Letter from the Chair
Hello All! The Spring 2026 semester marks a moment of reflection and anticipation – a celebration of the strides we have taken together and a glimpse into the bright future that awaits us As we start to look forward to the exciting celebrations planned for our department’s 100th anniversary, I would be remiss to leave out the great strides taken forward as we closed out 2025. While our previous newsletter highlighted several milestones throughout the first half of the year, the scope of our achievements has continued to grow. In July, our faculty and students performed tremendously at the AAEA annual conference, receiving many awards across the undergraduate and graduate student competitions, as well as recognition for their excellence, leading the fields of teaching, research and Extension in agricultural and applied economics. This excellence was on further display throughout the fall, with several faculty receiving recognition from their own specialized professional organizations. At the beginning of the Fall semester, we welcomed two new faculty members to the department: Dr. Youngho Kim and Dr. Fan Fan. Dr. Kim, who specializes in environmental economics, comes to us directly from a yearlong fellowship at the University of Oxford, while Dr. Fan, who recently completed her Ph.D. brings her many years of experience in the financial industry to our agribusiness research and teaching program. Their expertise strengthens our commitment to excellence in agricultural and applied economics, and I look forward to the fresh perspectives and collaborative projects that their appointments will bring. We also launched a new minor this Fall to help prepare undergraduates for a career in Data Analytics, and will soon be launching our new Ag. & Rural Entrepreneurship minor, two programs designed to set our students apart on the job market after graduation. Looking forward, I am even more excited to share with you our plans for 2026 as we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida. Individual tickets and table sponsorships are available now for our 100 Years of FRE Gala on March 27, 2026, a fundraising benefit which will allow us to come together in celebration of all we have accomplished, while setting the department up to build further connections in the future. Registration will close on Friday, March 20th. I encourage all alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends to participate in this unifying event, which will highlight our department’s historical contributions and outline our future direction. To keep up to date with all opportunities to get involved with our Centennial Celebrations, please visit our new centennial website or sign up for our new Alumni Network list-serv, created to help us reinvigorate connections amongst all generations of the FRE community for many years to come. Best Wishes, Lisa House
100 Years of FRE Anniversary Gala to be Held on March 27, 2026
Our 100th Anniversary is coming up next year, Our keystone event will be an anniversary gala on Friday, March 27, 2026 in the Champions Club at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. We hope you'll join us for an unforgettable night bringing together all generations of our FRE community for food, drinks, and music as we celebrate 100 Years of FRE!
FRE Welcomes Dr. Young Kim & Dr. Fan Fan to the Department
Please join us in extending a warm welcome to our newest assistant professors, Dr. Youngho Kim and Dr. Fan Fan!
Kim, an assistant professor of Environmental and Resource Economics, who completed his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Maryland in 2024, spent the year before joining the University of Florida as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Environmental Economics at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Fan, an assistant professor of Agribusiness, earned her Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics in 2025 from Texas A&M University and also brings to the position several years of direct experience in the financial industry.
FRE Department Launches New Minor in Data Analytics for Applied Economics and Agribusiness
The newly launched Data Analytics for Applied Economics and Agribusiness minor is the first of its kind to be offered at the undergraduate level at the University of Florida. Department faculty designed this new minor to emphasize both data analytics and quantitative skills, empowering students to be competitive job seekers in a society currently undergoing rapid technological advancement.
Faculty and Student Awards at 2025 AAEA Annual Meeting
FRE Takes First Place in Academic Quiz Bowl Competition
This year’s Quiz Bowl Team consisted of 8 students: Bernardo Andrade, Savannah Bailey, Benjamin Barber, Joshua Braunstein, Jenna Carrig, Raj Mia, Han Nguyen, and Keen Zhang. All of our UF Students performed admirably against rigorous competition, but it was the three-member team of Raj Mia, Han Nguyen and Keen Zhang that advanced to the finals at AAEA and ultimately took home the top prize for FRE, the first time this feat has been accomplished in over a decade.
Jimena Morales Places Second in Undergraduate Student Research Paper Competition
By applying her passions for sustainability in agriculture to research, rising senior Food and Resource Economics undergraduate Jimena Morales placed second in the student paper competition at the annual Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) meeting with her paper, “Exploring the Impact of Sustainability Information on Consumer Preferences for Dairy Milk: The Case of Seaweed Feed Additives.”
The Agricultural Economics Club is Recognized as AAEA Creative Club of the Year
The Agricultural Economics (Ag Econ) Club proudly took home first place in the Creative Club Competition at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting, a recognition of their innovative efforts to foster student engagement and community within the Food and Resource Economics (FRE) Department through events such as their annual Halloween Trick or Treating & Faculty Door Decorating Competition.
FRE Students Place 2nd in AAEA Spreadsheet Competition
At this year’s Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) annual meeting, undergraduate students from across the country gathered to compete in a Spreadsheet Competition designed to simulate real-world data analysis and presentation challenges, with the UF team of FRE undergraduate students Bernardo Andrade, Savannah Bailey, and Kimberly Miranda-Ramos placing second.
FRE graduate students Faith Aiya and Prabin Adhikhari Win AAEA Case Study Competition
For over 20 years, the case study competition hosted by the Graduate Student Section at the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association has served as an arena for Food and Resource Economics graduate students to showcase their ability to apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations, pitting them against their peers from some of the most prestigious programs across North America. This year, Faith Aiya and Prabin Adhikari, both Ph.D. students in Food and Resource Economics at the University of Florida, placed first, the first University of Florida team ever to do so.
Dr. Misti Sharp Recognized for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Program
AAEA selects the winners of the Distinguished Teaching Award for those in their early careers from amongst some of the top agricultural and applied economics universities in the United States and Canada. Winners are chosen based upon their outstanding ability and strong performance in fulfilling the teaching mission.
Dr. Christa Court's UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program's Disaster Impact Analysis Work recognized with Honorable Mention for AAEA Outstanding Extension Program Award
Led by Program Director Dr. Christa Court, interdisciplinary experts from the Economic Impact Analysis Program (EIAP) at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have created a robust disaster impact analysis program that leverages carefully procured data and input from Florida’s communities to produce timely, accurate, scientifically-based analysis of the impacts experienced by in the aftermath of both natural disasters and manmade hazards.
Drs. Wen Liu, Gulcan Onel and Pilar Useche win Outstanding Choices Article Award at the Agricultural and Applied Economic Association Annual Meeting
With population growth and environmental factors influencing freshwater availability, management of this critical resource has become a key challenge for Florida. It was for research on this topic that recent FRE PhD. Alumnus Wen Liu and her co-authors Drs. Gulcan Onel and Pilar Useche, both members of the FRE faculty, won an award in July at the Annual AAEA Meeting in Denver, Colorado.
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