Virginia Tech Center for Agricultural Trade

05/28/2026

Introducing our new 📢 International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium Member Spotlight, where we highlight the expertise, achievements, and policy impact of our community. The spotlight is updated quarterly in February, May, August, and November. 📆

Shawn Arita is an Associate Research Professor and Associate Director at the Agricultural Risk Policy Center (ARPC) at North Dakota State University, where he also serves as the Center’s Policy Lead. He directs research teams within ARPC in conducting research and analyses in areas of global commodity markets, trade disruptions, risk management, crop insurance, and farm safety net programs.

Shawn leads ARPC’s policy outreach, working directly with federal agencies and industry stakeholders across both DC and the Midwest. He briefs Congressional staff on the Hill on the agricultural policy issues of concern for Congressional offices and Midwest stakeholders, such as the ongoing challenge of high fertilizer prices and input costs, farm bill provisions, crop insurance, farm income and farm safety net developments, trade policy issues and tariff impacts, and ad-hoc farm support. His work bridges rigorous academic research with practical policy implementation, translating complex analyses into actionable insights for decision-makers across government and industry. He also leads the NDSU Ag Trade Monitor.

🔗 READ FULL SPOTLIGHT: https://iatrc.aaec.vt.edu/member-spotlight

05/04/2026

Jason Grant’s impact statement, ‘Helping Farmers Navigate Global Trade Challenges’, is featured in AgIsAmerica, an initiative of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)’s Board on Agriculture Assembly, blog titled ‘Fueling Economic Development for Thriving Communities: Risk Management, Transitions, and Future‑Focused Innovation’.

🔗 Read Dr. Grant’s impact statement here: https://nidb.landgrantimpacts.org/impacts/show/8922

Dr. Grant is the W.G. Wysor Professor of Agriculture and Director of the Center for Agricultural Trade at Virginia Tech in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics

A nationally trusted resource for understanding global agricultural markets in a rapidly changing global marketplace, Grant’s work helps farmers in Virginia and across the country sell more products overseas, especially in places where trade barriers make it difficult.

04/23/2026

We thank Siwa Msangi, Agricultural and Resource Economist, for spending a few days on the Virginia Tech campus meeting with faculty, staff, and students. Your insights and expertise were greatly appreciated, and we all benefited from your time with us. Thank you!

03/23/2026

The Virginia Tech Center for Agricultural Trade extends its sincere thanks to Jason Hafemeister, Associate Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service at the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, for speaking at our Global Trade Lecture Series. His insights on “2026 POLICY UPDATE: TRADE AT A STRATEGIC CROSSROAD” offered valuable perspectives on the evolving landscape of global agricultural trade. >> https://aaec.vt.edu/centers/Agricultural-Trade-Center.html

02/26/2026

The Center's mission is in research, education, and outreach. Jason Grant is the center's director and W.G. Wysor Professor of Agriculture.

One of the highlights of his role is planning and developing the annual Virginia Agricultural Trade Conference, a unique event that brings together stakeholders from across the industry. He organizes this conference through a strong partnership with other state agencies across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Center for Agricultural Trade also manages the International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium, annual meeting, and events, an international association of agricultural trade researchers and policy practitioners.

Learn more about Jason and the Center at https://aaec.vt.edu/extension/Agricultural-Trade-Center.html

01/07/2026

Did you know the mission of the Agricultural Trade Center is focused on three areas: research, education, and outreach.

Research: To generate analytical and policy-relevant research results supporting U.S. and global agricultural trade

Education: To develop the skills of students to understand, operate, manage, and lead this diverse global industry

Outreach: To increase the competitiveness of private and public sector agribusiness stakeholders by disseminating timely agricultural trade and policy information

Keeping U.S. and Virginia agriculture competitive in a diverse global economy through research, partnership, and education.

12/09/2025

Check out the agenda for the upcoming IATRC 2025 Annual Meeting | Dec. 14–16, 2025 – Tysons, VA | 🔗 https://iatrc.aaec.vt.edu/annual-meetings/

Theme: Shifting Policies and Global Supply Chains under Uncertainty: Advances in Modeling the World Economy

The IATRC group room rate is $196.00 per night, plus tax. Additional charges may apply for more than two people in a room. Hotel check-in time is 4:00 p.m., and check-out time is 11:00 a.m.

10/28/2025

Jason Grant named researcher of the month for October 2025 by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech!

Dr. Grant leads the Center for Agricultural Trade, a nationally trusted resource for understanding international agricultural markets in a rapidly changing global marketplace. Take a few moments to congratulate Dr. Grant and read the full article here: 👉 https://www.cals.vt.edu/research/monthly/2025/10/researcher-of-the-month.html

10/20/2025

📢 Headline Alert: A recent article by The Virginian-Pilot featuring Jason Grant examines how Virginia farmers are set to feel the sting of China’s retaliatory soybean tariffs. More here>>

China was the top buyer of U.S. and Virginia soybeans, accounting for 54% of all U.S. soybean exports in 2023-2024, according to the American Soybean Association.

09/12/2025

Andres Rodriguez, Agricultural Attaché to the United States and Canada and representatives of the Agricultural Office at the Embassy of Chile in the U.S., met with Tom Thompson (Associate Dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director of CALS Global), Jason Grant (W.G. Wysor Professor of Agriculture and Director of the Center for Agricultural Trade), along with faculty and student guests, to discuss agricultural trade.