Associate Professor, Agricultural and Applied Economics

E-Mail Address:
Telephone:	(608) 265-6514
Fax:	(608) 262-4376
Office Address:	418 Taylor Hall 427 Lorch St. Madison, WI 53706
Interests:	Production economics; risk and uncertainty; contract theory; technology adoption; pest economics; resistance management; transgenic crops; crop insurance
Office Hours:	By appointment

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Personal Web Page

My research emphasizes understanding the role of information, insurance and uncertainty in technology adoption and input use in order to improve the environmental performance of agriculture. My work focuses on crop production with applications in the economics of pest management, transgenic crops and resistance management, crop insurance and risk management, vegetable production, and incentives to encourage adoption of alternative cropping practices. Much of this work is interdisciplinary, involving scientists in entomology, weed science, horticulture, soil science, ecology, etc. and has resulted in receipt of research grants and journal publications. This also work serves as the foundation of my Extension program in cropping systems economics.

My extension program focuses on making my research useful to UW Extension agents, especially in the Agriculture and Natural Resources Program, as well as to farmers and agricultural professionals concerned with improving cropping systems and environmental management in Wisconsin. My outreach program focuses primarily on (1) Farm Programs (Crop Insurance, Commodity Support, and Disaster Assistance), (2) Transgenic Crops and Insect & Weed Management, (3) Economics of Potatoes, Vegetables and Other Specialty Crops, and (4) Crop Budgeting & Cost of Production

Teaching

AAE 320: Farming Systems Management

Education

Ph.D., 1999, Economics (Major Agricultural Economics), Iowa State University
M.A., 1991, Classics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.A., 1990, History, Iowa State University

Recent Publications

Onstad, D.W., P.D. Mitchell, T.M. Hurley, J.G. Lundgren, R.P. Porter, C.H. Krupke, J.L. Spencer, C.D. DiFonzo, T.S. Baute, R.L. Hellmich, L. Buschman, W.D. Hutchison, and J.F. Tooker. 2011. "Seeds of Change: Corn Seed Mixtures for Resistance Management and IPM" Journal of Economic Entomology 104:343-352
You, W., P.D. Mitchell, and R. Nayga. 2011. "Improving Food Choices among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Recipients" Health Economics
Hutchison, W.D., E. Burkness, P.D. Mitchell, R.D. Moon, T.W. Leslie, S.J. Fleischer, M. Abrahamson, K.L. Hamilton, K.L. Steffey, M.E. Gray, R.L. Hellmich, L.V. Kaster, T.E. Hunt, R.J. Wright, K. Pecinovsky, T.L. Rabaey, B.R. Flood, and E.S. Raun. 2010. "Areawide Suppression of European Corn Borer with Bt Maize Reaps Savings to Non-Bt Maize Growers" Science 330:222-225
Dun, Zhe, Paul Mitchell, Mauro Agosti. 2010. "Estimating Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Damage Functions with Field Data: Applying an Unbalanced Nested Error Component Model" Journal of Applied Entomology 134:409-419
Dillen, Koen, Paul Mitchell, Eric Tollens. 2010. "On the Competitiveness of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Damage Abatement Strategies in Hungary: A Bio-economic Approach" Journal of Applied Entomology 134:395-408
Dillen, Koen, Paul Mitchell, T. Van Looy, Eric Tollens. 2010. "The Western Corn Rootworm, A New Threat to European Agriculture: Opportunities for Biotechnology?" Pest Management Science 66:956-966
Mitchell, P. D., J. Weber, B. Barham. "Fair Trade Coffee—Lessons for Healthy Grown." The Badger Common’Tater 2010, pp.62(8):9-11
Frisvold, George, Terry Hurley, and Paul Mitchell. 2009. "Overview: Herbicide Resistant Crops – Diffusion, Benefits, Pricing and Resistance Management" AgBioForum 12:244-248
Hurley, Terry, Paul Mitchell, George Frisvold. 2009. "Characteristics of Herbicides and Weed Management Programs Most Important to Corn, Cotton, and Soybean Growers" AgBioForum 12:269-280
Hurley, Terry, Paul Mitchell, George Frisvold. 2009. "Weed Management Costs, Weed Best Management Practices, and The Roundup Ready® Weed Management Program" AgBioForum 12:281-290
Hurley, Terry, Paul Mitchell, George Frisvold. 2009. "Adoption of Best Management Practices to Control Weed Resistance by Cotton, Corn, and Soybean Growers" AgBioForum 12:370-381
Hurley, Terry, Paul Mitchell, George Frisvold. 2009. "Effects of Weed Resistance Concerns and Resistance Management Practices on the Value of Roundup Ready® Crops" AgBioForum 12:291-302
Hsieh, M., P. Mitchell, K. Stiegert. 2009. "Potato Demand in an Increasingly Organic Marketplace" Agribusiness: An International Journal 25(3):369-394
Mitchell, P. T. Knight. 2008. "Economic Analysis of Supplemental Deductible Coverage in the USDA’s 2007 Farm Bill Proposal" Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 37:117-131
Mitchell, P., and W. Hutchison. "Assessing and Communicating the Value and Risk of IPM." in Integrated Pest Management. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2008,
Mitchell, P., and D. Onstad. "Valuing Insect Resistance in an Uncertain Future." in Insect Resistance Management: Biology, Economics, and Prediction. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2008, pp.17-38.
Hurley, T., and P. Mitchell. "Insect Resistance Management: Adoption and Compliance." in Insect Resistance Management: Biology, Economics, and Prediction. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2008, pp.227-253.
Bussan, A., P. Mitchell, M. Copas, and M. Drilias. 2007. "Evaluation of In-Row Spacing on Potato Yield and Tuber Size Distribution" Crop Science 47:2462-2472
D. W. Onstad, D. W. Crowder, P. D. Mitchell, C. A. Guse, J. L. Spencer, E. Levine and M. E. Gray. 2003. "Economics versus Alleles: Balancing IPM and IRM for Rotation-Resistant Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)" Journal of Economic Entomology 96(December ):1872-1885
J. M. Alston, J. Hyde, M. C. Marra and P. D. Mitchell. 2003. "An Ex Ante Analysis of the Benefits from the Adoption of Corn Rootworm Resistant, Transgenic Corn Technology" AgBioForum 5:71-84
Arledge-Keene, A., and P. D. Mitchell. "Economic Impact of Specialty Crop Production in Wisconsin." Dept. of Ag & App Econ. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Shelley, K.B., and P.D. Mitchell. "Cover Crops and Crop Insurance." Dept. of Ag & App Econ. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mitchell, P.D.. "Insuring Forage for SURE." Dept. of Ag & App Econ. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mitchell, P.D.. "Don’t Forget About SURE." Dept. of Ag & App Econ. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mitchell, P. D., R. Rejesus, K.H. Coble, T. O. Knight. "A Real Options Framework for Analyzing Program Participation as Human Capital Investments: The Case of the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program." Dept. of Ag & App Econ. University of Wisconsin-Madison