If you want to dig deeper into the history and impact of the farmdoc project, the resources found on this page should be a great starting point. The resources include a journal article (still with a great title), farmdoc daily articles celebrating our 20th anniversary, videos, and annual reports.
Research farmdoc's History
Is farmdoc the Future of Agricultural Extension?
Agricultural Extension has been buffeted by a variety of forces in the last several decades, including the move towards larger farms and more diverse smaller farms, budget cuts, changing policies, and a revolution in digital technology. The farmdoc project has been at the forefront of adopting the new digital technologies the last 20 years. The first part of the webinar will tell the story of the development of farmdoc and then discuss whether farmdoc is the future of agricultural Extension programs. This will be followed by Q&A with a panel of farmdoc faculty. Webinar attendees will be able to ask questions of the panel.
The Farmdoc Project: This Is Still Your Father's Extension Program
Irwin, S.H., G.D. Schnitkey, D.L. Good, and P.N. Ellinger. “The farmdoc Project: This is Still Your Father’s Extension Program.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 86(2004): 772-777
The agricultural-economics literature is rich with discussion and opinion relative to Ex- tension programs. Program issues that have received the most attention include program quality, challenges facing Extension, recommendations for content changes, audiences and delivery methods, and predictions about the fate of agricultural-economics Extension programs. This literature is exemplified in the articles by Hildreth and Armbruster, McDowell (1985, 1992), Knutson, and Barry.
Much of the literature from the 1980s and l990s places Extension in a relatively negative light. Concern was expressed about the ability of Extension programs in agriculture to remain relevant, adequately funded…
farmdoc and farmdoc daily: Farm Real Estate Markets – 20 Years and Growing
As part of the 20th Anniversary of the farmdoc program, we are highlighting several of the central themes that have persisted through time and are identifying some of the ways in which the farmdoc program has responded to, and continues…
Law and Taxation: A Retrospective of 20 Years
In many respects, the development of law is an evolutionary process, adjusting slowly to the evolving needs and values of society. Certainty and stability with respect to property rights, regulatory programs and the tax structure provide a solid foundation for…
Farmdoc 20 Year Retrospective on Agricultural Trade (In Chart Form)
For some of us, 1999 doesn’t feel like it was that long ago. We were two years into the Asian financial crisis, and commodity prices were in the dumps. We were watching the release of the Matrix, living la vida…
Biofuels Markets and Policy: 20th Anniversary of the farmdoc Project
When the farmdoc project started in 1999 biofuels markets and policy were barely on the radar screen. However, production and use of biofuels in the U.S. grew very rapidly starting around 2005 due to a combination of factors. Two factors…
Farm Management in farmdoc
This is the fifth in a series of articles celebrating the 20th anniversary of farmdoc. A list of all nine articles in the series and authors can be found at the end of this article. It was the best of…
Farm Policy Perspectives: 20th Anniversary of the farmdoc Project
In 1999, farm policy was transitioning into the modern era of decoupled support systems and an emphasis on crop insurance. As part of this 20th Anniversary commemoration series, this article reviews the farm policy developments over those years and the…
farmdoc and farmdoc daily Crop Insurance Contributions – 20 years and Counting
In preparation for the 20th Anniversary of the farmdoc program, we are highlighting several of the central themes that have persisted through time and are identifying some of the ways in which the farmdoc program has responded to, and continues…
Grain Price Outlook: farmdoc Twentieth Anniversary
Commodity outlook at farmdoc provides timely analysis of commodity markets important to the Corn Belt from a fundamental perspective. The output consists of a weekly outlook and applied analysis articles on issues related to price fundamentals. On Monday of each…
farmdoc at 20: How Did We Get Here and What Have We Learned?
The farmdoc project is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Going back to the beginning in 1999, the stated goal of the project was to provide, “one stop ‘web-shopping’ for agricultural risk management research and outreach for Illinois farmers and…