MSU Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

What MSU Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics does

The MSU Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (AFRE) is an academic unit within Michigan State University's College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, located in East Lansing, Michigan. AFRE delivers undergraduate and graduate (M.S. and Ph.D.) degree programs in agricultural, food, and resource economics, with a stated enrollment of approximately 400 undergraduate students and 60 graduate students supported by over 50 faculty members. The department addresses management and economics challenges affecting producers, consumers, and the environment, and conducts research on societal policy questions related to food systems, agriculture, and natural resources — both domestically in Michigan and internationally in regions including Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.

The department operates on a non-commercial funding model. As a unit within a public land-grant university, AFRE is financed through Michigan State University's central budget allocation, student tuition, and federal research grants, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture identified as a core strategic partner providing research funding. The department does not sell proprietary technology products or commercial services; its externally facing technology footprint is limited to its website, a job candidates portal (afrejobcandidates.com), an AFRE Voices blog, and a YouTube channel. It is consistently ranked among the top agricultural and applied economics departments globally by RePEc, which functions as its primary reputational asset.

AFRE's go-to-market motion is community-led: it recruits students through Michigan State University's undergraduate and graduate admissions infrastructure, supplemented by active outreach on social media (X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube), news media coverage (e.g., WKAR), and on-campus engagement events. Customer segments are exclusively personas — prospective undergraduate and graduate students — with no enterprise or commercial customers. Recent applied research outputs have covered topics such as beef-dairy cross calf premiums, H-2A wage offers, climate risk management for farmers, and Michigan small-city affordability, demonstrating a regional policy and extension focus layered onto the global research agenda.

Name

MSU Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Legal name

Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Website

https://afre.msu.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MSU's Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics is an academic unit within Michigan State University's College of Agriculture & Natural Resources that delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in agricultural, food, and resource economics, serving approximately 400 undergraduate and 60 graduate students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

East Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Academic tuition and university funding: As a university department, AFRE is funded through Michigan State University's budget allocation, student tuition, and research grants from federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AFRE is an academic department that delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs (M.S. and Ph.D.) in agricultural, food, and resource economics at Michigan State University. The programs prepare the next generation of economists and managers for careers in the food, agricultural, and natural resource system. The department also operates a Job Candidates Portal that connects its graduate students and alumni with prospective employers.

Product overview

The Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (AFRE) at Michigan State University offers a single integrated portfolio of academic educational programs. The core offerings consist of an Undergraduate Program and a Graduate Program (M.S. & Ph.D.) that prepare students as economists and managers for the food, agricultural, and natural resource system. The department also maintains a Job Candidates Portal to connect graduates with employers. The department is led by over 50 faculty, serves 60 graduate students and 400 undergraduate students, and is consistently ranked among the top agricultural and applied economics departments globally by RePEc.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Program in Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• U.S. Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal government agency providing research grants and funding support for agricultural economics research conducted by AFRE faculty and graduate students.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Ohio State University - Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics: Ohio State AEDE is a comparable land-grant agricultural economics department with M.S. and Ph.D. programs and applied research in agribusiness, environmental, and development economics. It competes directly for students and grants in the Midwest region.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison - Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics: Wisconsin AAE is a peer land-grant department offering M.S. and Ph.D. programs in agricultural and applied economics. It competes with MSU AFRE for students, faculty, and research funding within the upper Midwest land-grant system.
• Iowa State University - Department of Economics: Iowa State Economics is a peer land-grant department with significant applied and agricultural economics research output, graduate programs, and extension linkages. It competes with MSU AFRE for both research visibility and graduate applicants.
• Texas A&M University - Department of Agricultural Economics: Texas A&M Ag Econ is a major land-grant department with undergraduate, M.S., and Ph.D. programs in agricultural economics, agribusiness, and rural policy. It is a strong peer with comparable size, mission, and federal research funding profile.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics: Illinois ACE is a top-ranked agricultural and consumer economics department offering undergraduate and graduate programs with research strengths in agribusiness, finance, and policy. It is a frequent co-competitor in RePEc rankings and on grant funding.
• University of Minnesota - Department of Applied Economics: Minnesota APEC is a peer applied economics department with graduate and undergraduate programs in agricultural, environmental, and development economics. It competes with MSU AFRE for faculty, students, and grants in the upper Midwest.
• Purdue University - Department of Agricultural Economics: Purdue Ag Econ is a leading land-grant agricultural economics department with M.S. and Ph.D. programs and applied research in farm management, agribusiness, and policy. It competes directly with MSU AFRE for faculty and graduate students in the Midwest.
• Cornell University - Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management: Cornell's Dyson School offers undergraduate and graduate programs in applied economics and management with strong food and agricultural economics research. It is one of the most direct competitors for top graduate students and faculty in ag/applied economics.
• University of California, Berkeley - Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics: Berkeley ARE is a top-tier agricultural and resource economics department offering Ph.D. and undergraduate programs with strength in environmental, energy, and resource economics. It is a direct competitor for top graduate students and faculty in the discipline.
• University of California, Davis - Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics: UC Davis ARE is a directly comparable peer agricultural and resource economics department offering undergraduate and graduate (M.S./Ph.D.) programs with a similar research focus on agricultural, environmental, and resource economics. It competes for the same faculty, graduate students, and federal research dollars as MSU AFRE.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MSUAFRE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/msuanrvideo08
• Facebookfacebook.com/MSUAFRE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/msuafre
• Instagraminstagram.com/canratmsu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about MSU Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics