My primary research areas (mostly theoretical) are agricultural commodity markets and agri-environmental outcomes and policies.
I grew up on a medium-size grain and cattle farm in southeastern Saskatchewan. I obtained my BSc and MSc in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan. I occupied the Van Vliet Research Chair at the University of Saskatchewan from July, 1995 to June, 1996.
I have been at UBC since completing my PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Berkeley in 1991. My joint appoint with the business school began in 1996 and I was promoted to full professor in 2002. I have spent sabbatical leaves at the University of Melbourne (1998/99), KL Leuven (2005), University of Toulouse (2005), Lincoln University (2006), INRA @ Rennes (2014), University of Sassari (2014) and University of Western Australia (2015).
I was named Fellow of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society (CAES) in 2017. I was co-editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE) from 2013 – 2017, and co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics (CJAE) from 2001 to 2004. I was president of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society (CAES) from August, 2010 to July, 2011 (incoming president one year prior and outgoing president one year subsequent).