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1 month ago | 
aei.org | Vincent Smith |Barry K. Goodwin |Todd Harrison |Nat Malkus
The recent outbreak of the highly infectious avian flu has disrupted agricultural markets and sent egg prices soaring, raising critical economic and public health concerns. Join AEI’s Barry K. Goodwin and Vincent H. Smith with industry and academic experts for an insightful discussion as they explore potential solutions, policy responses, and strategies to mitigate this and future animal health crises. Submit questions to or on X with #AskAEIEcon.
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Jan 16, 2025 | 
aei.org | Barry K. Goodwin |Vincent Smith
Key PointsGlobal production of six major food and animal feed crops (corn, wheat, rice, soybeans, cassava, and millet) has dramatically increased and outpaced world population growth between 1961 and 2022, largely because of advances in agricultural research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
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Oct 16, 2024 | 
aei.org | Barry K. Goodwin |Vincent Smith
Key PointsThe recent Supreme Court decision ending Chevron deference has affirmed the primacy of the courts in rulemaking by agencies implementing congressional legislation that may be ambiguous. The Supreme Court’s decision is likely to have implications for the extent to which the US Department of Agriculture and other agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency have flexibility in rulemaking that affects the agricultural sector.
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Aug 9, 2024 | 
onlinelibrary.wiley.com | Barry K. Goodwin
1 INTEGRATION OF THE US CANNABIS MARKET Cannabis presents a unique set of market circumstances. Cannabis is legal in many states but remains illegal at the federal level. This necessarily means that interstate trade in cannabis is illegal. Black market trade in cannabis is abundant, and black market prices often undercut prices for heavily regulated cannabis. These circumstances present a unique opportunity to study the integration of markets where trade is illegal.
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Jul 15, 2024 | 
aei.org | Barry K. Goodwin |Vincent Smith
Key Points In the United States, the number of farms and the amount of land being farmed have steadily declined over the past four decades. However, at the same time, total agricultural output has steadily increased in response to the flow of science-based innovations in technology and management and economies of scale in farming that have substantially increased agricultural productivity.
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Dec 11, 2023 | 
aei.org | Vincent Smith |Barry K. Goodwin |Christopher B. Barrett |Joseph W. Glauber
It is Christmastime, even for economists focused on US agricultural policy and what should and should not be in a new farm bill. Thus, seven scholars and contributors to the AEI Monthly Harvest were asked to send Santa Claus their wish lists for policy changes that Congress should include in a new 2024 Farm Bill. Each author focused on a specific program or set of programs addressed in the current farm bill and related legislation.
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Nov 6, 2023 | 
aei.org | Barry K. Goodwin |Vincent Smith
Key PointsUntil recently, the US agricultural sector, unlike the economy at large, has historically run a trade surplus—exporting more than is imported. The Trump administration’s trade wars, which were supposed to protect US economic interests, led to retaliatory tariffs from major trading partners, including China, that drove down prices received by US farmers, especially for soybean and hog operations.
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Apr 14, 2023 | 
aei.org | Eric Belasco |Joseph W. Glauber |Barry K. Goodwin |Vincent Smith
Commodity price and income support programs have been an integral part of the farm bill since its inception during the 1930s. Today, producers of 17 commodities are eligible to receive payments through the major Title I price and income support programs. Most of those producers enjoy incomes well above those of the typical US family.
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Apr 3, 2023 | 
aei.org | Barry K. Goodwin |Vincent Smith
Key PointsSupporters of the current federal crop insurance program often claim that the program is actuarially sound, that program growth has been driven by the private sector, and that government-supported crop insurance is essential for the survival of a financially healthy and stable farm sector.
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Mar 27, 2023 | 
aei.org | Joseph W. Glauber |Barry K. Goodwin |Vincent Smith |Nicholas Eberstadt
LIVE Q&A: Submit questions to or on Twitter with #AEIFarmBill. The US federal crop insurance program is perhaps the most popular farm safety net among farmers and the interest groups that lobby Congress on their behalf. Critics argue the program is an unnecessary handout that guarantees farm businesses receive close to or more than the annual revenues they expected from the market place if yields were about average.
