Agricultural Business and Leadership

Helping Americans and our Neighbors Prosper

Nearly 30% of American jobs are linked to agriculture.  Operation, inputs, outputs, workforce development, and sustainability are made possible when current and future agricultural leaders learn key business management, economic, leadership, communication, and education skills. We provide these skills to youth and adults in Tennessee through formal and non-formal education, research, and Extension.

Agbusiness

 Economic Efficiency, Productivity Improvement and Sustainability of Agriculture Production Systems

Small Farm and Entrepreneur Survival, Economic Sustainability, Financial and Risk Management, Food Security and Economic Development

Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

Preference for Sustainable Protein Sources and the Role of Information

Consumer Economic Research Program

 
Agriculture Leadership

Preparing Youth and Young Adults for the STEM Workforce

Student Achievement in Collegiate and Pre-collegiate Agriculture Programs

Agricultural Communications

Agbusiness

Economic Efficiency, Productivity Improvement and Sustainability of Agriculture Production Systems
Dr. Prabodh Illukpitiya
Situation:
Agricultural producers have been facing various economic challenges over the years ranging from production to marketing their products, hence they need to explore new opportunities. Production efficiency, technology adaptation, risk management and profitability are key areas that need continuous intervention.
Activity:
This multi-dimensional research program has developed economic modelling and quantitative analysis to provide information for decision making in various sectors in the agribusiness supply chain. Surveys have been conducting to collect primary data for economic analyses. Economic decision making tools such as benfits:costs, enterprise budgets, enterprise risks, technical efficiency, and economic impacts were developed for decision support systems. 
Impacts:
Agriculture producers gain updated economic information needed for decision making. Adaptation of budgeting tools helps in preparing own budget, reduce costs and improve profits. Information on risk assessment could reduce risk and improve returns. Stakeholders will make willingness to adopt/participate decisions due to knowledge gained in understanding barriers and opportunities for new investments opportunities. The gains in agricultural productivity were earlier driven by input intensification and crop-area expansion. Producers could know the potential to improve productivity through better management of resources. The impact studies provide better visibility of agri-food sectors on its economic contributions for stakeholders in value chain. 

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Small Farm and Entrepreneur Survival, Economic Sustainability, Financial and Risk Management, Food Security and Economic Development
Dr. Aditya Khanal
Situation:
Small farm operations, agribusinesses, and agricultural enterprises play an important role in the State and the US’s food and agricultural sector. Small agricultural operations face several challenges in the production and marketing process and have difficulty to directly compete with large farm operations. They need specific strategic ways for survival, alternative profitable ventures and niche markets to adequately manage resources and sustain their survival and profitability. For farm households and rural communities in the US and across the globe, adequate production, access, and consumption of the safer, nutritious food posit significant challenges.
Activity:
Our main activities include the investigations on sole or combinations of strategies for profitability, sustainability, survival, efficiency of agricultural operations, particularly small farm operations in the US. Activities also include the assessment of the factors influencing decisions on technology adoption, networks, resource use, environmental and micro-climatic adjustments, access and use of fund/capital/loans, financial and business risk management and the effects on farm financial performance of these operations. 
Impact:
The program investigates deriving policy inferences that have implications to small agribusiness operations on farm business sustainability, enhance profitability, efficiency, financial management. Decision analysis, risk management, and understanding of the diversification, alternative profitable enterprise and on- and off-farm strategies are aimed to help these operations. Through international research and projects, program also investigates different aspects of food security, farm productivity and efficiency under risk, and the economics of food safety in developing countries. It has contributed to advance knowledge and subsequent research on these important problems and this specific discipline. 

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Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
 Dr. Abdelaziz Lawani
Situation:
Beginning farmers and ranchers face a lot of constraints when starting their operations. Not only do they have to produce quality products, but they also have to produce efficiently and successfully market their product. Unfortunately, they do not always have the agribusiness management skills necessary to succeed in their operations and create enough income to survive and prosper.
Activity:
The agribusiness management and entrepreneurship program aims to provide beginning farmers and ranchers as well as limited resources farmers with the knowledge and skills necessary to manage their farm operations. 
The overall goal of this program is to provide education, outreach, mentoring, training, technical assistance, and experiential learning in agribusiness management and entrepreneurship to eligible farmers and ranchers, with special emphasis on beginning farmers and ranchers, women, veterans, socially disadvantaged populations, and their families. This program will strengthen small farms in Tennessee, providing support for small agribusinesses and long-term agriculture gains with the potential to impact national agricultural practices. 
Impact:
The program is still at its beginning and is divided into two components: Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship (AM&E) Boot Camp 1.0 and 2.0. The two boot camps are intensive programs that teach farmers and agribusinesses sound management skills to start, survive, and prosper in their ventures. We have 45 farmers registered in Boot Camp 1.0 and 10 among them will be selected to continue in Boot Camp 2.0. 

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Preference for Sustainable Protein Sources and the Role of Information
Dr. Kofi Britwum
Situation:
Concerns about livestock methane emissions and its contribution to greenhouse gases and other animal welfare issues have led to the development of plant-based and lab grown protein food items. At the same time, advances in regenerative agriculture suggest the possibility of raising livestock in a sustainable manner with a corresponding reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. There is a need to examine consumer perceptions and attitudes between plant/lab-based protein food items, and protein sources from sustainably raised livestock, and how these are shaped by implicit biases, sources and types of climate information, and opinions about climate change mitigation efforts. 
Activity:
Perceptions of consumers towards environmental impacts from agriculture, food choices, knowledge and beliefs about climate change, and opinions about how the threat of adverse climate impacts can be mitigated will be elicited from a nationally representative sample using a consumer-based panel. Other efforts will include providing research participants with diverse food choice information across different themes: environment, health, and climate, and examine their impacts on preferences for plant/lab-based protein, and meat from sustainably raised livestock. 
Impact:
This program will illuminate attitudes toward individuals’ willingness to cut their carbon footprint through their food choices. It will also shed light on perceptions of climate change among different groups of individuals (skeptics and advocates) and reveal how messages can be framed to change attitudes towards more sustainable food choices.

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Consumer Economic Research Program
Dr. Doc Lap Tran 
Situation:
With consumption accounting for more than two-thirds of GDP, the US consumer economic research is important to understand how it involves in economy growth. It has become more critical as there have been changes in contemporary trends of consumers. First, online purchases, as a result of rapid changes in technologies and social mediated environment, has provided consumers with more conveniences was well as higher speeds of purchasing. Second, green consumptions are results in changes in awareness and attitudes of consumers toward environmental and health problems. Thirds, consumption patterns and consumer behaviors quickly change in response to economic, social and environmental shocks.
Activities:
Corresponding to the three emerging trends stated above, this Consumer Economics Research Program (CERP) emphasizes across three research problems that provides a broad understanding of underlying factors affecting today’s consumer behavior: (1) factors affecting online purchases on the basic of convenience and speed; (2) factors affecting consumer purchases for healthier and more ecofriendly products as well as locally produced commodities; (3) impacts of  economic shocks  (job loss, rise in gasoline prices, or inflation) on consumption patterns and behaviors  of consumer in short terms and long term.
Impact:
Gaining a better understanding of consumer responses to these above problems will help us to have a better sense of: (1) the roles of producers, manufactories, suppliers, and retailer in the US economy; (2) involvement degrees of local and federal policy makers in the US economic system (e.g. tax refund, unemployment insurances, economic stimulations, and subsidy).

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Agriculture Leadership


Preparing Youth and Young Adults for the STEM Workforce
Dr. Thomas W. Broyles
Situation:
Success in one’s career choice is never guaranteed, especially in competitive arenas such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).  Agricultural workers use knowledge of STEM to solve problems and understand agricultural systems. Individuals with clearer visions of the path through training and into a successful career in STEM are more likely to be committed, motivated, and successful in reaching their career goals.  According to several researchers, employers are reporting young workers lack key skills and skills necessary for success in today’s workforce. Researchers also indicate youth should be competent in communication, leadership, teamwork and problem solving. Due to the changing nature of the 21st century workplace, Tennessee youth need the skills, experience and confidence necessary to meet its demands and thrive in a high-performance economy characterized by high-skill, high-wage employment.
Activities:
Projects engage youth and young adults through activities such as public speaking, STEM workforce development training, leadership development, technology workshops such as drone safety and operation, computer coding, animal, robotics, and agricultural engineering. 
Impacts:
Based on the Extension programs, youth and young adults have selected majors in STEM, including agriculture, for post-secondary opportunities.  Youth who have participated in in STEM workforce training, have learned to plan, set goals, and communicate effectively for the workforce.  Lastly, youth and young adults have learned to operate drones safely, code drones for autonomous operation, and apply agricultural engineering principles to real-world problems.

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Student Achievement in Collegiate and Pre-collegiate Agriculture Programs
Dr. John C. Ricketts
Situation:
The workforce in agricultural sciences is undersupplied with qualified graduates. The Agricultural Sciences graduates that do make their way to the industry are not very diverse. In many instances, agriculture jobs are in high demand, high paying, and in dire need of new talent. My projects focus on recruiting and developing collegiate and pre-collegiate agriculture students, especially underrepresented students for the agriculture workforce.
Activities:
Projects engage students through activities such as agricultural science fairs, study abroad service learning, dual enrollment, etc. A solution for educators is an intense faculty development program in the teaching and learning of Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE). Another solution is program delivery options (i.e. online instruction, immersive instructional technology, video integration) - options that help use reach students who won't or can't come to campus. 
Impacts:
Examples of impacts include students selecting careers in agricultural and extension education who wouldn’t have without a study abroad service-learning opportunity, students connecting with agricultural science faculty and industry through STEM research and training, or school based agricultural educators from Tennessee and around the country earning the credentials to teach the rigorous STEM-based CASE course. Teachers have informed us the CASE program has kept them in the profession of teaching. In addition, our program has produced online curriculum materials in eight different agricultural pathways areas, giving students the opportunity to graduate on time and teachers resources to use in times of pandemic disruptions to traditional instruction systems. 

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Agricultural Communications
Dr. Alyssa Rockers
Situation:
Science and agriculture are complex issues that require communicators to be able to explain them in the most effective ways to their audiences. This is even more important as the consumer becomes more removed from production agriculture and has questions about how agricultural products get to their homes. Additionally, agricultural communications work has not historically worked to serve minority populations in the United States and understand the best ways to communicate to these populations.
Activity:
This program is working to understand the communication preferences of minority populations, particularly minority mothers who are predominantly responsible for the food purchasing in their homes. Additionally, this program will work to improve Extension’s communication with their audiences and help to target information to specific audiences.
Impact:
This program will ensure that the most relevant and highest quality information is communicated to consumers in the ways that are most culturally appropriate for them. Additionally, it will help Extension to maintain its relevancy and communication channels in a constantly evolving world. 

 

 

 

 

 





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