Letter from the Chair
Happy New Year!
As we begin a new year, I am heartened to look back on all that has been accomplished by our students, faculty, and alumni in the past year and already in these first few months of 2025.
In November, our graduate students Faith Aiya, Kelvin Amon, Chenxi Hu, and Meri Hambaryan competed in the 2024 IFAMA Global Venture Building Challenge, competing against over 100 competitors from five continents and over a dozen countries and earning second place. Ph.D. student Jianhui Liu also received the Graduate Student Award from the Southern Economic Association.
I am beyond thrilled by their accomplishments and excited to watch these incredible students continue to grow and achieve throughout their time in our programs.
Many of our faculty were also recognized this winter with awards recognizing the value of their impactful research and service to their peers.
It also came as no surprise to see Mike Joyner recognized with the UF Distinguished Alumnus Award for his outstanding contributions to the agriculture industry and dedication to serving the university. His contributions to our department alone have been immeasurable, serving as a guide and supporter through our Leadership Council and visiting campus to talk with our current students.
I also wish to relay a hearty congratulations to all our December 2024 graduates! Your hard work has paid off, and we look forward to watching your post-college career thrive. Please stay connected by joining our LinkedIn group and emailing us at fre@ifas.ufl.edu to join our alumni listserv.
Finally, at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association meeting this February, Gator excellence was on full display with strong showings from our undergraduate students in the Quiz Bowl competition, as well as our graduate students and faculty members who presented their latest research findings to our peers from across the Southeast. A special congratulations is due to Dr. Stair and to Ph.D. candidate Xirui (Iris) Cui, who were presented with awards for their teaching and job market papers respectively.
Looking forward, we are excited to host our 10th annual Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference on May 8th and have begun the planning for our 2026 centennial celebrations.
Whether you are a long-standing or recent alumnus, we encourage you to get more involved by mentoring students, speaking to classes, or participating in other opportunities. Please reach out to us at fre@ifas.ufl.edu if you are interested.
I extend my sincere gratitude to each member of our community for your unwavering dedication and contributions to the success of the Food and Resource Economics Department. I look forward to making this new year our best one yet!
Warm Regards,
Dr. Lisa House
Research Highlights
- Culture – not travel – inspires appreciation for foreign foods, UF/IFAS study finds
- UF study taps into flourishing Florida craft beer market
- UF/IFAS study proves color coding nutrition labels may promote healthier eating
- Nutrition labels meant to promote healthy eating could discourage purchases, UF/IFAS study shows
Mike Joyner Receives UF Distinguished Alumnus Award
The University of Florida honored Food and Resource Economics alumnus (BS ’86) and Leadership Council Member Mike Joyner with the Distinguished Alumnus Award, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the agriculture industry and dedication to serving the university.
Student Highlights
The stories linked below share just a few of the exciting highlights of FRE's student experiences in internships and other professional development opportunities.
- FRE senior undergraduate Asa Worden earns invaluable agricultural finance experience through internship working for Morgan Stanley in New York.
- FRE Ph.D. Candidate Jianhui Liu Wins Award from the Southern Economic Association.
- FRE Ph.D. Students Chenxi Hu, Faith Aiya, Kelvin Amon and Meri Hambaryan take 2nd place in Global Venture Building Challenge.
- MAB Student Jacob Dorland graduates, using capstone project to design new precision agriculture course for the College of Central Florida.
- FRE undergraduate alumnus Emma Biggers uses skills honed in program for successful management of her clothing boutique.
Faculty Awards
- Dr. James Ji named 2025 UFIC Global Fellow – plans to explore health and social impacts of mangrove ecosystems on coastal communities.
- Dr. Youngho Kim received Wallace E. Oates Outstanding Dissertation Award from AERE.
- Dr. Kim Morgan received Frank Panyko Distinguished Service Award from Food Distribution Research Society.
10th Annual Florida Agricultural Policy Conference to be held on May 8, 2025
AI in Ag and the still delayed U.S. Farm Bill are just two of the critical issues facing Florida’s agricultural producers that will be addressed by experts at the annual Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference this May at the Plant Science Research and Education Unit (PSREU) in Citra, FL.
Hosted by the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department, this annual event brings together agribusiness managers, policy makers and researchers from throughout the State of Florida to engage with subject matter experts on the policy trends surrounding the issues most anticipated to have a significant impact on Florida Agriculture in the coming year.
Registration includes attendance, in-person registration also includes catered BBQ lunch. Registered participants will receive access to presentations recorded for 6 months after the conference ends.
Dr. Patrick Ward brings Two-Bits Spirit to the Classroom
With his yellow shirt, striped tie, and socks to match, Dr. Patrick Ward energized his students last Fall semester by starting every Friday before a home football game the same way, leading his Quantitative Methods class in a gator cheer while dressed as the iconic George Edmondson – or, as he is widely known, Mr. Two-Bits.
Southern Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting
This February, many of our students and faculty traveled to Irving, Texas, to attend the Southern Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting where they presented posters, research papers, and even competed in the Academic Quiz Bowl Competition.
UF was represented strongly, with almost all our undergraduate students making it to the second round of the Quiz Bowl competition and serving as leaders on their teams. In addition, Dr. Caleb Stair was presented with the 2025 Outstanding Teaching of a Course Award for his class on Agricultural and Natural Resource Ethics. Finally, Ph.D. Candidate Xirui (Iris) Cui was awarded second place in the job market paper competition for her research presentation on the effectiveness of E-Verify mandates as a policy tool.
Please enjoy these photos of just a few of our FRE faculty and students who attended, taken by our own assistant professor and SAEA official photographer Dr. John Lai!
December 2024 Graduates
This December we were elated to celebrate the 19 graduates across our degree programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Successfully completing any higher education program is a momentous accomplishment. We look forward to watching proudly as these newly minted alumni take the skills they have learned throughout their time in our programs into their careers.
Credits:
Created with images by Rasheeda - "alligator in the swamp" • asiandelight - "nutritional information concept. hand use the magnifying glass to zoom in to see the details of the nutrition facts from food , salad bowl"