Principal Investigator: 

Anton Bekkerman, Ph.D, Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture Economics & Economics

 

bekkermanThis research program seeks to investigate the extent to which regulatory and agricultural policies affect participants' exposure to market risks, and the extent to which regulations and policies alter incentives to use market-based risk management tools. Stakeholders in the agricultural sector are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties throughout the food supply chain, and efficient transmission of relevant information and effective of risk management tools are critical to reduce the exposure to, and negative impacts of, unexpected adverse events. This research program will examine the impacts of two sets of policy interventions on agricultural producers' exposure and ability to manage input cost risks: Revenue Protection crop insurance (the most widely used federal crop insurance product) and energy market regulations, which affect entry for new fertilizer production facilities and fertilizer prices.

Anton Bekkerman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics at Montana State University.  His research interests primarily focus on modeling marketing, production, and management structures in the agricultural sector; empirically identifying and measuring how uncertainty, technological advancements, policy, and other factors influence and change those structures; and developing research-based tool that can help agricultural producers and agribusinesses better manage their operations in response to those changes. Several of Bekkerman's on-going projects consider models that can improve wheat price and quality premium predictions for the northern United States, identify the economic impacts of changes in the grain handling industry, and understand market-level effects of increased pulse production in Montana.  On campus, Bekkerman teaches the Economics of Agricultural Marketing and Managerial Economics, is the faculty advisor to the Collegiate Young Farmers and Ranchers student organization, and is a regular contributor to the AgEconMT.com project.