Currently, there are a number of advertising and promotion programs associated with agricultural commodities. 'Got Milk?' 'Pork. The Other White Meat,' 'Cotton: The Fabric of Our Lives,' 'Beef. It's What's for Dinner,' and 'American Lamb from American Land' are examples of messages from various commodity boards who are attempting to impact the demand for their agricultural products. These messages typically are labeled as generic advertising and promotion and the institutional structure for funding them is referred to as commodity checkoff programs. This theme centers attention on why checkoff programs were instituted initially, how program benefits are measured, the costs associated with various programs, the evidence to support their existence, and the legal challenges surrounding checkoff programs.

The Dairy Case Management Program: Does It Mooove More Milk?

Wall Street vs. Main Street: What are the Benefits and Costs of Wal-Mart to Local Communities?

Latin America has emerged as a dominant force within the global agri-food system, both as a demander and supplier of goods. While agribusiness investment occurs at a torrid pace, the region brings to light a number of fundamental issues facing the global community. For example, Brazil holds the world's largest reserves of tillable land. Should they be developed to meet the world's needs for food, feed, fuel, and fiber? At the heart of these fundamental issues is the tradeoff between the need for growth and the need to protect the vulnerable; in society and in the environment. This theme focuses on how governments, communities, firms, and the environment are juxtaposed when Latin America becomes the world's 'food basket' in the 21st century.