COVID-19 disrupted nations around the world in 2020. People have had to alter their typical lifestyle, and the measures put into effect to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have had an immense impact on economic activity, employment, food consumption, and workplace environments.

CAST and the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) have partnered together on a new paper—Economic Impacts of COVID-19 on Food and Agricultural Markets. The paper’s authors discuss the following topics: macroeconomics, trade, supply chain, consumer behavior, food service/grocery, meat processing, forestry and wood products, local food systems, food waste, food insecurity, major commodity crops, agricultural finance, agricultural labor, rural health care, and research and outreach priorities.

CAST and AAEA will present a free webinar hosted by NC-FAR featuring the new commentary on Monday, June 29, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Central. You can register for the free webinar here. A panel of agricultural economists will present highlights of CAST’s new paper on the impacts of COVID-19 on food and agricultural markets followed by a Q&A session.

There will be an Ag quickCAST—a one-page summary of the commentary—and a Student Study Guide regarding the commentary available on Monday, June 29. When available, the commentary, recorded webinar, Ag quickCAST, and Student Study Guide can be found here.

View some of our other blogs regarding COVID-19:

• Impact of COVID-19 on Pets and Livestock
• COVID-19’s Impacts on the U.S. Food System
• CAST Updates and Useful Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Americans Can Trust That Their Food Is Safe
• Go Ahead and Worry—But Science Says Your Food Is Safe
• Food Supply Chains Affected by Virus
• How the Pandemic is Affecting Farming
• Staying Aware of Coronavirus Hoaxes and Misinformation