Economics for the real world
Deep historical roots.
The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was the first such specialized department in the world. Growing from its original focus on issues of land, forests and farm management, the department is continually evolving to address the needs of students, the state of Wisconsin, the nation, and the world.
Ready for the future.
With research, teaching, and outreach focused on environmental and resource economics, agricultural economics, international development, and community economic development, our faculty’s work addresses some of the world’s most pressing current problems. As one of the top departments in the country, the future of AAE is brighter than ever.
Lorin Rudin-Rush selected as member of 2024 Farm Foundation scholars
Rudin-Rush, a first year PhD student, is one of twenty graduate students who will receive inspiration and training in agricultural policy, commodity market analysis, agricultural finance and other applied fields.
Lending practices of banks and credit unions before and during the Great Recession
Prof. Jordan van Rijn studied how loan decisions affected the performance of two types of financial institutions during an economic crisis.
Spotlight: Alumnus Kat Eugster, B.S. '23 Agricultural Business Management (ABM)
Director of Operations for her family’s farm business, Eugster is a young entrepreneur with her own start-up bouquet business, who found the mix of business and agriculture courses in the ABM major to be a perfect fit for her future career plans.
AAE Professional Master's Program (MSPO) enrollment continues to grow
Now in its fifth year, AAE's Professional Master’s (MSPO) program continues to grow. This fall 15 new MSPO students enrolled in the program.
Do border carbon adjustments help reduce global emissions?
Prof. Tom Rutherford studied if carbon tariffs for imported goods are a cost-effective tool for mitigating climate change.
Using cell phone location data to estimate value of environmental resources
Prof. Dan Phaneuf spoke with Resources for the Future about measuring the economic value of outdoor recreation sites with cell phone GPS data. This helps assess, for example, how people respond to beach closures due to harmful algal blooms.
