What Agribusiness Economists Can Contribute to the Content and Equipment Agricultural Economics

Abstract

T O BORROW from famous words spoken by the late President Kennedy in his inaugural address, our President Breimyer has given agribusiness economists a real challenge, Ask not only what agricultural economics can do for you but what you can do for agricultural economics. As that phrase jolted many citizens eight years ago, this title caused me to look at a few things in a little different light. For many years, I believe, some of our agribusiness economists have been attending the annual and winter AEAA meetings, have been reading or at least scanning the AEAA Journal, attending other meetings set up by agricultural economists at various universities and drawing information and knowledge from on situations with their academic and government agricultural economist colleagues. They apparently have found these opportunities rewarding. While our Association and its economists in public service have set up these opportunities for agribusiness economists and utilized annual meetings and its official publication for the dissemination of knowledge, I know of few similar situations or communications on a formal basis where agribusiness economists have attempted to be the disseminators with the rest of the profession as the principal recipients. I have reviewed the AAEA Journal for 1966, 1967, and 1968 to gain some insights into agribusiness economists' contribution to the profession by means of its official publication.' If my research is accurate and if we define agribusiness economists to include only those employed by private profit-seeking firms, thereby excluding staff members of Federal Reserve Banks, foundations, trade associations and the like, we have had only one article published by an agribusiness economist in the four regular issues. One essay was co-authored by an agribusiness economist. There were also six papers and four discussion papers presented by business economists in the Proceedings issues of 1966 and 1967. Most, if not all, appeared to be invited papers. If we define agribusiness economists to include those of the Federal Reserve Banks, foundations, trade associations, etc., the total rises to over thirty, including those of discussants. (Incidentally, on our