AAEA welcome sign with registration directions

Photo Recap of the 2026 AAEA Annual Meeting

The Department of Agricultural Economics had a strong presence at the 2026 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting in Kansas City, MO, where faculty, students and alumni gathered to share research, celebrate achievements and connect with colleagues from around the world.

During the conference at the end of July, visitors also stopped by the department’s exhibit table throughout the week to learn more about Purdue’s graduate programs and connect with faculty and current students.

Faculty and students from the department showcased their latest research, participated in academic sessions and networked with fellow economists across disciplines. The department also welcomed alumni and friends during its annual reception, providing an opportunity to reconnect with former students, celebrate shared accomplishments and network in the agricultural community.

Group of Purdue alumni, students, faculty and staff gathered in a reception room Group of attendees gathered for Purdue AAEA reception

The meeting also brought well-deserved recognition to several department members. Yingxin Tan received two Best PhD Student Paper Awards—one from the Institutional and Behavioral Economics Section (IBES) for Who Should Oversee Food Safety? Public Attention and Institutional Preferences in the Wake of the 2024 FDA Reorganization, coauthored with Valerie Kilders, and another from EXECON for Before the Change Arrives: Future Price Signals Shape Food-Away-From-Home Choices, coauthored with Valerie Kilders and Brenna Ellison.

Sampada Wagle received AAEA’s Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award for Immigration Enforcement, Labor Outcomes and Consumer Welfare: Evidence from U.S. Meat and Poultry Processing Plants. Wagle completed her thesis under the direction of Bhagyashree Katare and joins several recent Purdue ag econ graduates who have earned the national honor.

The department also celebrated two prestigious extension recognitions. Michael Langemeier and the Center for Commercial Agriculture team received AAEA’s Distinguished Extension/Outreach Program Award (Group), while Trey Malone earned the Distinguished Extension/Outreach Program Award for professionals with fewer than 10 years of experience.

Angel Aguiar was also awarded AAEA’s Outstanding Choices Article for his work on “Economic Consequences of the Tariff War.”

Congratulations to everyone who represented Purdue Ag Econ at this year’s AAEA Annual Meeting through their research, service, leadership and accomplishments.