Welcome
Welcome to the companion website for US Agricultural and Food Policies: Economic Choices and Consequences college textbook.
Both this site and its accompanying textbook share a common goal:
To increase student mastery of agricultural-and-food policy analysis
If we learn how to improve policy design and implementation, then we can seize today’s opportunities and meet future challenges in our 21st-Century US agricultural and food economy.
To hone students’ skills as agricultural-and-food policy analysts requires that we utilize the proper tools. To this end, we have established a website that offers the following student resources:
- A downloadable student-oriented Study Guide, including chapter tests, case studies and discussion topics
- Chapter-by-chapter PowerPoint files
- An online glossary
- Relevant web/video links
Successful college courses where students make real intellectual progress are not a random occurrence. The careful guidance and instructional talents of a supervising professor are typically responsible for such desirable educational outcomes. To support the teaching-and-learning process in agricultural-and-food policy, this website provides the following instructor resources:
- An Instructor’s Manual, including suggestions of how to use the book and its web material, along with a sample syllabus
- A test bank
- Suggested end-of-chapter discussion questions and case studies
- Chapter-by-chapter PowerPoint files (shared with students)
Agricultural and Food Policy Analysis: Educational Expectations for an Upper-Division College Course
Policy analysis is a dynamic process of discovery, especially in the ever-changing US agri-food system. Students of agricultural-and-food-policy who seek mastery of this topic should consider an incremental approach to the learning process. Begin with the basics, and then continue to acquire more advanced skills.
At the introductory level, a firm grasp of facts and background knowledge is important for a basic understanding of any policy. But remember, facts can change as economic conditions evolve. An analyst with superior skills will track those changes and interpret their consequences.
Agricultural-and-Food-Policy is an upper-division course in most Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics degree programs. The expectations of academic performance for college juniors and seniors differ markedly from their freshmen and sophomore counterparts. True policy analysis requires a broadened perspective and an intensified research approach.
The textbook we are using, and its companion website, necessitate the application of economic tools to interpret facts and predict alternative outcomes of particular policy choices. This logical step goes beyond rote memorization as a method of learning. Mastery of an intellectual process implies that a student will engage in higher-level activities, including problem-solving and critical thinking. In agricultural-and-food-policy, students should learn to use more-advanced investigative skills.
This website and its companion textbook attempt to assist students to engage in “progressive learning”. Learn the facts and historical background associated with a particular policy. Then, and this is the difficult part, suspend your personal opinions and emotions, and instead apply research methods requiring careful consideration of both facts and values. The opportunities to build these investigative skills are abundant, when we consider the diversity of modern agricultural and food policy concerns.
Book Information Complimentary Exam Copy