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Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness
101 Ag Admin Building
LSU campus
Phone: 225-578-3282
Fax: 225-578-2716
Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday-Friday
Gail L. Cramer, Ph.D.
Department Head/Professor
e-mail
Website: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/agecon
Academic Focus:
Addresses questions and concerns involving the economics and sociology of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.
Research Focus:
Addresses the economics of production and farm management, agricultural policy and trade, rural development and sociology, natural resources, and value-added marketing.
Extension Focus:
Focuses on providing educational opportunities and research based information to producers, agribusinesses, landowners, and policy makers to help them make more informed decisions.
Academic/Research/Extension Highlights
- Analysis of economic feasibility of new Louisiana agricultural enterprises such as the production of biofuels, forage-fed beef, and goats. Analysis of profitability associated with alternative technologies, strategies, and systems, including but not limited to pasture-based and organic production in dairy, precision agriculture in cotton, sugarcane variety selection, hybrid rice production, and alternative beef grazing systems.
- Evaluation of the costs and returns associated with Louisiana’s major row, horticultural, and forage crops, and livestock and aquaculture enterprises.
- Use of continuous food safety tracking, determination of how media messaging affects consumer food safety risk perceptions. Includes food recalls the Gulf oil spill.
- Provide services to clientele such as determination of tax credits for the Louisiana Dairy Refundable Tax Credit Program, determination of sugarcane grinding schedules, and estimation of damages after natural disasters.
- Analysis of water quality from the impact of converting animal waste to electricity / liquid hydrocarbon and identification of optimal combinations of BMPs to enhance water quality.
- Provide technical knowledge to the LSU Center for Natural Resource Economics and Policy, which fosters interaction of socioeconomic professionals to address natural resource management challenges to Louisiana and the nation. In May 2010, sponsored forum with 140 technical presentations and 200 attendees from 20 states and 9 countries.
- Provide leadership and coordination of a 5-state task force to study economic impacts on market and non-market resources from the Gulf Horizon oil spill.
- Conduct over 40 producer meetings each year providing information about farm management, financial management, resource management, and marketing.
- Coordinate the development of price information for over 120 commodities grown in Louisiana. These are used by FSA in their farm loan program to estimate revenue for a variety of farming enterprises.
- Conduct economic analyses of domestic farm and international trade policy and international trade agreements for Louisiana farmers.
Significance of Programs
- Since 2005, the Department has developed damage assessments and impacts to the food and fiber sector from hurricanes and adverse weather conditions, estimating that the food and fiber sector has suffered more than $2 billion in damages since 2005. This information is used extensively by federal agencies and policy makers in providing disaster assistance to Louisiana producers.
- Since 2007, dairy farmers have been awarded nearly $4.5 million in tax credits, which were awarded based upon analysis by the Department.
- A new technique for estimating economic impacts of hurricanes on coastal infrastructure provided the basis for over $250 million in recovery funding for Louisiana’s commercial and recreational fisheries.
Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Facts
- 35 graduate students enrolled in the M.S. and Ph.D. programs.
- 23 faculty members and 3 post-docs.
- 312 undergraduate students.
- Research and extension activities are conducted to address applied economic and sociological problems in the farm and agribusiness sector, rural communities, and on natural resource and environmental issues.
Future Plans
- A project funded by the University of Minnesota will provide technical training to Louisiana shrimp and catfish producers as part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program. This will focus on topics to help improve production and marketing efficiency as well as the develop general business plans.
- A project funded by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry will conduct an assessment of the critical agriculture and food-related infrastructure of the state. This project will identify critical businesses and entities in each of the 64 parishes and conduct a risk assessment to determine their vulnerability to both manmade and natural disasters.
- Resource economics faculty members were recently awarded nearly $650 million from NOAA to conduct a socioeconomic assessment of the northern Gulf of Mexico’s fisheries. The 3-year project includes economic assessments of the recreational charter fishing sector, the commercial fishery for red snapper, and demand forecast models for U.S. consumption.
- The recent introduction of Louisiana Market Maker will provide an online venue through which producers can sell and consumers can purchase food products, particularly those items for which traditional markets do not provide extensive opportunities for trade.