October 30, 2018
Secretary of agriculture appoints Purdue professor to USDA advisory board
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Jayson Lusk, distinguished professor and department head of agricultural economics at Purdue University, has been selected to serve on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board.
“These members of the NAREEE Advisory Board help ensure that our work at USDA is facts-based, data-driven and customer-focused,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in an announcement released on Wednesday. “They bring real-world knowledge and expertise that is invaluable to our efforts.”
The NAREEE Board regularly advises the secretary and land-grant colleges and universities on top national priorities and policies related to food and agricultural research, education, extension and economics.
Lusk is one of 10 newly appointed members to the 25-person board. Members serve a three-year term and represent a specific category of U.S. agricultural stakeholders. Lusk will represent the National Social Science Association category.
When asked about his role as an agricultural economist on the advisory board, Lusk said, “Agricultural research is critical to improving food security and sustainability, but we also have to consider how producers and consumers respond to new food and agricultural innovations. New scientific innovations will have no value if consumers aren’t willing to buy them.”
Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture at Purdue, said of Lusk’s inclusion, “Purdue benefits tremendously from Jayson’s expertise and insights, and now the United States and the world will reap that same advantage from the role he will play on this committee.”
Lusk is a food and agricultural economist who studies what we eat and why we eat it. In 2015, he was named a fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, and in 2017, he was honored with Borlaug CAST Communication Award. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Technology from Texas Tech University and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University. His most recent book, “Unnaturally Delicious: How Science and Technology are Serving up Super Foods to Save the World,” was published by St. Martin's Press in 2016.
Writer: Kami Goodwin, 765-494-6999, kami@purdue.edu
Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu
