What do economists even do? Week 2

            This summer I am learning how to interpret data potpourri and the associated mathematics of being an economist. Even more important, I am learning how to apply these skills to deliver helpful information to farmers and rural communities. To me this requires listening to the residents in the Red Cedar Watershed and learning the business of farming from the experts, a process we began last week with a visit to Dunn county Conservationist Dan Prestebak’s farm. However, I can’t visit every residence within the watershed, so many of us spent the majority of our week refining a survey. Our goal is to gain an understanding of local residents’ perceptions of farmers, geographical nuance, local spending, and opinions on solar panels.

            As unconvincing as this may sound, I am also excited to continue reviewing the literature on farm consolidation, crop diversity, local spending, and the costs and benefits of solar energy on farmland. How can we make realistic recommendations if we don’t understand the context in which we are operating? This also gives me the opportunity to merge my knowledge of local agricultural and anecdotal trends with the information I learn from the past work of biologists, economists, and sociologists. This knowledge both informs the direction of my data analysis and my understanding of the conclusions we come to. 

Morning coffee, the view of Lake Menomin, and my cohort are keeping me company during this initial stage of research. What happens when the lake blooms with cyanobacteria and the true data analyses begins have yet to be determined, but I expect to find my cohort and the coffee just as indispensable as we continue building solutions to water pollution in the Red Cedar River watershed.