twenty Departments of Agricultural Economics throughout the U.S., currently.<br /> " Facilitate student participation and development of agribusiness.<br /> <br /> Specific accomplishments for the reporting period include the successful completion of our coordinating meeting, as noted above. With 30 proposals submitted, and with 37 attending the conference (with an additional 40 others on the organization's listserv), the WERA-72 continues to serve the vital function of linking agribusiness scholars. This is particularly important as many committee participants still have little support within their academic home departments, often being the only agribusiness scholar at their schools, despite the emerging importance of agribusiness as a sub-discipline within agricultural economics. <br /> <br /> It should be noted that IAMA with its international focus (and annual meetings typically outside the U.S.), often is not an accessible outlet or resource for WERA-72 members, who rely on the WERA-72 annual meeting to network with other agribusiness scholars and to learn about cutting edge research, teaching and outreach in agribusiness.<br /> <br /> In addition to the annual meeting, members presented agribusiness-focused research findings at the annual meetings of the Western Agricultural Economics Association, the Southern Agricultural Economics Association, the American Agricultural Economics Association, and the Food Distribution and Research Society. Many members also serve as thesis and dissertation committee chairs and members for graduate students conducting agribusiness-focused research.<br /> <br />

Publications

" Baker, G., Wysocki, A. F., House, L. O. Fostering Collaboration between Industry and Universities: The View from the Corner Office. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 11(3), 57-80.<br /> <br /> " Baker, G., Hansen, K. O. Greene Gardens. To appear in International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. <br /> <br /> " Ng, D. 2008. "Understanding the Entrepreneurship of Social Networks and Market Dynamics". Journal of Chain and Network Science (Forthcoming).<br /> <br /> " Ng, D, Westgren, R., Sonka, S. 2008. "Competitive Blind Spots in an Institutional Field". Strategic Management Journal (Forthcoming) <br /> <br /> <br /> " Ng, D. 2008. "Structural Change in Food Supply Chains", International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, Vol. 11, Issue 2. pp 17-48.<br /> <br /> " Nganje, William, Cheryl Wacheinhem and William Lesch. "Multinomial Logit Models Evaluating Perceived Risks and Consumption of GM Foods." Paper Accepted for Publication, Food Distribution Research, November, 2008.<br /> <br /> " Onyango, Benjamin, Dragan Miljkovic, William Hallman, William Nganje, Sarah Coundry, and Cara Cuite: "Food Recalls and Food Safety Perceptions: The September 2006 Spinach Recall Case," Journal of Agribusiness, Accepted for Publication on October 3, 2008, In Press.<br /> <br /> " Miljkovic, Dragan, William Nganje, and Benjamin Onyango. "Offsetting Behavior and the Benefits of Food Safety Regulation" Paper Accepted for Publication, Journal of Food Safety, December 9th, 2007, In Press.<br /> <br /> " Rene hughner, Jill K. Maher, Nancy Childs and William Nganje. "Fish: Friend or Foe? Food policy and subpopulation warnings for consumers." Food policy, 2008. Policy (2008), doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2008.09.002<br /> <br /> " William Nganje, Vicki Bier, Hoa Han, and Lorna Zack. "Models of Interdependent Security along the Milk Supply Chain." Proceeding Issue, American Journal of Agricultural Economic, 90(Number 5, 2008):1265-1271.<br /> <br /> " Miljkovic, Dragan, William Nganje, and Elvis Ndembe. "Offsetting Behavior: Consumers Response to Food Safety Policies." Choices, 3rd Quarter 2008 23(3):1-7.<br /> <br /> " William E. Nganje, Simeon Kaitibie, Emmanuel Acquah, Cheryl Wachenheim and Gretchen Johnson. "Price Premium for Bread Marketed as Low-Carbohydrates Bread. Food Distribution Research." July, 2008, Vol. XXXIX (2):66-76.<br /> <br /> " Miljkovic, Dragan and William Nganje "Economic factors Affecting the Increase in Obesity in the United States: A Myopic Addiction Model." Agricultural Economics, 38 (2008):375-384. <br /> <br /> " Nganje, William, Robert Hearne, Cole Gustafson and Michael Orth. "Farmers' Preferences for Alternative Crop and Health Insurance Subsidies." Review of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 30, No. 2 (Summer):333-351, 2008.<br /> <br /> " Miljkovic, Dragan, William Nganje, and Helene de Chastenet "Economic factors Affecting the Increase in Obesity in the United States: A Differential Response to Price" Food Policy, Vol. 33/1 pp 48-60, 2008. <br /> <br /> " Kelley, K.M. 2008. Implementing a customer loyalty program. 2008 Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention, pgs. 54-55.<br /> <br /> " Kelley, K.M. 2008. Creating an e-mail marketing program to build your business. The Pennsylvania State University Farm Management Web site < http://farmmanagement.aers.psu.edu/ValueAddedMrkt.htm><br /> <br /> " Kelley, K.M. 2008. Creating and hosting events at your agribusiness: Providing entertainment, helping families build memories, and increasing sales. The Pennsylvania State University Farm Management Web site < http://farmmanagement.aers.psu.edu/ValueAddedMrkt.htm><br /> <br /> " Kelley, K.M. 2008. Learning about your customer, developing consumer segments, choosing goods and services that appeal. The Pennsylvania State University Farm Management Web site < http://farmmanagement.aers.psu.edu/ValueAddedMrkt.htm><br /> <br /> " Harbor, A.L., M.A. Martin, and J.T. Akridge. "Assessing Input brand Loyalty among U.S. Agricultural Producers". International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. Vol. 11, Issue 1, 2008, pp. 17-34.<br /> <br /> " Gray, A, M. Roucan-Kane, and J.T. Akridge. "The Role of Price in Producers Input Purchase Decisions". Proceedings, 2008 Symposium of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, Monterrey, California, June 14-17, 2008. http://dev.ifama.org/library.asp?collection=2008_monterey&volume=symposium_presentation_files/1078_paper.pdf.<br /> <br /> " Ubilava, D. and J.T. Akridge. "Management of Agribusiness Services: Precision Service Offerings and Profitability of Retail Crop Input Dealers." Proceedings (Selected Poster), 2008 Symposium of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, Monterrey, California, June 14-17, 2008. http://dev.ifama.org/library.asp?collection=2008_monterey&volume=symposium_presentation_files/1085_poster.pdf<br /> <br /> " Shadbolt, N., G. Baker, and J.T. Akridge. "Internationalisation and the Challenges it Creates to Agribusiness Executive Education." Proceedings (Selected Poster), 2008 Symposium of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, Monterrey, California, June 14-17, 2008. http://dev.ifama.org/library.asp?collection=2008_monterey&volume=symposium_presentation_files/1113_poster.pdf<br /> <br /> " Whipker, L.D. and J.T. Akridge. "2008 Precision Agricultural Services Dealership Survey Results." Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, Working Paper No. 08-XX, September 2008. XX pp.<br /> <br /> " Foltz, J. and J.T. Akridge. "Do You Make the Grade? A Report Card for Your Feed and Grain Business - Part II." Feed & Grain. XX/XX 2008, pp. XX-XX.<br /> <br /> " Akridge, J.T. and M. Marshall. "Hanging On to Talent." CropLife, March 2008, pp. 22-23.<br /> <br /> " Whipker, L.D. and J.T. Akridge. "Responding to a Changing Market." CropLife, June 2008, pp. 12-17.<br /> <br /> " Whipker, L.D. and J.T. Akridge. "Where is Site-Specific Agriculture Headed?" CropLife, June 2008, pp. 18-23.<br /> <br /> " Jones, B., M. Roucan, and J.T. Akridge. "West Coast Seeds: A Vegetable Seed Retailer." Center for Food and Agricultural Business Case Study. March 2007, 7 pages.<br /> <br /> " Jones, B., M. Roucan, and J.T. Akridge. "Oliver Seed Company: A Midwest Hybrid Corn Company." Center for Food and Agricultural Business Case Study. March 2007, 7 pages.<br /> <br /> " Ndembe, Elvis, William Nganje, and Dragan Miljkovic: "Offsetting Behavior and the Benefits of Food Safety Policies in Vegetable Preparation and Consumption," Agribusiness and Applied Economics Report No. 620, North Dakota State University, April 2008.<br />

Impact Statements

1. 1. Continued to provide an accessible and mentoring environment for junior faculty and graduate students in agribusiness. Four graduate students presented papers at the annual meeting. Over the years, this has been an important role of the WERA72. For example, several of WERA72s current officers gave early career professional presentations at a WERA72 annual meeting, either as a graduate student or as a newly hired assistant professor
2. 2. Continued to link university faculty with government agency personnel and industry leaders. The program at the annual meeting once again included an invited speaker from industry and one presentation by an USDA staff member. The WERA72 leadership has maintained this practice for many years now, and it is committed to continuing to use the annual meeting to facilitate these linkages.
3. 3. More generally, the WERA72 continues to facilitate the coordination and development of timely research, extension, and teaching projects among participating faculty, graduate students, government, and industry leaders, creating a pool of shared expertise in general area of agribusiness scholarship.
4. 4. Maintained and further developed our electronic communication methods, regularly using the organization&lsquo;s listserv to communicate timely announcements, including job postings, research grant opportunities, and calls for paper proposals with an agribusiness focus. Past presentations have also been posted on the organizations webpage, providing an institutional depository of past agribusiness scholarship.
5. 5. Improved the quality and quantity of agribusiness research, teaching and extension that is produced by participating members, as well as fostering integrated and multi-state projects among WERA72 participants.

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Report Information

Participants

Greg Baker, Santa Clara University; Brent Gloy, Cornell University; Pete D. Goldsmith, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Wes Harrison, Louisiana State University; Aaron Johnson, University of Idaho; Kerry Litzenberg, Texas A&M University; Conrad Lyford, Texas Tech. University; Andrea Martens, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Desmond Ng, Texas A&M; William Nganje, Arizona State University; Marc Nonenmacher, Western Regional Vice President, Cobank; Lia Nogueira, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Jon Phillips, California State Polytechnic University; Rick Weldon, University of Florida; Andrea Woolverton, USDA Economic Research Service; Tim Woods, University of Kentucky.

Brief Summary of Minutes

Summary of Annual Meeting

Faculty and graduate students from eleven universities, a USDA representative and an industry executive participated in the 2009 WERA-72 annual meeting, held at the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas, June 7-9, 2009. The program agenda and business meeting agenda are attached in appendixes A and B, respectively.

The annual meeting featured an industry speaker, seven paper sessions and one panel discussion. Marc Nonenmacher, Western Regional Vice President for Cobank was the industry speaker. His presentation, titled The Financial Banking Crisis: A Perspective from Cobank, was a timely topic following the 2008/2009 global financial crisis, which dominated the news and public policy discussions for many months prior to our meeting. His presentation focused on discussing the Agribusiness implications of the financial crises. Two other paper presentations also addressed the financial crises. These include papers titled Credit Risk and Agricultural Financial Market Performance (Arizona State University) and Maintaining a Healthy Equity Structure: The Case of Producers Cooperative Association (Texas A&M University). Food safety was another central theme for the annual meeting. Papers were presented on topics that included media coverage and consumers confidence in the safety of the food system (Louisiana Sate University and University of Minnesota). Other food safety topics included papers on consumer reactions to food scares, as well as, a paper on certification standards and effectiveness of food recalls (Arizona State University). Papers addressing various other agribusiness topics were presented and discussed at the meeting (please see appendix A).

Another notable development of this years annual meeting was associated with a book project initiative, presented by Wes Harrison the 2009 WERA-72 Chair. The goal of the project is to assemble an anthology of papers that provide a body of literature that better defines the field of agribusiness, and provides agribusiness faculty with a reference for graduate classes in agribusiness, as well as, guidance for administrators regarding agribusiness program development. After some discussion, the committee felt that the best approach (at least in the short term) would be to coordinate a special issue of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Review (IFAMR) (rather than a book). This would allow for proper peer review of contributing papers, and facilitate global dissemination though IFAMRs international network. As a follow up note, Wes Harrison (2009 WERA-72 Chair) and Desmond Ng (2010 WERA-72 Chair) have met with the Executive Editor of IFAMR and are in the process of developing a proposal for the special edition.

Minutes for the 2009 WERA-72 Annual Business Meeting

Chair: Dr. Wes Harrison
Vice Chair: Dr. Desmond Ng
Secretary: Dr. Tim Woods
Treasurer: Dr. Brent Gloy

1. Wes Harrison called the business meeting to order at 4.00pm on Monday, June 8..

Old Business Items

2. WERA-72 project renewal has been submitted through Glen Whipple, the Administrative Representative to the Western Region, for review in the July 2009 meeting. Renewal will be for the next five years. Publications and impact statements from the WERA 72 Las Vegas meetings will need to be submitted to Wes.

Land Grant and Non-Land Grant investigators can get forms to officially join WERA-72 from Glen Whipple.

3. Aaron Johnson motioned, Des Ng seconded the motion to approve the minutes from the 2008 WERA-72 Business Meeting.

4. Brent Gloy provided and distributed the 2009 Treasurers Report. Brent noted that Cornell University provided $5,000 credit to help make arrangements with the hotel.

5. The graduate student travel scholarship awardees, Iksu Jun and Juan Monge, introduced themselves.

6. Wes discussed sending a communication to IAMA members requesting a donation for the Wortman and Schnieder scholarship accounts.

New Business Items

7. The location for the 2010 meeting will be hosted in Santa Clara at Santa Clara University. Meeting dates were discussed for June 13, 14 and 15 by Greg Baker.

8. Meeting locations for the 2011 meeting was discussed. Meeting locations in Washington, DC and Las Vegas were considered. Kerry Litzenberg motioned and Aaron Johnson seconded to have the meeting tentatively in Las Vegas in 2011. The motion passed unanimously. Ideas for corporate sponsor/support/hostong was discussed.

9. Tim Woods discussed the prospect of having the S-1019 Fruit and Vegetable Marketing Systems do a joint program in Santa Clara in 2011. He will work with that committee to pursue joint program opportunities.

10. Aaron Johnson, nominating committee, noted that Brent Ross, Michigan State was willing to serve as incoming secretary for WERA-72.. Brent was voted in favor by acclamation.

11. Brent reminded the group to visit with colleagues at home and neighbor institutions about future participation.

12. Aaron Johnson motioned to adjourn. Brent seconded. The meeting adjourned

Accomplishments

WERA-72 continues to link university faculty with government agency personnel and industry leaders. The program at the annual meeting once again included an invited speaker from industry and one presentation by an USDA staff member. The WERA72 leadership has maintained this practice for many years now, and it is committed to continuing to use the annual meeting to facilitate these linkages. <br /> <br /> WERA72 continues to facilitate the coordination and development of timely research, extension, and teaching projects among participating faculty, graduate students, government, and industry leaders, creating a pool of shared expertise in general area of agribusiness scholarship. <br /> <br /> Maintained and further developed our electronic communication methods, regularly using the organizations listserv to communicate timely announcements, including job postings, research grant opportunities, and calls for paper proposals with an agribusiness focus. Past presentations have also been posted on the organizations webpage, providing an institutional depository of past agribusiness scholarship. <br />

Publications

2009 Publications<br /> Louisiana State University AgCenter<br /> <br /> Kinsey, Jean and R. Wes Harrison. Index of Consumer Confidence in the Safety of the Food System. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Forthcoming. 91(5) (December 2009).<br /> <br /> Harrison, R. Wes. The Food Versus Fuel Debate: Implications for Consumers. Journal of Agriculture and Applied Economics. In press. 41(2) (August 2009).<br /> <br /> University of Florida and Santa Clara University Collaboration<br /> <br /> Greg Baker, Santa Clara University, and Al Wysocki and Lisa House, University of Florida.<br /> <br /> Baker, G., Wysocki, A. F., House, L. O. Fostering Collaboration between Industry and Universities: The View from the Corner Office. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 11(3), 57-80. (PRJ, S)<br /> University of Illinois<br /> <br /> Novotorova, Nadezhda and Michael A. Mazzocco. Consumer Preferences and Trade-Offs for Locally Grown and Genetically Modified Apples: A Conjoint Analysis Approach. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. 11(4):31-53 (2008).<br /> <br /> Novotorova, Nadezhda and Michael A. Mazzocco. Impact of Product Attribute Wording on Consumer Acceptance of Biotechnology Applications in Produce. Journal of Food Distribution Research, Forthcoming, November, 2009.<br /> <br /> Novotorova, Nadia and Michael A. Mazzocco. Consumer Preferences and Trade-Offs for Locally Grown and Genetically Modified Apples: A Conjoint Analysis Approach. Presented at the Annual Meeting of WERA-72 Regional Research Project, Santa Clara, CA, June, 2008.<br /> <br /> Michael A. Mazzocco. The University of Illinois Agribusiness Executives in Residence Program: The Why and How. Presented at Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ, December 5, 2008.<br /> <br /> Michael A. Mazzocco. The Illinois Food Technology Sector: An Overview. Presented at SPRING Singapore (Standards Productivity and Innovation Board, Ministry of Trade and Industry), Singapore, June 4, 2008.<br /> <br /> University of Nebraska<br /> <br /> Food versus Fuel: Adoption and Distribution of Distillers Grains from Ethanol<br /> Dr. Dennis M. Conley Symposium of the International Food & Agribusiness Management Association, 19th Annual Meeting, Budapest, Hungry<br /> <br /> Texas A&M University<br /> <br /> Siebert, John., Amy Hagerman and John Park. "Virtual Investment Concepts and the Ethanol Industry." International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. Volume 11, Issue 4, 2008.<br /> <br /> Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University Collaboration<br /> <br /> Siebert, John and Conrad Lyford. "U.S. Dairy Industry Supply Control: Managing the Cooperatives Working Together Program." Review of Agricultural Economics. (Accepted and forthcoming)<br /> <br /> 2008 and earlier publications are available on 2005 through 2008 annual reports<br /> <br />

Impact Statements

1. Improved the quality and quantity of agribusiness research, teaching and extension that is produced by participating members, as well as fostering integrated and multi-state projects among WERA72 participants. Improved the quality and quantity of agribusiness research, teaching and extension that is produced by participating members, as well as fostering integrated and multi-state projects among WERA72 participants.
2. Analysis of consumer survey data collected by us indicates that Illinois consumers are willing to pay more for locally grown, genetically modified produce when the benefits (Reduced Environmental Impact through cloning disease resistance genes) are labeled as Reduced Environmental Impact rather than as GMO

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