Kansas State University

A familiar face will be seen re-circulating the hallways, although this time as part of the Department of Agricultural Economics faculty, rather than as a student. Elizabeth Yeager, a department alumna, joined the faculty as an assistant professor in January.

Yeager’s appointment is 60 percent teaching and 40 percent research, two areas she is highly anticipating. She is excited about collaborating with graduate students and faculty on research projects and teaching Farm and Ranch Management.

“I am most looking forward to teaching AGEC 308 Farm and Ranch Management in the fall,” Yeager said. “We have a large population of students from Kansas and many that maintain an active role in their family’s farm or ranch or hope to work in the agricultural industry in the future. This course provides a great foundation for our students in this area. It is also an area I am interested in from a research standpoint as well.”

Yeager’s research goals include working with the Kansas Farm Management Association research data on farm efficiency and risk management, and studying student classroom performance and extra-curricular activity effects on success.

K-State was a clear choice for Yeager and her fiancé, Eric, since both consider K-State home. Yeager received her bachelor’s degree from K-State in agricultural economics with an emphasis in farm management and a minor in animal science. She continued her K-State education, receiving her doctorate in agricultural economics.

The department attracted her because of its strong history in research and quality teaching in farm management, production and finance; all subjects Yeager specialized in for her doctorate and still finds to be valuable in Kansas.

“Now is also an exciting time for the department as we are hiring a number of faculty positions to replace key faculty retirements,” Yeager said. “This really provided me with an opportunity to showcase my teaching and research efforts and make a strong impact right away.”

Prior to K-State, Yeager was an assistant professor at Purdue University for three years, where she taught agribusiness marketing and research method courses. She advised the Purdue National Agri-Marketing Association and was the honors coordinator for Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Economics. Yeager partnered with both the Center for Food and Agricultural Business and the Center for Commercial Agricultural at Purdue University on the large commercial producer survey and a risk management initiative sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance.

Yeager is originally from Cottonwood Falls in Chase County. Much of her family still lives in that area, where her grandparents are active in the livestock industry.

“Eric and I are excited to be back in Manhattan, Kansas, where we first met,” Yeager said of moving back. “I love the pride the community has for the university. It is a wonderful city with a small town feel.”

He’s seen his share of the Midwest by growing up in Arkansas, working at the University of Illinois and studying for his doctorate in Indiana. Now Terry Griffin has joined the Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics as an assistant professor and cropping systems economist.

Griffin’s new position entails 80 percent extension work and 20 percent research in cropping systems economics and precision agriculture. With these responsibilities, he is looking forward to working with the Kansas Ag Research and Technology Association, a group that strives to keep up with and share trends in production agriculture. Griffin is interested in technology and is excited to see how it can combat the unique agricultural problems Kansas farmers deal with.

Griffin will also represent the department on the precision agriculture multidisciplinary team.

“K-State is now one of the few, maybe only, universities with a truly interdisciplinary team devoted to precision agriculture,” Griffin said. “There are many issues with precision agriculture and big data that need to be addressed in Kansas as well as across the United States. One enticing aspect of K-State was the existing interdisciplinary precision agriculture team including the Biological and Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy departments.”

K-State caught Griffin’s attention because he was looking for a top-ranked department at a university that excels at interacting with agricultural clientele. The balance of research and extension mixed with the opportunity to work with graduate students also contributed to his decision to be a Wildcat. Griffin is excited to be joining the K-State family.

“I’ve been away from the departmental culture for nearly a decade; and look forward to hallway conversations with some of the best minds in agriculture and attending Brown Bag seminars to learn fresh perspectives. Essentially I am excited to be in an ‘iron sharpens iron’ environment again.”

Manhattan has already been a great experience for the Griffin family. Ty, 12; Austin, 9; and Briley, 7; love the KSU Chess Club events. Terry and his wife, Dana, appreciate the accessibility of Manhattan businesses and attractions.

Griffin grew up in Greene County, Arkansas, near Paragould. Both his bachelor’s degree in agronomy and master’s degree in agricultural economics came from the University of Arkansas. Following these degrees, he worked as a regional economist for University of Illinois Extension. He then received a doctorate in agricultural economics, with a specialty in farm management and spatial econometrics, from Purdue University. After his doctorate, Griffin went back home to Arkansas as a cropping extension economist at the University of Arkansas before joining the private sector at Cresco Ag.