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Farm Foundation selects Alejandro Plastina, Ph.D. as its first Agricultural Economics Fellow
OAK BROOK, Ill.—Farm Foundation®, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, announces that
its first Agricultural Economics Fellow will be Alejandro Plastina, Ph.D., Associate Professor/Extension
Economist in the Department of Economics at Iowa State University.
The Agricultural Economics Fellowship is a new program designed to nurture a promising leader in the
field. Plastina will be engaged with Farm Foundation for one year, during which he will have the
opportunity to provide thought leadership through publications and speaking appearances, expand his
professional network and manage high-visibility projects. He will participate in Farm Foundation programs
and events, network with and be mentored by staff in the USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist, and
mentor and meet with participants in Farm Foundation’s suite of next generation development programs.
Plastina’s area of specialization is agricultural production and technology, with an emphasis on farm
business and financial management. His recent publications have addressed the economics of
conservation practices such as cover crops and subfield land-use change from corn-soybean rotations
into switchgrass, as well as agricultural productivity analyses.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Plastina as our first Agricultural Economics Fellow,” said Shari RoggeFidler, President and CEO at Farm Foundation. “We have a long history with agricultural economists, on
our board and in our programming, so this is an exciting extension for us. Dr. Plastina’s academic and
practical experience brings great value to Farm Foundation’s programs for stakeholders throughout the
food and ag value chain to advance their understanding of the economic issues surrounding critical topics
such as sustainable agriculture.”
The Agricultural Economics Fellowship is the latest recognition for Plastina, who also received the ISU
Office of the President Excellence in Remote Instruction Award in 2021; the ISU Extension and Outreach
Creativity in Service to All Iowans Award in 2020; the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association
Distinguished Extension Program Award in 2019; the ISU ANR Programming Innovation Award in 2018;
and the ISU Extension and Outreach Impacting Iowa Award in 2014. He holds a Master of Science in
Statistics and a doctorate in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.