What is C-FARE?

The Council on Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics (C-FARE) is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the national presence of the agricultural economics profession. C-FARE's governing board includes prominent agricultural economists representing a wide range of public and private sector interests.

Vision

C-FARE will be a widely-recognized organization which helps agricultural economists contribute to private and public sector decision making on issues important to agricultural, rural, environmental, food safety and other related societal issues.

Goals

C-FARE has four primary goals:

1. To identify key economic issues, establish priorities, and seek support for research, extension, and academic instruction;
2. To help agricultural economists contribute more effectively to public and private sector decisions;
3. To work with other professional organizations to foster support for agricultural research; and
4. To publicize agricultural economics contributions to solving important societal issues.

C-FARE Activities

C-FARE will undertake activities to: effectively communicate the research and analytic results of the profession to public and private sector decision makers; communicate the value of economic contributions to agricultural research to funding institutions and national policy leaders; clarify how society is better off allocating scarce funds to agricultural research; help define more cost-effective ways to solve rural problems; help measure and foster long-term competitiveness in U.S. agriculture; and evaluate how people from various income and social categories benefit from cost-saving, quality-enhancing agricultural research, education and policies.

C-FARE's activities encompass the broad interests of the profession such as the economics of food production, distribution, and consumption; international trade and development; natural and human resources; environmental quality; rural communities and economic development; rural financial markets; agribusiness management; and public policy.

C-FARE:

• Follows the activities of key congressional committees to identify opportunities for input by agricultural economists.
• Provides input to congressional leaders (i.e., oral and written testimony) on the role and value of economics in agricultural research.
• Works closely with other professional organizations to promote funding for agricultural research, extension and academic programs.
• Organizes national conferences on important economic issues.
• Develops nonpartisan issue papers to enhance the policy dialogue.
• Provides input to government agencies related to agricultural economics research and education policy.
• Develops programs to enhance leadership within the profession.
• Establishes linkages with funding and priority setting organizations.

Membership

C-FARE aims to represent the interests of all professional agricultural economists in the United States. The Council consists of at least twelve members representing major groups within the profession. Three members are appointed by the American Agricultural Economics Association, and by the National Association of Agricultural Economics Administrators. These six directors elect at least six at-large representatives. C-FARE is a tax exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.

2008 C-FARE Officers   Jon Brandt Chair North Carolina State University   Bob Yonkers Vice-Chair International Dairy Foods Association   Steven Kraft Secretary-Treasurer Southern Illinois University For More Information: Tamara Wagester Executive Director 900 Second Street, NE Suite 205 Washington, DC 20002 (202) 408-8522  Phone (202) 408-5385 Fax tamarawagester@cfare.org

2008 Board Members Soji Adelaja Michigan State University Walter Armbruster Farm Foundation Nicole Ballenger University of Wyoming Jon Brandt North Carolina State University Gail Cramer Louisiana State University Damona Doye Oklahoma State University Jerry Fletcher West Virginia University Arne Hallam Iowa State University Dana Hoag Colorado State University Helen Jensen Iowa State University Steven Kraft Southern Illinois University Gene Nelson Texas A&M University Jim Novak Auburn University J.B. Penn John Deere Corporation Sally Thompson Purdue University Steve Turner Mississippi State University Bob Yonkers International Dairy Foods Association Bob Young American Farm Bureau Federation