Welcome!

I am the Farmers Union Endowed Professor of Agricultural Economics at North Dakota State University and Director of the Agricultural Risk Policy Center and the North Dakota Center for Agricultural Policy and Trade Studies. My work sits at the intersection of academic research and applied policy analysis, emphasizing how changes in markets and public policy shape outcomes across the agricultural economy. Much of my research is motivated by questions directly relevant to farmers & ranchers, agribusinesses, and policymakers.

Overview

I use applied econometrics and economic models to study international trade and agricultural policy, with particular emphasis on tariffs, trade agreements, geopolitical disruptions, market access, and how these forces affect agricultural production, prices, trade patterns, and competitiveness.
Using firm-level, administrative, and other large-scale data, I study the organization and performance of agricultural and food markets, including market structure, competition, firm behavior, supply chains, investment, and the changing role of agribusiness in domestic and international markets.
I also work extensively on agricultural risk management and policy evaluation, including crop insurance, farm support programs, transportation and market disruptions, and the effects of weather and other shocks on producers, commodity markets, and the broader agricultural economy.

Please explore my publications to learn more about my research activities.

Selected Recent Publications

Happy Pills? Mental Health Effects of the Dramatic Increase in Antidepressant Use, with Giuliano Masiero and Fabrizio Mazzonna, The Economic Journal, 2026, forthcoming.
Preferential Trading in Agriculture: New Insights from a Structural Gravity Analysis and Machine Learning, with Dongin Kim, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2026, first published online. [Paper]
Strait of Hormuz Disruption, Fertilizer Market Transmission, and Food Policy Response, with Shawn Arita, Rwit Chakravorty, Jiyeon Kim, and Ming Wang, Food Policy, 2026, 142: 103116. [Paper]
Trading Blows, Losing Bushels: Global Implications of U.S. Tariff Hikes for Agri-Food Trade and Welfare, with Carlos Zurita and Dongin Kim, Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2026, 77(2): 803–818. [Paper]
Evaluating Precision, Privacy, and Representation with Cell Phone Data: Evidence from Recreational Demand for Cape Cod Beaches, with Cristina Connolly, Mike Vo, and Xibo Wan, Land Economics, 2026, 102(3): 471–496. [Paper]
Timing, Trading Frictions, and the Limits of Subsidy Capture in Livestock Risk Protection, with Yifei Zhang, Andrew Keller, and Shawn Arita, NBER, Risk and Risk Management in the Agricultural Economy, University of Chicago Press, 2026. National Bureau of Economic Research. [Paper]
Pre-Trends and Trade Effects of Temporary Trade Barriers, with Armen Khederlarian, Canadian Journal of Economics, 2025, 58(4): 1254–1278. [Paper]
The Used Cooking Oil Dilemma: Feedstock Competitiveness, Certification Integrity, and U.S. Biofuel Policy, Food Policy, 2025, 134: 102907. [Paper]

News

IATRC Annual Meeting (December 2026)

I am co-organizing the 2026 IATRC Annual Meeting on U.S. agricultural transportation, supply-chain security, and export competitiveness. Learn More

Third International Virtual Conference on Ukraine (August 2026)

Carlos Zurita and I presented research on the trade and welfare effects of the Russia–Ukraine war at the Third International Virtual Conference on Ukraine. Learn More

Bruce Gardner Memorial Prize (July 2026)

The NDSU Agricultural Trade Monitor received the 2026 Bruce Gardner Memorial Prize for Applied Policy Analysis from AAEA. Learn More

AAEA Annual Meeting (July 2026)

I presented invited research on U.S. agricultural market access to China at the 2026 AAEA Annual Meeting in Kansas City. Learn More

Promotion and Farmers Union Endowed Professorship (July 2026)

I was promoted to Full Professor and appointed Farmers Union Endowed Professor at North Dakota State University.

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