Trey Malone, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, has been awarded the 2022 Graduate Advisor Award from the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association. He was selected for this award thanks to his work with Francisco Flores Moreno, who is now a Ph.D. candidate in food and agricultural economics in the Cornell Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. 

Published in Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, their research explored the role of "collective food identity" in the way U.S. consumers approach local foods. They identified what foods people thought were a part of their state's core identity and then compared that collective food identity to the actual production within the state. They then showed how premiums for local production vary by how connected the people in that state are to the product. The article identified products that growers in each state might be able to market to capture a larger local premium. For example, Arkansas consumers identified chicken, beef, and rice as the three foods most consistent with their state's local identity.

"This is one of my favorite papers I've coauthored in years, and that is in large part because I really enjoyed mentoring Francisco during the process," Malone said.

Malone mentioned that he has two new doctoral students at the U of A.

"I'm really excited to mentor students at my new institution here in Arkansas," he said. "In just a few short months, Fayetteville already feels like home. The Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences has an international reputation of training the next generation of leaders in the agri-food system, and I feel so fortunate to be a part of that reputation."

In addition to his work with graduate students, Malone will be teaching Agribusiness Entrepreneurship (AGEC 4323) as well as Food and Agricultural Marketing (AGEC 3303), which will be offered to undergraduates in Spring 2023.