Welcome to Australia Dear IAAE Members, It is with great pleasure that I welcome you personally organize your country representative to attend the and on behalf of the Executive of the IAAE to the Council meeting. Twenty-Sixth International Conference of Agricultural I want to thank at the outset all of the people who Economists. The program have worked so long and hard to bring our Twenty developed by Keijiro Otsuka, Sixth Conference together in the Gold Coast. The our Vice-President Program, work began even before out last triennial Conference is new and innovative, with in Durban. The Local Organizing Committee under many improvements and the leadership of Julian Alston, Philip Pardey and challenges for us throughout Malcolm Wegener has done a wonderful job of our stay at the Gold Coast. providing a home for us this week. I also want to The theme: “Contributions of thank the Government of Australia, and all of the Agricultural Economics to Prabhu Pingali, organizations and companies that have provided critical policy issues,” offers President, IAAE support to making this a successful conference. us a wide range of issues for Please take the time to thank representatives of the debate through the week. We have a larger numbers Local Organizing Committee, the donors and of papers and posters, panels and workshops than ever organizations that have contributed so generously to before. As has been the practice since the IAAE our Conference as you encounter them during your 2000 Conference in Berlin, we will be giving awards stay at the Gold Coast. for the best papers and posters. All in all, an interesting and challenging week for all of us. I hope you will Let me wish all of you a very warm “welcome” to our also get some time to have fun in this absolutely XVI Confererence at the Gold Coast, Australia. I spectacular setting. look forward to renewing acquaintances with old friends and meeting new friends from around the world During our meeting, the IAAE Council, the governing involved in our profession of agricultural economics. body of the IAAE, will be meeting on Monday and Thursday at 5:15 PM. During these sessions we will Sincerely, be reviewing the work of the Executive, electing new officers for the Executive, electing new Life Members, and making decisions about the future organization and Prabhu Pingali operation of the Association. It is important that you President, IAAE Cowbel l— Issue 1 — August 12, 2006 — 1 On behalf of your Austra- conference in February this year at Manly marked lian hosts, it is my pleasure our 50th. Almost 250 attended the Conference with a to welcome you to IAAE growing international contingent. We were pleased to 2006 on the Gold Coast. have at the Conference dinner, seven of those who We appreciate the fact attended the first meeting at which AARES was that many of you have formed. AARES now has 550 members with branches traveled long distances and in Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, we will be disappointed if Victoria, Canberra, New England (UNE), New South your visit to Australia is not Wales, New Zealand and North America. Go to our a memorable one. The website at www.come.to/aares for more information John Mullen Gold Coast is one of about AARES. President, AARES Australia’s most popular holiday destinations and a AARES publishes the Australian Journal of great place to be in August. The locals won’t be swim- Agricultural and Resource Economics, focusing on ming, but those of us from places like Orange, where scholarly research in agricultural and resource it could be snowing at this time, will certainly be spend- economics and Connections, an ‘extension’ outlet for ing time on the beach. papers about topical policy and resource management activities. Information about both journals can be found Of course the main topic of conversation for Austra- at the website. lians will be football, with all codes at critical stages in their competitions. Kiwis and South Africans will be The New Zealand branch of AARES is hosting the crestfallen because Australia will have recovered all 2007 AARES annual conference at Queenstown New the rugby silverware. Australians will be newly knowl- Zealand during 13-15 February 2007. Allan Rae, edgeable about the World Game and the peccadilloes Massey University, who will then be President of of its referees towards any form of body contact. AARES, is organising a conference program around the theme “Australasia’s Resource-based Industries The Australian Agricultural and Resource Econom- in a Future World”. The AARES Conference will be ics Society (AARES) is proud to assist in hosting the in Canberra in 2008 and in Rockhampton in Queensland IAAE Conference. The last time this Conference was in 2009. We’d love to see you back here for one of held in Australia was in 1967 at Sydney. According to our Conferences. the late Keith Campbell’s recollections of the early history of AARES: I can’t sign off without once again welcoming you and without expressing thanks and congratulations on “If there was an external impetus to form a profes- behalf of AARES to Julian Alston, Phil Pardey and sional society in Australia, it was in the person of Mal Wegener for their efforts over several years in J.R. (Jock) Currie, foundation secretary of the In- organising what will be a most successful and enjoyable ternational Conference (now Association) of conference. Agricultural Economists. Currie visited Sydney in gathering not only with his canny Scots personal- ity, but also with his enthusiasm for the idea of agricultural economists meeting together profes- John Mullen sionally to their mutual benefit.” President, AARES This year has been a special one for AARES. Not only do we host the IAAE Conference but our annual Cowbell — Issue 1 — August 12, 2006 — 2 Origins of the IAAE international journal Agricultural Economics. Both of these appointees serve as ex-officio members of the The International Association of Agricultural Econo- Executive Committee. mists grew out of a conference hosted by Leonard Elmhirst at his home in Dartington Hall, Devon, En- gland in late August and early September 1929. Fifty Objectives of the IAAE agricultural economists from 11 countries attended. ■ Foster the application of agricultural economics to There were representatives from Canada, China, Den- improve rural economic and social conditions; mark, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, South ■ Advance knowledge of agriculture’s economic Africa, Trinidad, the United Kingdom and the United organization; States. Those present felt they had gained so much in ■ Facilitate communication and information ex- improved understanding of both the differences and change among those concerned with rural commonalities in the problems they faced in research welfare. and teaching that they resolved to find ways to in- crease their contacts and promote greater understand- Membership Benefits ings among themselves and their colleagues. Membership in the IAAE is for a three-year period, With generous financial support from the Carnegie currently from January 1, 2005, through December 31, Endowment and the Elmhirst family a second Confer- 2007. Members receive the biannual IAAE Newslet- ence was held at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., in ter, which contains contains information about IAAE August 1930 with 309 representatives from 20 coun- activities and publications and other international tries attending: 234 were from the US and Canada events and opportunities. Members further received coming from 30 states and 5 provinces. A Constitu- the Proceedings of the triennial conference, a Special tion for IAAE was developed and adopted under the Issue of the journal containing conference papers, and leadership of Arthur Ashby (Aberystwyth, UK). The access to the IAAE web page “Members Only” sec- Conference extended over 10 days with presentations tion. from 84 speakers. It was agreed that the proceedings should be published for the first two conferences un- der the leadership of F.F. Hill, one of the subsequent Agricultural Economics leaders in the founding of IRRI, CIMMYT and the The Journal of the International Association of international agricultural research centers. Many of Agricultural Economists, is the flagship publication the traditions of our Conferences stem from these be- of the IAAE. It is provided to all members in electronic ginnings. form. Those who wish may obtain a hard copy at a cost of $105 additional to their dues. Organization The IAAE is governed by a Council of officers and Membership Fees member delegates. National and area branches, made The membership fees for the three-year period up of members in specific countries or a group of coun- depend on the income level of the member: tries, promote the objectives of IAAE within their coun- try or area. Each branch designates a member as its US$75 for members who earn less representative to provide liaison between its members than US$20,000 per year. and the IAAE Executive Committee. The elected of- US$130 for members who earn ficers of the IAAE are President, President Elect, Past between US$20,000 and US$50,000 President, Vice President Program, Secretary-Trea- per year. surer, and two at-large members who constitute the US$160 for members who earn more Executive Committee. This committee acts for the than US$50,000 per year. Council between Council meetings. The officers ap- point a proceedings editor and an editor-in-chief of its Cowbel l— Issue 1 — August 12, 2006 — 3 Leonard Elmhirst IAAE Executive Committee Leonard Elmhirst President (1893-1974) came Prabhu Pingali from a land-owning FAO, Rome, Italy family in Yorkshire. His experience on a trip President Elect to India led him to take David Colman a course in agriculture University of Manchester, UK at Cornell University.