Food and Resource Economics Department

Upcoming Seminars

Fall 2026 FRE Seminar Series

All Seminars in the Fall 2026 Seminar Series will take place at 10:30 A.M., EST on the scheduled date in McCarty Hall A 1151 unless otherwise noted. Zoom Option Available. To request recording, please email alenarene@ufl.edu

Dr. Alan Ker, Michigan State University - Nov. 9

Presentation Title: A Distributional Structural Change Test for Mixed Random Variables

Abstract: This paper proposes a generalized test for distributional structural change thataccommodates mixed random variables. The proposed test statistic is based on thesupremum of a weighted squared L2-Wasserstein distance between empirical quantilefunctions. Taking the supremum enables the detection of unknown breakpoints, whilethe Wasserstein metric measures horizontal differences between empirical CDFs, makingit particularly well suited for mixed random variables. We establish the asymptoticproperties of the test statistic and derive its limiting distribution for continuous, discrete, and mixed random variables, showing that the limiting distribution depends onwhether discrete points are separated by positive geometric gaps or seamlessly attached to continuous support. Quite favorably, the asymptotic properties are maintained undertargeted subsets of the underlying distribution in cases where one is only interested in distributional change in a specific support. Simulations demonstrate that the proposedtest is competitive relative to existing tests. Finally, we apply the proposed testto U.S. crop insurance loss-cost ratios and identify significant distributional structuralchange for numerous county–crop combinations.

Bio: Dr. Alan Ker is the Elton R. Smith Endowed Chair in Food and Agricultural Policy and Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University. He received a joint Ph.D. in Economics and Statistics from North Carolina State University. Prior to joining Michigan State University, Dr. Ker held faculty and leadership positions at the University of Arizona and the University of Guelph, including serving as Head of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Arizona, Chair of the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph, and Director of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Food and Agricultural Policy. He was also appointed the OAC Research Chair in Agricultural Risk and Policy in 2019.

Dr. Ker’s research broadly focuses on agricultural risk, agricultural policy, and quantitative methods, with particular expertise in the analysis of uncertainty and risk in agricultural markets and policy settings.

Dr. Ker has also held several important leadership and professional service roles in the agricultural economics profession. He served as President of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society and as Managing Editor of the Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics. In recognition of his contributions to the profession, he was named a Fellow of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society in 2021. He was elected President-Elect of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) in 2026.

Dr. Nicole Karwowski, Montana State University - Nov. 13

Bio: Nicole Karwowski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics at Montana State University. She received her PhD in Agricultural and Applied Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Karwowski’s research focuses on understanding how nature-based solutions can improve agricultural resilience and environmental sustainability. Using econometric methods, theoretical models, and remote sensing data, her research evaluates the environmental and economic impacts of conservation and provides insights for land-use decision-making and policy design. Dr. Karwowski is affiliated with the Global Land Use and Environmental Lab and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center. She is also a founder of the Big Sky Workshop on the Economics of Agriculture and the Environment.

Presentation title: Non-Abutting Wetlands Drive Water Quality Benefits

Abstract:

Wetlands provide a wealth of ecosystem services, including flood mitigation, wildlife habitat, and a natural ex-post solution to surface water pollution from agricultural runoff (Taylor & Druckenmiller 2022, Karwowski & Skidmore 2026) . Wetland restoration in the United States is supported by programs including the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. Additionally, wetlands that are part of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) are protected under the Clean Water Act. Currently, only wetlands directly abutting another surface water feature in WOTUS are protected (Sackett v. EPA 2023). Yet, there is limited causal evidence on the ecological impact of wetlands based on their surface water connection (Cohen et al. 2016).

We test the impact of restored wetlands on downstream water quality based on the distance from the wetland to the nearest protected surface water feature. We link a rich dataset on all wetlands restored under USDA easement contracts in the Mississippi River Basin, National Hydrology streams and rivers, and harmonized measures of surface water quality from nearly three decades. We use an upstream-downstream model to evaluate the changes in water quality before and after wetland restoration. We find that non-abutting wetlands within one kilometer of a surface water feature significantly reduce phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations downstream. In contrast, abutting wetlands provide only modest downstream water quality benefits, though water quality is only one of the many ecosystem services that wetlands provide. The effects are most pronounced in the Upper Mississippi region, which is a large contributor to the Gulf Hypoxic Zone (Evenson et al. 2021), and the recipient of significant federal, state, and local resources to reduce nutrient loss (Iowa DNR 2025, Berhane et al. 2020). Our results demonstrate that restored wetlands are an effective tool to improve water quality, and considering their heterogeneous benefits could be pivotal in creating optimal policy.

Dr. Olesya Savchenko, Key Note at UF Water Institute Student Showcase, Saturday Nov. 13 in the Reitz Union

FRE Associate Professor Olesya Savchenko has been recognized as an Early Career Fellow by the UF Water Institute. She will be presenting the keynote address on “Water, People, and Policy: Economic Insights for Water Management Decisions”.

Bio: Olesya Savchenko is an Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics and Policy in the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida. Dr. Savchenko is affiliated with the UF Water Institute, the UF Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, and is a fellow at the Center for Behavioral and Experimental Agri-Environmental Research, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Center of Excellence. Her research uses experimental economics methods and non-market valuation techniques to quantify the impact of human behavioral changes on natural systems and to evaluate and inform agri-environmental policies. She is particularly interested in studying policy-relevant issues related to the management of water resources and the adoption of pro-environmental behavior. Dr. Savchenko’s most recent work explores household adoption of water quality best management practices, evaluates public perceptions of aquatic invasive species management, quantifies the economic impacts of harmful algal blooms, and studies consumers’ willingness to adopt sustainable food choices