Preface

Citation

Preface, P. (2014), "Preface", Agricultural Finance Review, Vol. 74 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/AFR-11-2014-070

Preface

Article Type: Preface From: Agricultural Finance Review, Volume 74, Issue 4

Preface to AFR proceedings issue

The Agricultural Finance and Management (AFM) Section is an organization of agricultural applied economists with research and professional interests in agricultural and applied finance. It is a subgroup of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) formed in 2011 by members of the NC-1177 regional research group. One of the major aims of the AFM Section is to communicate the work of its members to domestic and international audiences, providing analysis of the financial performance of agricultural firms and research on policy and regulatory designs which impact the profitability and sustainability of farms and agribusinesses. As a part of AFM's initial organization, members worked with Dr Calum Turvey, editor of the Agricultural Finance Review, on agreement that would allow the Section's track sessions to be published as proceedings in the journal. This greatly supports the aims of the Section that allows for dissemination of timely and important work by leading researchers in agricultural finance. This novel feature of AFM sets it apart from peer organizations as the only AAEA section to have a dedicated relationship with an academic journal.

AFM co-sponsored two organized track sessions at the 2013 AAEA annual meetings in Washington, DC. The key insights of the track session are published in this issue.

Nicholas Paulson (University of Illinois) organized a session co-sponsored by the Economic Statistics and Information Resources Committee titled "Comparing ARMS to Farm Management Association Data: Implications for Data Analysis and Research." The session included presentations by Paulson, Todd H. Kuethe (USDA-Economic Research Service), Brian C. Briggeman (Kansas State University), and Ani Katchova (University of Kentucky). Mitch Morehart (USDA-Economic Research Service) served as the session's discussant, offering insights on his experiences with the Agricultural Resource Management Survey and related data sources. The paper by Kuethe et al. summarizes the key findings of the research and provides important recommendations for researchers working with farm management association data.

Bruce Sherrick (University of Illinois) organized a session co-sponsored by the Applied Risk Analysis Section titled "Current Issues in the Federal Crop Insurance Program." In addition to the academic research presented in this issue, the session included insight from two discussants: Joseph W. Glaber, Chief Economist of the USDA, and Thomas P. Zacharias, President of the National Crop Insurance Services. Sherrick, Schnitkey, and Woodard provide detailed analysis of the performance of crop insurance with particular focus on the program during the 2012 drought. Goodwin and Hungerford examine several important issues related to crop insurance rating methods. Babcock, Paulson, and Coppess highlight potential reforms for crop insurance programs.

Todd H. Kuethe