Associate Professor
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignAgricultural Economics, agricultural policy, conservation policy, Farm Bill, Risk Management, SNAP benefits
' experience in federal policymaking guides his research, extension, and teaching in agricultural policy and law. His work connects the history of federal agricultural policy development to current policy development, specifically applied to risk management, and natural resource conservation.
More information: Coppess is the author of . He is also a frequent contributor to the project, which provides analysis, tools, and data to help Cornbelt farmers make better decisions. Prior to joining the University of Illinois, Coppess served as Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Administrator of the Farm Service Agency at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Ben Nelson. Coppess volunteered with the Biden-Harris Presidential Transition, Agency Review Team for USDA and as a part-time special counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Prior to serving in Washington, DC, Coppess practiced law in Chicago. He grew up on his family’s farm in western Ohio.
Affiliations: Coppess is the Leonard and Lila Gardner Illinois Farm Bureau Family of Companies Endowed Associate Professor in Agricultural Policy in the in the (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He serves as a faculty extension specialist for , also part of ACES.
Assistant professor
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignAgricultural Economics, agricultural policy, Brazil, Brazil economy, Deforestation, Econometrics, Water Quality
is an economist at the nexus of agriculture and the environment. She studies crop and livestock production in the U.S. and the Brazilian Amazon from many angles, including water pollution, deforestation, intensification, and climate change. She combines rigorous economic analysis and extensive field research to thoughtfully address complex challenges.
More information: Dr. Skidmore is an applied economist studying the interaction between policy, agriculture, and the environment. Her research focuses on how market-based and public agricultural policy in the United States and the Brazilian Amazon influence farmer behavior. She uses this lens to study indirect policy effects on the environment, including deforestation, GHG emissions, and water quality. She approaches these questions by combining econometric methods, big data, extensive field work, and collaboration with interdisciplinary partners in the U.S. and Brazil. She earned a master's at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Please see Dr. Skidmore's .
Affiliations: Dr. Skidmore is an assistant professor in the in the (ACES) at the .
Professor in Agricultural Economics
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignAgricultural Economics, Agricultural markets, agricultural policy, Economics, Food Prices
helps farmers in Illinois, the United States, and throughout the world make more informed production, marketing, and financial decisions by evaluating the economic factors that affect corn and soybean prices. He also leads , a pathbreaking Extension project that provides timely, useful, and relevant online information about Corn Belt farm economics.
More information: Dr. Scott H. Irwin, the Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing at the University of Illinois, is a globally recognized leader in agricultural economics and multi-published author of commodity books. His influential research on commodity markets is sought after by academics, farmers, and policymakers alike. He’s a frequent media commentator for prestigious outlets like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. He has over 40,000 followers on social media, the largest following for an agricultural economist worldwide.
Irwin is best known for his work on commodity market speculation and biofuel policy, leading to invitations to testify before the U.S. Congress and the OECD. His vision and leadership have been a driving force behind the innovative farmdoc project that benefits farmers throughout the world. This award-winning project has been dubbed the “Wall Street Journal of ag business.”
He is a Fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA), the highest honor accorded to members. He has also received numerous AAEA awards for his contributions to research, extension, and policy. Dr. Irwin holds a B.S. in Agricultural Business from Iowa State University and earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University. Currently, he teaches courses on commodity price analysis. His lifelong fascination with commodity markets began in his childhood, accompanying his father to the local grain elevator to track the latest prices from ‘Chicago.’
Irwin is the author of three books, most recently , named one of the 100 best non-fiction books of 2023 by Inc. Magazine.
Affiliations: Irwin is a professor in the in the at the .