THE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS SOCIETY
Newsletter
December 2025

Letter from the President
History, Honesty and Horizons
 
As we approach our 100th birthday, it is timely to look back, take stock and plan ahead. At the time of our Society’s birth, the global population was 1.9bn, reeling from the terrible outcomes of the first World War and just three years from the start of The Great Depression. Fast forward to 2025, conflict rages in Europe again, the globe supports 8.2bn people, and despite major technological and economic developments, many are facing stagnant or desperately low living standards. As we look to celebrate our Centenary, we are very fortunate to benefit from David Stead’s thorough research on a century of the AES. This major project, with contributions from Society members, will culminate in a book launch at the Oxford Conference and, on behalf of the Society, I thank David for his work.

A reflection of the work of AES members will surely record the honesty in our theses, methodologies, results and knowledge exchange that lies at the heart of our contribution. The past century of the Journal of Agricultural Economics and 25 years of Eurochoices are testament to this. From rural development, farm economics, consumer behaviour and trade policy to methodological advances and applications in econometrics, modelling, valuation techniques and choice experiments, the AES has facilitated the growth of our broad discipline to adapt, educate and inform policy, agri-food. stakeholders and public. 

As we look to the future many pressing global issues on the horizon will require our input, to ensure sustainable development lies within planetary boundaries, to using artificial intelligence in research and novel data harvesting techniques, or to addressing the challenge of just transitions across communities, continents and cultures, Our first Century has provided the strongest of foundations and I am confident that our Society has a strong future with work that remains robust, rational and relevant. – and continues to support future generations of agricultural economists! 

Paul Wilson (paul.wilson@nottingham.ac.uk)

Defra-AES One-Day Conference, London 5 December 2025
 
Mission Impossible? Assessing Agricultural Policy Success was the topic of the conference, attended by around 90 participants. An excellent line up of speakers from the UK and Europe covered a range of policy questions with a focus on what might be feasible in real world settings – recognising the complexity, diversity, context and scale of both the agricultural sector and policy. Developments in technology and data offer promising (or risky) solutions to assessing policy outcomes but transaction costs could be formidable, government budgets are under considerable pressure, and political leadership is crucial. A big thankyou to the speakers, the participants, chairs and, in particular, to Lioba Wendling and her team for organising the event. Presentations are posted on the AES website. WL

Preparations on track for the AES Centenary Conference in 2026 

The AES Centenary will be celebrated at the 2026 AES conference in Wadham College Oxford, from 23-25 March, near the site of the first conference on 24 March 1926. Each participant will receive a copy of David Stead’s (UC Dublin and Honorary Secretary elect) history of the Society, to be launched at the Conference. Several events are planned, including a walking tour of the Oxford locations associated with the Society, a group photograph, and invitations to other agricultural economics associations. The Presidential Address will be given by Professor Alan Matthews (Trinity, Dublin) while Professor Jill McCluskey (Washington State) and President-elect of the IAAE) will deliver the Keynote. A broad leitmotif of the Conference will be reflections on the past century and the challenges facing the Society and agricultural economics in the coming years. The draft Conference Programme is regularly updated on the AES website and, as it is expected that there will be a strong demand for participation, presentations, and posters, early registration is advised. www.aes.ac.uk  

AES Publishing Contract Negotiations

2026 marks not only the Centenary of the Society but also the 25th anniversary of EuroChoices and the final year of our current seven-year publishing agreement with Wiley, the publisher of our two journals. Over the years, this partnership has helped strengthen the profile and impact of our journals, supporting both the dissemination of high-quality research and the activities of the Society.
 
The Executive Committee is now actively considering how to build on this success and secure the best outcome for the future. Academic publishing has changed significantly since our current agreement began, with online access now the norm and Open Access becoming increasingly important for visibility and reach. Discussions have therefore included the costs and benefits of moving both journals to an online-only format, alongside how any new agreement can balance accessibility, sustainability, and quality.
 
We are also mindful that publishing revenues provide essential support for the Society’s activities, and that any agreement must continue to offer appropriate backing and maintenance for our Editors-in-Chief and their editorial teams. Negotiations are ongoing, and we look forward to sharing the outcome at the centenary conference.

Steve Ramsden, Chair of the Executive (Stephen.Ramsden1@nottingham.ac.uk)
Paul Wilson, President 2025-26 (paul.wilson@nottingham.ac.uk)

New Officers on the AES Executive Committee

Next year will also mark the “changing of the guard” with the retirement of several of the Society’s long-standing Officers: Paul Caskie (AFBINI) will replace Derek Shepherd as Honorary Treasurer, David Stead (UCD) will take over as Honorary Secretary from Wilfrid Legg, and Sarah Baker (AHDB) will become Chair of the Executive Committee following the completion of Steve Ramsden’s term of office. Following the Presidency of Alan Matthews (2025-26), Carmen Hubbard (Newcastle) will become President in 2026-27). It should be a smooth transition with the newly elected highly competent and dedicated Officers - and the current holders will be on hand to advise and support if necessary! WL

Changes in the management of the JAE and EuroChoices
          
As noted in the update on our current publishing agreement, the academic publishing landscape is changing in different ways. At the Journal of Agricultural Economics, submissions have increased, topics of interest and methodologies (as measured by the content of journal submissions) are changing, and there is now a wider geographical spread of submissions. A large share of submissions focuses on the use of either experimental or observational farm data to examine how farmers can reconcile their concerns for productivity and profitability with wider environmental considerations. At the same time, we see many experimental studies focused on how consumers can be persuaded to adopt healthier and more sustainable diets. The editorial team continues to evolve and adapt to these changes. A foreseen change in 2026 is a move to appoint a joint Editor in Chief – a change that responds to these trends, which will also enable the current Editor-in-Chief, Jonathan Brooks, to devote more time to curation of the journal’s anniversary issue celebrating the Society’s centenary. Further details regarding the new appointment can be found on the AES website.

Jonathan Brooks, JAE Editor in Chief (jonbrooks208@gmail.com)         

It has been a great privilege to have had the opportunity to lead the development of the EuroChoices journal over the last 25 years plus. I can only thank my many colleagues, too many to mention, in the Agricultural Economics Society, and the European Association of Agricultural Economics, who have supported me over the years in the development of the journal. I could never have imagined that it would turn out to be such a successful venture. In a short time, it will be led by a new Chief Editor, and I will follow the ongoing development of the journal with great interest. I was delighted to receive a very welcome message from the Secretary General of the European Association of Agricultural Economics (EAAE), Jack Peerlings: 

“It is my great pleasure, on behalf of the Board of the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE), to inform you that the Board has decided to award you the honour of election as a Fellow of the Association. This distinction recognises your outstanding contributions to the advancement of agricultural economics in Europe and your dedicated efforts in strengthening the EAAE as the leading professional association for European agricultural economists. On behalf of the Board, and personally, I congratulate you on this well-deserved honour.

John Davis, EuroChoices Editor in Chief (eurochoices@aes.ac.uk) 
 
Another celebration next year – the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations in March 1776

The Newsletter is circulated with the JAE and posted on the AES website. The deadline for the next issue is 6th April 2026 to David Stead at david.stead@ucd.ie