6 Things that Made San Antonio the Best Trip of 2016... So Far

I just got back from a great trip to San Antonio, Texas. Here are six reasons I'm calling it the best trip of 2016... so far:

Our group looks pretty spiffy in our new red Ag Business polos,
don't you think?

1. Competition
The main purpose of our trip was to compete in an Agricultural Economics quiz bowl. There's just something about a little bit of competition that makes any trip a little more exciting. Although I traveled down with a group of fellow Iowa State Ag Business students, we were split up on separate teams for the contest. This structure forced us to meet new people and encouraged a little friendly competition among students from the same school. (After a close third round, my team was eliminated by another Iowa State team.)

2. My travel partners
The group of Iowa State students that traveled with me made the trip a blast! We had such a fun time sight seeing around the San Antonio River Walk, exploring the local restaurants and cheering one another on. Before the trip we didn't know each other that well, but now we've shared tons of laughs, photos, and bowls of ice cream.

3. The weather
When we left, blizzard warnings were in the forecast for Iowa. As our first plane landed in Dallas, we could feel the warm sunshine streaming though the airplane windows. Once we arrived in San Antonio, we were all eager to ditch our coats in the hotel and explore our sunny surroundings. It was so nice to have a break from bundling up, even if it was just for a weekend.

4. The sights

The River Walk was gorgeous and full of places to eat and drink!

This trip marked my 25th state and my first time in Texas. Our hotel was right on the River Walk and walking distance for a tour of The Alamo. Right before catching our flight home, we made a mad dash to the Tower of the Americas. After a minute and a half elevator ride to the top, we could see for miles over the top of San Antonio. Unfortunately after a few selfies and a lap around the observation deck, it was time to go, but we had lots of fun!

5. Successful examples and mentors
Quiz bowl isn't the only thing going on at these meetings. Grad students and professors from around the region come to this conference to present their research and network. There are so many people with similar professional interests in one place. Their work and curiosity is really inspiring.

6. Meeting peers
While meeting so many people to look up to is awesome, it's also great to make friends from other schools. It's fun to sit around and compare college life around the country. Even though some of us say pop instead of soda or you guys instead of y'all, it's good to know I'm not the only one a little anxious about graduation or passionate about the story of agriculture.

Huge thank you to Georgeanne and Keri for spending their Superbowl weekend with eight "Quiz Bow Quties." We all had a great time in Texas. We appreciate your guidance and patience.

Also, thank you to the generous sponsors of the Iowa State Agricultural Business Club and our trip. Your support is what makes our program one of the strongest in the nation. These experiences are what shape us students into well rounded, employable graduates. Thanks for reading!

Ag Jobs A to Z: Economist

Photo Credit: Iowa State University

As an Agricultural Business major, I've been lucky to meet several economists in my four years at Iowa State. I remember the first time I met T.J. Rakitan as he talked me through my Econ 101 homework in the Econ Help Room. These days I run into T.J. at department events and schedule planning meetings. He always has a good long boarding story or comment that makes me laugh when our paths cross in Heady Hall.

T.J. is a PhD Econ student, but also helps underclassmen as an adviser and is a great subject resource. Thanks for sharing his experiences and advice, T.J.!

1. Where did you go to school?
I did my undergraduate work in Economics and Foreign Languages/International Affairs at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA.  I also earned an M.S. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Davis, and I am completing my PhD studies in Economics at Iowa State.

2. What inspired you to pursue a job in Ag Economics?
I began my academic career studying environmental and resource economics, and many of the research questions that interest me have broad application and relevance to agriculture.  
For example, I’m interested in how the energy industry interacts with agriculture when wind turbines or oil wells are constructed on farms.  Also, I’m interested in the public policies aimed at preventing environmental degradation and role played by agriculture in helping preserve environmental value while helping feed the world.  

3. How long have you been working in Ag Economics?
Since 2008, when I began my M.S. studies at UC Davis.  

4. What skills are necessary for a career in Ag Economics?
To borrow from the late, great John Maynard Keynes, “the master-economist must possess a rare combination of gifts […] he must be mathematician, historian, statesman, philosopher—in some degree.”  

An economist must be comfortable considering the logic of abstract concepts while applying them to the “real world,” and agriculture is about as real as it gets!  It’s often handy to have a background emphasizing mathematical skill, but the goal of applied economics is the considered understanding of how people make decisions and how this determines societal well-being.  Both analytical and communication skills are necessary—the challenge of the agricultural economist is to translate informed observation and scientific study of incentives into recommendations for policy and practice.  

5. How does your job fit into the agricultural industry? (Who do you work with? Who do you help? Who helps you?) 
Agricultural economists compile, analyze and interpret data to help ag practitioners and policymakers make better decisions.  In my own experience, I work with public officials, state data collectors and industry participants to analyze policies such as the placement of wind energy installations.  Additionally, many economists work as educators, teaching classes at universities to help students understand how resources are allocated and how individual behaviors add up to market-level effects.

My research is aimed helping evaluate the costs, benefits and effectiveness of policies and regulations, which contributes to the information available to the general public.  Other economists, however, work more directly with agricultural groups to analyze the markets for Iowa ag production and consult on the economic value of ag inputs.  For example, some ISU Econ Dept. faculty work with the ISU Extension, working with farmers, cooperatives and agribusiness firms to disseminate information about market-level trends in prices, quantities and expected returns on investment.  The ISU Econ Department also publishes the Ag Decision Maker tool to help farmers make informed decisions about how to allocate resources within their farms.  

6. What career/internship opportunities are there with Ag Economics?
Career-wise, most economists seek jobs in private industry (commodities trading firms, ag consulting firms) or in the public sector (U.S. Department of Ag, colleges and universities, extension services).  At the undergraduate level, the typical economist may begin his or her career as an analyst who specializes in a single commodity or group of businesses, while Masters and PhD graduates are often employed in broader research capacities.  
The skills emphasized by training in economics are often quite general—that is, the economist must have a basic understanding of how optimal decisions are arrived at, and must then tailor this understanding to help explain the happenings in a specific industry.  Internships tend to focus on precisely this: students will know how to analyze things, but may not yet know the ins and outs of their industry of choice.  

7. Is there anything else you would like a student audience to know?
I should emphasize that subject knowledge is important!  Economics provides an excellent set of tools for analyzing the decisions by which scarce resources are allocated, but knowing something about which resources are actually being allocated makes a huge difference.  It’s no accident that many ag economists have roots in rural agrarian communities.  Those of us that didn’t start with this background (like me) have had to learn it along the way! 

Thanks again to T.J. for sharing his perspective as an economist. Thanks for reading!

Southern Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting

I am so lucky to have just returned from Atlanta, Georgia where I attended the Southern Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting for the first time. Five other Iowa State students, along with our awesome adviser, Georgeanne, made the trip to network and compete in the undergraduate Agriculture Econ Quiz Bowl.

To be completely honest, before we left, I was a bit nervous since none of my good friends were going along, and I don't have a lot of confidence in my Econ knowledge. By the end of the trip, I'd made several new friends, from Iowa State and around the country.

It may sound silly, but this trip also excited me because it was the first time I'd flown without a parent. I felt so grown up as my teammates and I hustled through check in, security, and boarded all on our own. 

We arrived in Georgia without any issues Saturday night and after a brief meeting and checking into our fancy hotel room, we ventured off to find the famous Mellow Mushroom pizza. My new friend, Becky, was so excited to show us this unique restaurant, and I'm so glad she did. The amazing combination of fresh ingredients really hit the spot! If you're ever in the south and craving pizza, I highly recommend it!


The next morning, it was time to compete. Each team was made up of four students from different schools. Using a buzzer system, two teams at a time answered questions from a Jeopardy style board of categories.


I was paired with three other girls from around the southern part of the United States. My team, the Black Bears came out on top after the first round, but was eliminated later as the competition got tougher. Even though I was disappointed to lose, it freed me up to watch my classmate's rounds. Fortunately, I got to see a fellow Iowa Stater claim 3rd place and win some cash! As the rounds progressed, the intensity grew. 

After a winning student team prevailed, it was time for them to face The Legends, a group of competitive advisers. One of the highlights of the trip was certainly cheering on Georgeanne as she competed! After a round that included many laughs, the students came out on top for what I hear is the third year in a row. 

In between rounds, I enjoyed getting to know a few students from Missouri's chapter. While we were waiting for the next event we enjoyed several hands of cards, an adventure wandering through Atlanta area and even a spontaneous trip to Waffle House! Our entire group was invited to an exclusive Super Bowl party at Hard Rock Cafe, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We couldn't seem to take a good picture together, but we sure had lots of fun.

When we weren't hanging out with our new friends, we were taking advantage of the Graduate School Fair, attending the business meeting and dinner, or looking over poster projects completed by graduate students. We heard a great speech by the newly elected president (which I'll save for another blog post) and were treated to an excellent southern dinner. All these things opened my eyes to a new level of the academic world and learning opportunities. It was awesome to see some of the work professors are doing when they aren't teaching, and thinking about alternate career paths was pretty interesting.

All in all, I am so thankful for the chance to travel to the south, take in some warmer weather, and broaden my horizons. Thanks for reading!