Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The NCAC 12 multistate agricultural department heads held an in-person meeting on Monday, October 23, 2023, in Washington, DC, at Kirwan’s on the Wharf over dinner. This year, the NCAC 12 multistate meeting was part of the Oct. 23-24 biennial meeting of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association’s CHAIRS section meeting, held Oct. 23-24. The CHAIRS meeting program is available at: https://www.aaea.org/membership/sections/chairs/section-activities

The meeting was organized by Sarah Low, the new Administrative Adviser. Jayson Lusk, the previous Administrative Advisor, is no longer a member of the NCAC 12.

Those in attendance included: Amy Ando, Sean Fox, Terry Hurley, Harvey James, Sarah Low, and Joshua Rosenbloom.

The meeting focused on the organization of NCAC 12 and the group’s upcoming review assignments. NCAC has been assigned 5 midterm reviews and one project renewal. James volunteered to review the NCCC 65 midterm, Indicators of Social Change. Other reviews will be assigned in December, before the NC deadline.

Topics discussed with the broader CHAIRS group and included STEM designation for agricultural economics; graduate and undergraduate student recruitment; and health and wellness for faculty, staff, students, and a presentation of preliminary wellness survey results from the University of Florida. The CHAIRS had visits from several USDA leaders on the 23^rd, in the ERS conference room, South Building, Washington DC. On Tuesday the 24^th, the CHAIRS group went to the Hill to visit with staff from the house and senate ag committees and members’ home districts. Sarah Low will organize the next biennial meeting of the CHAIRS section in DC, to also include an in-person NCAC 12 meeting.