Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The annual meeting was held at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association conference on 7/29/2025 in Denver, CO. Cristina Connolly of the University of Connecticut was elected as the incoming chair and Jared Grant of the Ohio State University was elected as secretary. Participants gave an overview of the research they are conducting and avenues for collaboration. Updates were provided on a large-scale mobility dataset and discussions were held on how to secure computing power. A suggestion was made to organize a summer workshop at the Western Agricultural Economics Association conference in summer 2025 and also host the annual meeting at that time. Plans were made to hold monthly check-in meetings to continue progress toward achieving the primary FY2026 goals of:

• Applying for a grant to organize a workshop dedicated to data sharing and infrastructure
• Continuing to grow the network to collaborate on food and agricultural research utilizing big data

During the 2025 reporting period, work under NE-2204 advanced evidence on how consumers, retailers, and communities interact within the U.S. food system. The project emphasized behavioral and spatial measures of food access and retail exposure, using large-scale mobility data, geospatial retail information, and applied economic analysis to capture where people shop and how retail environments vary across neighborhoods. In 2025, this work also supported multistate collaboration through active participation in the NE-2204 network and the start of elected Chair responsibilities for the 2025–2027 funding period.

Research contributions in 2025 focused on improving the measurement of local food environments and connecting these measures to outcomes that matter for communities. A peer-reviewed study published in 2025 examined associations between neighborhood food retail environments and weight status within a regional pediatric health system, providing actionable insights into how local retail structures and access correlate with health-related outcomes. Complementary work synthesized current knowledge and emerging opportunities for applying human mobility data in economic research, helping establish best practices for data handling, modeling, interpretation, and responsible use of mobility-based indicators in food systems and related settings.

In addition to published work, the 2025 portfolio advanced research on how retail access and competition shape community outcomes. Ongoing manuscripts examined how supermarket proximity affects local housing markets and neighborhood conditions. At the same time, work in preparation used mobility data and modern analytics to evaluate whether farmers’ markets can reduce food disparities by expanding access to healthy food. Together, these efforts strengthen the empirical foundation for designing local and regional strategies that improve food access, support resilient retail ecosystems, and reduce inequities in food system outcomes.

Chenarides, L., Cleary, R., Connolly, C., Fitzsimmons, J., Grant, J., Steinbach, S. Envisioning Food and Agricultural Data for the Future. Workship grant submitted to USDA-NIFA AFRI. Under Review.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Chenarides, L., Hanks, A. S., Berard, J., Carlson, A. C., Davis, G., & Finaret, A. B. (2025). A review of data linkages for policy-informing research in food and agricultural economics. Food Policy, 137, 102996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102996

Dorfman, J. H., Grant, J. D., & Gundersen, C. (2025). The relative strength of relationships between food access components and food insecurity. Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, 4(4), 523-548. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaa2.70029

Jiang, Q., Fitzpatrick, L., Laroche, H., Hampl, S., Steinbach, S., Forseth, B., Davis, A., Fairbairn, C., & Carlson, J. (2025). Associations of neighborhood food retail environments with weight status in a regional pediatric health system. Childhood Obesity, 21(2), 137–147.

Connolly, C., Steinbach, S., Vo, M., & Wan, X. (2025). Harnessing human mobility data for applied economic research: Current knowledge, challenges, and emerging opportunities. Journal of Economic Surveys, forthcoming.

Steinbach, S., Connolly, C., & Graziano, M. (2025). Corked until Sunday: Blue law reforms and the decline of small-scale wineries. Journal of Wine Economics, forthcoming.

Working Papers

Chenarides, L., Ladislau, R., Parashar, M., Hook, D., Porter, S., & Lane, J. (2025). Data-usage descriptors as search metadata: the case of food security data and the National Data Platform (2015-2025). Under review at Nature: Scientific Data — Collection: Data on Science and Innovation Processes, Outputs and Outcomes

Grant, J. D., & Dorfman, J. H. Establishing grocery stores in underserved areas: A trust/investment game approach. Under review.

Grant, J. D., & Cuffey, J. Racial differences in access to retailers offering fruit and vegetable incentives to SNAP households. Under review.

Connolly, C., Graziano, M., Fiaschetti, M., & Steinbach, S. (2025). When access isn’t an asset: The housing market impact of supermarket proximity. Under review (submitted August 6, 2025).

Connolly, C., Steinbach, S., & Wan, X. (2025). Bringing the local farm to the table: Can farmers’ markets help reduce food disparity? In preparation for submission.

Liu, Y., Astill, G., Connolly, C., Dong, X., & Klaiber, H. Urbanization and crop diversification on local farms: Micro-level evidence from central Ohio using the Cropland Data Layer. Under review.

Book Chapters

(None reported.)

Outreach and Technical Publications

Chenarides, L., & Lane, J. (June 2025). Building trust in data for research and decision-making in food and agriculture. Market Corner News, Council on Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics.

Presentations/Webinars

Industrial organization in agricultural economics: Trends and frontiers. (October 2025). Council on Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics Webinar Series. Moderator: L. Chenarides.

Envisioning food and agricultural data for the future: Engaging communities to identify trusted data. (June 2025). Council on Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics Webinar Series. Organizer and panelist: L. Chenarides.

Chenarides, L. (August 2025). The future of the U.S. statistical system. American Statistical Association virtual focus group. Contribution to The Nation’s Data at Risk: 2025 Report (published December 2025).

Grant, J. D., Dorfman, J. H., & Gundersen, C. (March 2025). The relative strength of relationships between food access components and food insecurity. Paper presented at the Midwest Economics Association Annual Meeting, Kansas City, MO.

Grant, J. D., & Cuffey, J. (February 2025). Equity in access to SNAP healthy eating incentives: Are GusNIP retailers located in Black communities? Paper presented at The Ohio State University Glenn College Colloquium, Columbus, OH.

Rijal, A., Posey, S., & Grant, J. D. (November 2024). Access to fresh produce: Examining the impact of cultural and non-cultural barriers to farmers’ markets. Paper presented at the Tennessee State University Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science Seminar, Nashville, TN.

Grant, J. D. (October 2024). SNAPshot: Analyzing food access over time. Paper presented at the Tennessee State University Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science Seminar, Nashville, TN.

Steinbach, S., Connolly, C., & Graziano, M. (July 2025). Corked until Sunday: Blue law reforms and the competitiveness of small-scale wineries. Paper presented at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.

Steinbach, S., Connolly, C., & Graziano, M. (June 2025). Corked until Sunday: Blue law reforms and the competitiveness of small-scale wineries. Paper presented at the American Association of Wine Economists Annual Meeting, San Luis Obispo, CA.