Dr. Todd Kuethe join Purdue faculty in 2019 as Associate Professor and Schrader Endowed Chair in Farmland Economics. Kuethe, who earned his PhD in agricultural economics from the department in 2009, most recently held a Clinical Assistant Professor of Land Economics position at the University of Illinois.

The Schrader Endowed Chair is a new position in the agricultural economics department created to promote applied research into farmland markets, values, returns, and use. Funding for the endowment was provided by Rex Schrader, R.D. Schrader, Fred and Judy Geyer, and Roger Diehm. The chair is named for the Schrader family of Columbia City, proprietors of the Schrader Real Estate and Auction Company, one of the nation’s leading auctioneers of agricultural land.

Currently Kuethe helps policymakers, farmers, and landowners make better decisions to ensure a safer, more flexible, and more stable agricultural economy. Todd’s research interests are focused on farm real estate markets, agricultural credit, and agricultural policy. He has published more than 30 scholarly articles in leading field journals, such as American Journal of Agricultural Economics and Land Economics, and is also a regular contributor to University of Illinois’ farmdocDaily. Todd is also a consultant in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and an Associate Editor of Agricultural Finance Review. His work has been profiled in a number of major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post, The Economist, National Public Radio, and VICE. His research has been recognized by awards from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA), the AAEA’s Agricultural Finance and Management Section, North American Regional Science Council, and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Prior to joining the University of Illinois, Todd spent several years as an Economist with the USDA Economic Research Service in Washington, DC where he contributed to a number of USDA reports on farm real estate markets and agricultural policy. Todd earned a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University (2009), and MS in Agribusiness Economics from Southern Illinois University (2005), and a BS in Economics from The Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at Saint Louis University (2003).

Outside of academia, Kuethe spends his free time with his wife Kathryn and their two children: Margaret and August. The family enjoys hiking, fly fishing, and camping in their Volkswagen camper-van. Most importantly, they are Purdue basketball fans and look forward to hearing their children yell “Boiler Up!” at sporting events.