2018 Annual Awards

USDA Economists Group President Steve Neff kicked off the organization's 27th Annual Meeting on Friday, February 2, 2018 in USDA's Whitten Building, welcoming members from USDA, academia and private industry.

2018 Economist of the Year

Vice President of Membership Bruce McWilliams presented the 2018 Economist of the Year Award to Dr. Patrick Canning of USDA's Economic Research Service for several important breakthroughs in food system modeling at the nexus of our understanding of food, energy, and healthy diets in 2017. Through the development and application of an innovative empirical methodology, he was able to link fossil fuel usage and other energy metrics to agricultural production and nutrition programs.

2018 Fred Woods Award for Excellence in Public Policy Research and Education

Dr. Keith Fuglie, an Agricultural Economist with the Economic Research Service was recognized for his excellence in the research of agricultural innovation, technological change, and productivity with the 2018 Fred Woods Award. Dr. Fuglie's energy, vision, and focus have linked agricultural research & development to productivity growth and environmental services in innovative ways and informed policy makers concerned with agricultural productivity domestically and worldwide.

2018 John E. Lee Award for Sustained Excellence in Group Economic Analysis

The John E. Lee Award was given to the International Food Security Team in recognition of the nine members' excellence in analyzing the drivers of improved global food security, such as international trade, agricultural productivity, and safety net programs. The team continues to refine food security models and produce annual reports on the food security in 76 developing and transitioning economies. The high standards behind these sustained efforts have greatly assisted in highlighting the challenges to feeding the world.