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| Organizational Background |
The AFPC was created by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents in
1983. In the land-grant university tradition, the AFPC was established as a joint
activity of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas Cooperative
Extension, and Texas A&M University. As such, faculty members hold
appointments with teaching, research, and extension responsibilities. The Center is
part of the Agricultural Economics Department, and the AFPC director(s) and faculty
report to the department head. To carry out the Center's research program, the
faculty maintains a close working relationship with three other institutions:
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The Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the
University of Missouri and Iowa State University provides a source of commodity prices to AFPC for analyzing the farm-level impacts of specific policy proposals.
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Dr. Andy Novakovic and the faculty of the Cornell Program on Dairy Markets and Policy at Cornell University
cooperates in analyzing dairy policy issues.
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The Economic Research Service/USDA cooperates on farm costs, returns, and structural and policy relationships.
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| Overview |
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The Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) conducts analyses of the impacts of government policy proposals and/or implementation procedures on farmers, agribusiness's, taxpayers, and consumers. Its primary constituency is the U.S. Congress, particularly the Agriculture Committees. The AFPC also conducts research and/or educational programs for government agencies, farm and agribusiness organizations, and agricultural leadership throughout Texas and the nation. Specific AFPC objectives include:
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- Respond to legislative requests for analyses of agricultural and food policy options.
- Identify and define emerging agricultural, resource and food policy issues.
- Identify and clarify agricultural and food policy options.
- Analyze the impacts of changes in macroeconomic policy on agriculture.
- Develop educational programs and publications to explain the results of AFPC research and improve understanding of policy options and their consequences.
- Provide leadership in developing new scientific methods for analyzing public policy issues.
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| Expertise and Achievments |
While AFPC is prepared to deal with most agricultural and resource policy issues, the
faculty has developed special expertise and an extensive track record
of accomplishments in the following areas:
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Crop Program Analysis: AFPC prides itself on knowing and
understanding the details of how farm programs
operate. It meticulously integrates farm program provisions into its models.
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Farm-Level Impacts: Program impacts are considerably more meaningful
when analyzed from the perspective of those for whom farm policy
is implemented -- farmers and ranchers.
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Livestock Policy: In the past, livestock producers paid little attention to the impacts
of commodity programs on the livestock sector. Today, livestock producers are an
important force affecting crop and dairy policy.
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Dairy Policy: Milk policy is among the most complex in agriculture with
its price supports, marketing orders, import regulations, product standards, and cooperative
premiums interacting to determine market supply, demand, and prices. The
collaboration with Cornell University and FAPRI allows AFPC to evaluate the farm-level
impacts of dairy policy on more than 20 representative dairy farms.
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Crop Insurance: AFPC has analyzed a range of alternative crop insurance and assurance programs, as well as
revenue insurance and disaster policy proposals.
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Farm Program Participation: AFPC developed and delivered a web based program, BYA, that was used by farmers to analyze
the economic consequences of different options for updating base and yields under the 2002 Farm Bill. The BYA was used
more than 430,000 times to analyze more than 130 million acres.
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Government Payment Calculator: AFPC has developed and delivered a web based program,
GPC, to provide farmers a risk based projection of monthly government payments, by crop and farm unit, for 2003-2008 under the 2002 Farm Bill.
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Environmental/Resource Policy: AFPC has analyzed a wide range of environmental issues such as the CRP,
water valuation, and sustainable agriculture.
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Rural Development Policy: In the 1980's, AFPC pioneered the development of rural policy options.
The impact of policy changes on rural communities remain an important resource that AFPC provides the Congress.
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Congressional Interns: As part of its teaching program, AFPC
assists with the Texas A&M Agriculture and Resource Policy Congressional Internship
Program. Interns are selected by congressional constituent committees to provide
agricultural policy expertise and assistance to Texas congressional offices. This program was initially
formed by AFPC faculty in 1990.
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FARM Assistance: Using research and analytical methods developed by AFPC, Texas Cooperative Extension and AFPC have partnered to develop Financial And Risk Management (FARM) Assistance to provide farmers and ranchers in Texas with personalized strategic planning analysis and decision information.
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