2026-05 PAER: Graduate Student Research Issue

Welcome to the Spring 2026 Purdue Agricultural Economics Report (PAER). This issue marks the fifth edition of our Graduate Student Research feature, showcasing the research and accomplishments of master’s and PhD students in the Department of Agricultural Economics.

In the first article of this issue, Dr. Carson Reeling, professor of agricultural economics and graduate program chair, presents an overview of the agricultural economics graduate program, including enrollment, job placements, program accomplishments, grants and awards.

The remainder of this issue highlights student research in two broad sections. The first section focuses on consumers’ willingness to pay and the rural economy. Master’s student Marley Heritier uses a best-worst scaling consumer survey to examine consumers’ preferences for chocolate attributes in Trinidad and Tobago. Next, PhD student Ivana Carrillo-Siller examines family and non-family small businesses in the Midwest and finds that females are more likely to be self-employed in non-family businesses, highlighting the important role of self-employment outside family firms. Laxmi Adhikari (editor for this issue) examines the state of employees’ mental health in rural America using an employee survey and finds that nervousness, restlessness and feeling that everything is an effort are the most common challenges reported by rural employees.

The second section presents research related to land use, the environment and policy. PhD student Binayak Kunwar studies the effect of state-led farmland acquisition for economic development, using Indiana’s LEAP District as a case study, and finds that public land acquisition increased local farmland prices. PhD student Lauren Benavidez-Brouk discusses methods for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from land conversion and changes in agricultural practices. Master’s student Anabeth Jennings discusses that phosphorus inefficiency largely occurs at the consumption stage, mainly due to food waste, and emphasizes the need for policies that reduce food waste to support phosphorus sustainability. Finally, we conclude this issue by including the abstracts from the departmental Outstanding Dissertation and Thesis Awards, recognizing Yuansen Li (PhD ’25) and Sampada Wagle (MS ’25), respectively.

On behalf of the editorial team, I hope you enjoy this collection of work by the graduate students in Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Economics. Thank you for taking the time to read the PAER.

Laxmi Adhikari

PhD Student

2026 Graduate Editor for PAER 2026