New Agriculture Economics
Professor Joins Department of Agriculture Sciences
Dr. Kevin Smith recently joined the Department as a new assistant
professor of Agriculture Economics. Dr. Smith brings a wealth
of experience to the classroom from both industry and government,
with his most recent position with the Grain Inspection, Packers
and Stockyard Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
An active member of 4-H and FFA in his youth, Dr. Smith grew
up with the constant presence of agriculture in his life. His
family owns a cattle ranch near Ocala, Florida that evolved
from a purebred Brangus herd into a commercial cattle operation.
After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in economics from
Florida State University, Smith combined his ties to agriculture
with his appreciation for applied economics by pursuing a Master’s
Degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Florida.
His thesis research evaluated the alterable factors controlling
market variations in livestock production and marketing. Smith
received his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. His
dissertation research there dealt with the vertical integration
occurring in the livestock and food products industry. While
at North Carolina State, Dr. Smith enjoyed a brief stint as
an instructor for agriculture economics courses.
Following the completion of his PhD, Dr. Smith joined the
U.S. Department of Agriculture as a Senior Economist. In his
four years of service with the agency, Dr. Smith conducted
investigations of collusion among market buyers at auctions
throughout the Southeastern U.S. and along the Eastern Seaboard.
Though based in Atlanta, Georgia, his territory of auction
investigations and industry inspections ranged from Louisiana
to Vermont. By combining the tools of economic analysis and
physical scrutiny of sale barns, Dr. Smith proved successful
in his career of ensnaring corrupt livestock buyers who manipulated
the fair market value of agriculture products.
Due to a strong desire to return to teaching and gain a higher
level of career satisfaction, Dr. Smith sought the position
at SHSU. When asked of his opinion of Sam Houston and the Huntsville
area, Dr. Smith commented, “Huntsville resembles my hometown
of Ocala relative to its size and the vegetation, topography,
and its humid climate are similar as well. It’s much
like home and it offers a more appealing quality of life for
my family than that found in Atlanta.” His explanation
for the appeal of teaching at Sam Houston noted the benefit
of working in a smaller, diversified department with the disciplines
of agriculture integrated in one location and the potential
for strong student-teacher relations through small course sizes.
The courses Dr. Smith currently teaches are Agribusiness Finance
Analysis, Agribusiness Organization and Management, Agriculture
Market Analysis and Prices, and a graduate-level agriculture
management course.
When not occupied with courses or preparation, Dr. Smith is
currently pursuing research on the analysis of the impact that
consolidation on the buyer-side of the livestock markets has
on auction theory and function. The addition of Dr. Kevin Smith,
and the offerings of his career and research experience to
the faculty at Sam Houston State continues to bolster the well-rounded
curriculum offered by the Department. "We are very fortunate
to have someone of Kevin Smith’s
talent and experience join our faculty,” says Robert
Lane, Department Chair. “It is becoming increasingly
difficult to attract Agriculture Economists into academia,
so we feel very lucky that Dr. Smith was seeking a career change
as we entered our third active search to fill the position.”
There are currently over 230 students majoring in agribusiness
at SHSU.
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