Fox to lead Department of Agricultural Economics
Sean Fox
Mississippi State University has a new leader in the Department of Agricultural Economics.
Sean Fox, an expert in applied research in consumer economics, agricultural marketing and experimental economics, begins his new position Nov. 1 as the department head.
Fox comes to MSU from the University of Illinois, where he was professor and head of the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science from University College Dublin, Ireland, and his doctoral degree in agricultural economics from Iowa State University.
In addition to his most recent position, he also has served as director of graduate studies at Kansas State University and as a research assistant at ISU.
“Dr. Fox brings three decades of academic experience to the Department of Agricultural Economics,” said Scott Willard, dean of MSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. “I am confident in his ability to lead this department in continuing to train future leaders in agribusiness and environmental economics and sustainability. His research expertise in agricultural markets will be a great benefit to stakeholders in Mississippi.”
As a comprehensive department, agricultural economics includes two majors in agribusiness, and environmental economics and sustainability. The department also offers a Master of Agribusiness Management, available online and on campus, as well as a Master of Science in Agriculture with an agricultural economics concentration.
Research and extension focus areas include agricultural policy, risk and insurance; agribusiness management and marketing; big data economics and precision ag data analytics; commercial agriculture management and finance; economic development, entrepreneurship and financial education; environmental and natural resource economics; food systems and specialty crop economics; health economics and food policy and water resources, drinking water and irrigation management.
“The Department of Agricultural Economics provides valuable services to our stakeholders, from annual crop budgets to understanding commodity markets and the Farm Bill,” said Steve Martin, interim director of the MSU Extension Service. “Dr. Fox will provide leadership as we move forward with service initiatives such as interpreting big data, including precision ag data, as well as agricultural policy.”
The Department of Agricultural Economics is in the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Learn more about the department at agecon.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
Meg Henderson | Agriculture and Natural Resources Marketing
