Agricultural & Applied Economics: News & Events: Featured Stories Archives
February 2006
Seminar by Jayson Lusk
Dr.
Jayson L. Lusk, the Willard Sparks Endowed Chair at Oklahoma State University,
will present a seminar on February 24, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. in 310 Conner Hall.
For more information about Dr. Lusk, please see his
website:
There will be a roundtable discussion with the graduate students immediately after the seminar. Later, a group will accompany Dr. Lusk to dinner. All are cordially invited to join the group.
Dr. Lusk’s seminar is entitled “Do Your Neighbors Know You Better than Themselves? A Prediction-Based Non-Market Valuation Method.”
Abstract: A new avenue for calculating the value of non-market goods is proposed. Instead of inferring valuations from individuals’ statements about their own value for a good, as in the contingent valuation method, our approach relies on individuals’ predictions or expectations about others’ value for a good. We report results from a series of carefully designed experiments, where individuals either predicted their own group’s referendum voting behavior, a different group’s voting behavior, or the voting behavior of a group of hypothetical individuals. Although market-based predictions were not always accurate, we find that a simple average of individuals’ stated expectations provided a remarkably accurate depiction of actual voting behavior. Our results provide initial support for a new valuation paradigm: prediction-based non-market valuation.
Student News
Luke Lanier
Luke
Lanier is a third year Agricultural Economics major from Swainsboro, Georgia.
He is on the Dean’s List, a Presidential Scholar, Vice-President in Charge
of Membership Development for Alpha Gamma Rho, a member of the Inter-Fraternity
Council and a CAES Senator for the Student Government Association.
In the summer of 2005, Luke worked as an intern in Thomasville, Georgia for Monsanto, a cotton traits company based in St. Louis, Missouri. Working with a Monsanta sales representative in charge of eighteen counties, Luke met with farmers and retailers, examined damaged and diseased crops to determine if farmers would receive roundup rewards insurance, and dealt with mainly cotton crops that utilized Monsanto technology.
Currently, Luke is working as an intern for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). He plans to work for the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in Athens during the summer of 2006, and after college graduation, he is hoping to obtain employment with the USDA.
In his leisure time, Luke enjoys going to the coast with his
family to fish on long weekends, golf, and hunting. He volunteers with USDA Earth
Team surveying farm ponds and helps out in various ways on his family farm, including
planting food plots for wildlife.
David
Crockett is a fourth year Agribusiness major from Tifton, Georgia. He has recently
been named a Presidential Scholar and is a member of the Alpha Zeta Honor Fraternity
and the Agricultural and Environmental Economics Club. Before attending UGA,
David earned an associate’s degree in Business Administration from Abraham
Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC), where he was on the Dean’s List and
the Academic Achievements List, and he was a member of the Alpha Beta Gamma Business
Society. During the time he was a student at ABAC, David also worked for the
John Deere Corporation.
In the fall of 2006, David plans to begin work on his M.S. in Agricultural Economics. After earning his M.S., he plans to begin a career in sales or an administrative position. He then hopes to pursue a doctorate degree and become a university professor.
He is a member of the First Baptist Church in Tifton and has been an active
volunteer and donated to the Samaritan’s Purse. In his leisure time, David
enjoys weight lifting, boxing and jujitsu, bowling, hunting, fishing and spending
time with his girl friend.
Chris
Chammoun is a second year Agricultural Economics major from Adel, Georgia. He
was recently named a Presidential Scholar and is the recipient of the Roy E.
Proctor Memorial Scholarship. He is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Agricultural
Fraternity and was appointed as House Manager for 2005. As a member of the UGA
Agronomy Club, Chris was their representative for the Ag Hill Council for one
year. Additionally, he is a member of UGA Collegiate FFA, Alpha Zeta, the National
Society of Collegiate Scholars, and Delta Epsilon Iota Academic Honor Society.
Chris is still contemplating which path to take after college graduation. Options he is currently considering include going to graduate school for a degree in Agricultural Economics or Agricultural Education, obtaining employment in the south Georgia/north Florida region and eventually owning his own business, and working with the government on agricultural issues.
He regularly attends the UGA Catholic Center and is involved in several philanthropic activities through Alpha Gamma Rho. He helps in activities such as Toys for Tots, a Night in the Cold (gathering canned food items), and he helps with the Spring BBQ in order to raise money to send a child to YMCA Camp.
In his leisure time, Chris enjoys reading and studying the Bible and its teachings, reading and studying agricultural policy and governmental issues, hunting, fishing, shooting – in competition and just for fun, watching the history channel, gardening, and working outside.
Alumni News
Matt Coley
Matt
Coley is a member of the professional staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition and Forestry. His legislative duties involve civil rights, animal welfare,
organic farming, transportation, USDA oversight, grazing fees, grain inspection,
and various other agricultural related activities.
Matt received a B.S.A in 2003 and an M.S. in 2005, both in Agricultural Economics from the University of Georgia. While he was an undergraduate, he served as secretary and as pledge class president of Theta Chi Fraternity, as a member of the Agricultural and Environmental Economics Club and AGHON Agricultural Honor Society, and he was on the Dean’s List. As a graduate student, he was a member of the Graduate Student Association and AGHON Agricultural Honor Society. During the summer of 2002, he served as an intern in the office of Senator Saxby Chambliss. The internship “opened Matt’s eyes” to the legislative side of the agricultural sector. The experience also played an important role in Matt’s obtaining his current position, seeing that Senator Chambliss is chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
Advice Matt wants to extend to current students in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics includes: “get involved during you time at the university by going to club meetings, apply for internships and, if the opportunity presents itself, study abroad.”
Since he was raised on a farm, living in Washington, D.C. continues to be a big adjustment for Matt. When he has the opportunity to return to Georgia, Matt enjoys nothing more than being outdoors and working on his family farm.