AUGUST 2025 NEWSLETTER
WE ARE SO GLAD YOU ARE HERE!
BACK TO BUSINESS
WHAT OUR FACULTY HAVE BEEN UP TO
Dr. Jackie Eastman, along with colleagues Rajesh Iyer, Alexandre Magnier, and Fritz Roka, recently published an article in the Journal of Strategic Marketing, Green Consumer Values Impact on Willingness to Buy Regional Agricultural Products. The research collected survey data f rom households across the country asking them their buying preferences toward locally grown food products that are being marketed as “green.” The paper was part of an overall session on ethical consumerism at the 2025 Academy of Marketing Science Annual Conference in Montreal, Canada (May 21-23, 2025). Sometime this fall we will be organizing a seminar for Dr. Eastman to present the f indings of her research to our Florida Agribusiness community. Stay tuned for the details on her seminar.
CENTER STAFF ENGAGES AT CITRUS & SPECIALTY CROP EXPO
FGCU Agribusiness Consultant Ron Hamel represented the Agribusiness Center at the Annual Citrus & Specialty Crop EXPO at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa August 20 -21 The two-day event featured an industry “tradeshow” and a series of timely updates related to the “citrus” and “specialty crops” grown in Central and Southwest Florida Hamel had the opportunity to engage with two recent FGCU graduates who earned the “Agribusiness Minor” Dayton Buxton works for the Southwest Florida Water Management District as an environmental scientist in its FARMS Program; and Morgan New serves as marketing & membership manager for the Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association The two recent graduates were actively Involved in the Expo event t h s t
Chase Dixon (L) who serves in precision AG solutions and support for Everglades Equipment Group, welcomes FGCU’s Ron Hamel (R) to the company’s display area at the Citrus & Specialty Crop EXPO in Tampa The Everglades Group has been providing support for several of the Center’s AG programs
Over the summer, Agribusiness student Lexi Luevano and recent Agribusiness graduate Morgan New attended the Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Leaders Conference in St. Augustine, Fl. Lexi stated, “It was my second year going to YF&R and I have been very fortunate to attend these amazing opportunities While we were there we attended awesome breakout sessions, one being about Agricultural Policy which was very interesting! We had the opportunity to network with industry leaders, and so much more I am very grateful for the Center of Agribusiness to allow me to have these incredible experiences!”
FALL CLASSES ARE KICKING OFF
This fall, more than 100 students registered for agribusiness courses the largest number ever for a fall semester!
Popular classes include Economics of Feeding the World (40), Food and Agribusiness Marketing (16), Farm to Table Sustainability (50), and Agricultural Policy (34)
JOIN US ON THESE UPCOMING DATES!
For more information please call Janet Reeder (239)- 745-4405 or email address jkreeder@fgcu edu!
More than 400 area high school students invited to FGCU to learn more about agribusiness careers
Morgan New (left), Lexi Luevano (right)