The Economics of Commodity Promotion Programs: Lessons from California

Mandated agricultural commodity promotion programs – such as «Got Milk» – are highly visible, economically important, and controversial. In recent years, these programs have spent more than $1 billion on generic commodity promotion. They are authorized by producer referenda and funded using mandatory commodity taxes on producers and/or handlers. These programs have been the subject of much dispute and litigation, especially in California, which is home to a large number of them. This book takes a comprehensive look at the economic consequences and the resulting legal implications of commodity promotion programs in California, and distills the key consequences for similar programs on a national scale.

The Editors: Harry M. Kaiser, Professor of Agricultural Economics at Cornell University, received his Ph.D. in agricultural and applied economics from the University of Minnesota. He has published extensively in the areas of agricultural marketing and policy, and was the editor of Agricultural and Resource Economics Review. Dr. Kaiser received the distinguished member award from the Northeastern Association of Agricultural and Resource Economics in 2002, and is currently on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Agricultural Economics.
Julian M. Alston is Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Davis. Previously, Dr. Alston was Chief Economist in the Department of Agriculture in Victoria, Australia, where his experience in public policy analysis and advice shaped his research interests in the economic analysis of agricultural markets and public policies concerning agricultural incomes, prices, trade, and agricultural research and promotion. He is a fellow of the American Agricultural Economics Association.
John M. Crespi is Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University. He received his Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California, Davis. His doctoral dissertation on commodity promotion was awarded outstanding dissertation of the year in 2001 by the American Agricultural Economics Association. Dr. Crespi’s research focuses on agricultural marketing and industrial organization.
Richard J. Sexton is Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Sexton is an expert on agricultural markets and has published extensively on this topic. He has served as co-editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics and as Director of the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics. Dr. Sexton is a fellow of the American Agricultural Economics Association.