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GAINESVILLE— Charles Moss, a University of Florida professor in food and resource economics, will receive the Quality of Communication Award from the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association.

The award will be presented in August at the association’s annual meeting, being held in Washington, DC. It recognizes Moss and Kansas State University’s Allen Featherstone and Christine Wilson for their special publication of the Agriculture Finance Review on the financial condition of agriculture using the Agricultural Resource Management Survey.

The ARMS is the primary survey for agriculture, and about every eight years the USDA chooses a committee to look at an issue that’s affected agriculture during that time. The group analyzes the survey’s ability to address that issue and makes recommendations about its continued usefulness.

“This award is exciting because it’s from a very general audience, not just researchers who are very technical in evaluations,” Moss said. “Everyone in all of agriculture was involved, and that’s the best thing about it.”

Winners are chosen for superior communication of a topic related to agriculture or applied economics. Criteria include the significance of the contribution to the field, economic content and its value to an audience.

“People need to make decisions based on this survey, this is having a day-to-day use,” Moss said. “Most agriculture economists are very specialized, maybe only five people read a publication, but this one had a lot more general impact.”

Moss has been teaching and researching agricultural finance and economics at UF since 1987.

He received his doctoral degree in agricultural finance, agricultural policy, macroeconomics, and quantitative method from Purdue University. His master’s degree in the same came from Oklahoma State University, as well as bachelor’s degrees in agricultural economics and accounting.

Moss has managed more than $400,000 in grants, and supervised six doctoral and two master’s students. He has written two textbooks and co-authored another, in addition to contributing to 24 chapters and editing six volumes.

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Charles Moss, a University of Florida professor in food and resource economics, will receive the Quality of Communication Award from the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association.

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