Latest News
RaFF Spring 2024 Farm Income Outlooks in the News
RaFF released the spring 2024 Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska Farm Income Outlooks in April, offering new insights into state-level farm income estimates and examining various factors impacting net farm income.
Check out the latest coverage of our farm income reports:
Arkansas net farm income decline projected to continue in 2024 | University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
MU center projects a dip in farm income for springtime | University of Missouri
Missouri’s net farm income projected to decline | Missouri Ruralist
MU Center Projects a Dip in Farm Income for Springtime | Morning Ag Clips
Spring 2024 Kansas Farm Income Outlook | AgManager.Info
Nebraska farm income projected to fall in 2024 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln CAP
Nebraska farm income projected to fall in 2024 | Nebraska Rural Radio
RaFF Fall 2023 Farm Income Outlooks in the News
RaFF released the fall 2023 Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska Farm Income Outlooks in September/October, offering new insights into state-level farm income estimates and examining various factors impacting net farm income.
Check out the latest coverage of our farm income reports:
2023 Arkansas net farm income down nearly $1B, but still higher than 2021 | University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Kansas fall 2023 income outlook | Kansas State University Agriculture Today Interview
2023 Missouri farm income retreats from 2022 record high but remains strong | University of Missouri
Fall 2023 Nebraska farm income update | University of Nebraska-Lincoln CAP
2023 Arkansas net farm income down nearly $1 billion dollars from last year | University of Arkansas interview with RFD-TV (Oct. 9)
Nebraska and U.S. Farm Income Update and Outlook | RaFF-CAP Webinar (Oct. 12)
Current Conditions for Missouri Farm Income and 2024 Outlook | RaFF Webinar (Oct. 18)
Join Our Team
The Division of Applied Social Sciences at the University of Missouri invites applications for a 9-month tenure-track position at the Associate Professor or Professor level. The successful candidate will lead efforts related to agricultural finance as Director of the Rural and Farm Finance (RaFF) policy analysis center (https://raff.missouri.edu/), which provides analysis of regional farm finances and related policy issues. A primary focus of this position is to inform policymakers about the state of agricultural finances and the impacts of safety net programs and other public policies. This research and extension program complements the traditional policy work provided by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI), the long-standing center that has provided Congress with objective policy analysis for the past four decades.
Minimum Qualifications: PhD in agricultural or applied economics or a related social sciences discipline.
Screening will begin November 1, 2023, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled. To view the full posting, requirements, and to apply, visit: https://hr.missouri.edu/job-openings, Job ID 48160.
Applications must include a letter of interest, current CV, relevant scholarship-related work samples, contact information for three professional references, and other supporting materials. Specific inquiries may be directed to Patrick Westhoff (westhoffp@missouri.edu).
RaFF Spring 2023 Farm Income Outlooks in the News
RaFF released the spring 2023 Nebraska, Arkansas and Missouri Farm Income Outlooks in March/April, offering new insights into state-level farm income estimates and examining various factors impacting net farm income.
Check out the latest coverage of our farm income reports:
Nebraska Farm Income Update and Outlook | UNL CAP Webinar
Nebraska Net Farm Income 2022-2023 Update and Outlook | UNL CAP
2023 Arkansas farm income expected to retreat following record year | University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Missouri farm income projected to decline in 2023 | University of Missouri
RaFF Fall 2022 Farm Income Outlooks in the News
RaFF released the fall 2022 Missouri and Nebraska Farm Income Outlooks in September, offering new insights into state-level farm income changes and examining the impacts of various economic factors.
RaFF and our collaborators have been featured in recent webinars – tune in and hear highlights from the experts:
Understanding the Fall 2022 Missouri Farm Income Outlook | Engaging 4 MO Webinar
Farm Income Situation and Outlook | UNL CAP Webinar
RaFF Sponsors Ag Lender Webinar
Join RaFF on Friday, October 7, for the Monetary Policy and Farm Income Outlook for Missouri’s Ag Lenders webinar Lead model developer Dr. Bob Maltsbarger will join Dr. William Emmons, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, to discuss agricultural finance outlooks for the state of Missouri. Don’t miss out on findings from the fall 2022 Missouri Farm Income Outlook!
The MU Agricultural Business and Policy Extension program also hosts a statewide, in-person series of agricultural lenders seminars, which offer timely insights on market outlooks, production costs, land values and regional agricultural issues. More information can be found on the program’s website.
Register for free at https://mizzou.us/AgLenderOutlook22. RaFF is proud to sponsor this event in conjunction with FAPRI-MU and MU Extension.
Tsay Joins RaFF Team
The Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center continues to expand and welcomes Juo-Han Tsay to the team.
Tsay joined RaFF in August 2022 as a postdoctoral research fellow and supports the development and further refinement of models for state-level data. Tsay has academic and consulting experience in agricultural finance, risk management, and agricultural policy analysis; most recently, she had the opportunity to observe the work of the University of Illinois farmdoc team and authored several Extension articles. Tsay looks forward to extending her research of agricultural policy and is excited to provide important information to better equip decision-makers.
Dr. Scott Brown Named Interim Director
The Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center has named Dr. Scott Brown as interim director.
In this role, Brown will provide vision, administration, and outreach as RaFF continues to grow as a policy analysis center. Brown is a northwest Missouri native and has more than two decades of experience in agricultural economics and policy; during his career at the University of Missouri, he has testified before the U.S. Congress on the quantitative effects of changes in federal dairy and livestock policies and currently works with the Missouri legislature on the economic effects of state policy options on Missouri agriculture. With his extensive experience in agricultural policy analysis and expertise in livestock and dairy policy, Brown is a welcomed addition to the team. In addition to his role with RaFF, Brown also leads the Center for Agricultural Markets and Policy. Learn more about Dr. Brown here.
Maltsbarger and Washburn Join RaFF Team
The Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center continues to grow with the addition of Dr. Bob Maltsbarger and TaylorAnn Washburn to the team.
Dr. Maltsbarger joined RaFF in early 2022 as the lead model developer. In this role, Maltsbarger builds models for state-level farm cash receipts, farm expenses, government payments, farm income, and specialty crops, and works with collaborators to continuously improve state- and region-specific models. In addition to his role with RaFF, Maltsbarger works with FAPRI to provide cost of production outlook information. Maltsbarger grew up on a farm in central Missouri and has more than a decade of experience as a principal economist with IHS Markit. Learn more about Dr. Maltsbarger here.
RaFF welcomed program manager TaylorAnn Washburn to the team in May 2022. In addition to assisting with RaFF projects and managing communications and outreach efforts, Washburn works with the University of Missouri Fred V. Heinkel Chair in Agriculture to support a variety of programs. Washburn is a northwest Missouri native with experience in marketing and communications for public and private-sector entities.
Webinar Recording: Introducing the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center
Aligned closely with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri, the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) officially launched at MU in March 2022. In this Engaging 4 MO webinar, Dr. Sarah Low, the center’s director, describes the work RaFF is doing and highlights the center’s first research-based brief on agriculture’s contribution to GDP.
Video Link
RaFF Launched on March 3
The Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Missouri has officially launched! Learn more about our center this feature in CAFNR News.
View CAFNR News