A new lecture series at Michigan State University will feature a voice familiar on the NPR airwaves.
Chief Economics Correspondent Scott Horsley will speak at the Kellogg Auditorium next Tuesday evening for the Stuckman lecture series about the intersections of food, economics and policy.
MSU professor and food economist David Ortega helped organize the event.
"This lecture series was really created out of the need for a broader conversation about the many challenges facing the food and agriculture sector today, challenges that affect farms, businesses and each of us as consumers," he said.
Some of those challenges in recent months have included tariffs, climate change and geopolitical conflicts, but Ortega says it's important to understand it's a combination of those factors, not just any one thing or policy, that had led to price increases at the grocery store.
Ortega says he's helped contribute to some of Horsley's reporting over the years which made him the right choice to launch the lecture series.
"I really admire his ability to take complex challenges and concepts and distill them in a way that are accessible to the average person, and also make that connection with individuals across the country," Ortega said.
Registration for the free lecture is available online. There will be a waitlist if registrations hit capacity.
Interview Highlights
On the field of food economics
We look at the journey that food takes from farm to table and all of the factors that could potentially affect that journey and the prices, which is what we study in economics, but also looking at decision making. So, how farmers make decisions, how consumers make decisions, basically, when we go to the grocery store, how you're choosing between different food items.
On the lecture series
This lecture series was really created out of the need for a broader conversation about the many challenges facing the food and agriculture sector today, challenges that affect farms, businesses and each of us as consumers. Things like the high price of food or the tremendous policy uncertainty at the moment, these are shaping decisions, not just in agribusinesses or in farms, but also at kitchen tables around the country.
On Scott Horsley
I've known Scott for a number of years, helped contribute to some of his reporting, and I really admire his ability to take complex challenges and concepts and distill them in a way that are accessible to the average person, and also make that connection with individuals across the country.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: A new lecture series at Michigan State University will feature a voice familiar on the NPR airwaves.
Chief Economics Correspondent Scott Horsley will speak at the Kellogg Auditorium next Tuesday evening for the Stuckman lecture series about the intersection of food, economics and policy.
MSU professor and food economist David Ortega joins me now to talk about the event. Thanks for being here.
David Ortega: Thanks, Sophia.
Saliby: You study food economics. Can you give us a brief overview of what that field is?
Ortega: Yeah. So, food economics is a subfield of economics, generally, food and agricultural economics, where we look at the journey that food takes from farm to table and all of the factors that could potentially affect that journey and the prices, which is what we study in economics, but also looking at decision making.
So, how farmers make decisions, how consumers make decisions, basically, when we go to the grocery store, how you're choosing between different food items. That's things that we look at in my profession.
Saliby: Speaking of the grocery store, when I think about where food, economics and policy meet right now, the first thing on my mind is tariffs and inflation when I'm buying my groceries every week. Has recent federal policy changed the way researchers like you think about your work?
Ortega: It really has, and a lot of what's happening right now, a lot of that uncertainty, the tariffs, the food prices, has really, I think, put a spotlight on this type of work. And so, one area of the work that I do here at Michigan State University is looking at the factors that impact food prices but not just what affects food prices, but also how that affects consumers, how when we go to the grocery store, how we make decisions, and how the pressure on food prices impacts what we buy.
Saliby: What do you think is the biggest misconception people have when it comes to understanding how we get and also pay for our food?
Ortega: Yeah, so I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that food prices can be affected or changed by individuals in a position of power, whether it be a policymaker or the president the United States. Food prices are set based on market forces to a large degree.
So, the president of the United States has very little control over food prices, especially in the short term. However, policies that are passed or implemented can certainly have an impact on the price of food and how food goes from farm all the way to table.
Saliby: So, you're saying there's not just one thing that's causing my rice at the store to be more expensive?
Ortega: It's really sort of a convergence of factors. When we look at the past five years, things from the COVID-19 pandemic to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to high path avian influenza or the bird flu, these are all things that are converging, including climate change, to sort of raise the price of food.
Saliby: Why was now the right time to introduce this lecture series at MSU?
Ortega: This lecture series was really created out of the need for a broader conversation about the many challenges facing the food and agriculture sector today, challenges that affect farms, businesses and each of us as consumers.
Things like the high price of food or the tremendous policy uncertainty at the moment, these are shaping decisions, not just in agribusinesses or in farms, but also at kitchen tables around the country. So, it was the perfect time to start this conversation, and I can't think of a better person than Scott Horsley to kick this off.
Saliby: Yeah, I was going to ask, why was he the right person to be the inaugural speaker for this series?
Ortega: Well, so I've known Scott for a number of years, helped contribute to some of his reporting, and I really admire his ability to take complex challenges and concepts and distill them in a way that are accessible to the average person, and also make that connection with individuals across the country.
Saliby: David Ortega is a food economist at MSU. NPR's Scott Horsley will be speaking on campus at the Kellogg Center next Tuesday evening as part of the new Stuckman lecture series. David, thank you for joining us.
Ortega: Thanks for having me. Sophia.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
